decorative ceramics, vessels & pots
AD INFORMATION | This page contains AFFILIATE LINKS to products | For more info visit the DISCLOSURE page.
If like me you’re drawn towards featuring vignettes of rich textures and earthy tones set against neutral backdrops then I’m guessing you might have already cottoned on to using vintage ceramics, pots and vessels to achieve the look. Over the last couple of years, they’ve been popping up on lots of my favourite interior blogs and Instagram feeds and I’ve begun collecting a few myself. I love faffing; moving them around the house to see where they suit best and experimenting with styling the larger ones using different types of branches and foliage. It’s an easy way to incorporate nature into your indoor surroundings and the foliage can be swapped and varied according to the seasons too.
Plenty of interior retailers have cottoned on to the vibe and there are lots of good repro versions available in a wide range of budgets, hues and size – when mixed in with vintage pieces in different tones they look even better. Below are a few places I’d recommend exploring…
You’ll find many beautiful versions on Etsy and don’t forget eBay too, where dependant on your search terms, you’ll be able to find individual handmade items like this rustic garden urn. Speaking of search terms, queen of the vintage vessel, Athena Calderone, published her list of search terms she uses to track down some absolute beauties. I too fell down the Etsy rabbit hole using some of her key words and had to stop before there were any incidents of Add To Basket.
Dependant on width and height, place vessels on shelves, windowsills or ladder shelving in the bathroom. Taller vases filled with one or two oversized branches look great in the corner of a room directly on the floor or placed on a pile of books. Smaller sizes can live on bedside tables or displayed in a bookcase cubby, propping up your most-loved interior books. Open kitchen shelving would be the dream and I’d mix two or three pots in varying sizes with pantry storage jars or oil and vinegar bottles.
Style your vessels with contrasting textures and tones – wooden bowls (this teak-root bowl is a beauty), metal trays and rattan or seagrass baskets of varying heights – also good for storing and hiding away clutter.
When it comes to foliage, I use a mix of real and faux, depending on what’s available. The struggle to find a really good branch or two is real – I once ran across the road in the wind and rain as, whilst doing the washing up, I spied a blossom laden branch hanging by a thread in the garden of the house opposite – that sucker was mine faster than you could say “Hold my rubber gloves!” There’s been many a time we’ve been off out for a dog walk and I’ve instructed P to bring his Fiskars Garden Saw – he loves that thing and needs little to no persuasion. This is only in case we might come across the perfect dangling by a thread branch you understand – I don’t advocate becoming an amateur forester, going about denuding random trees in the name of Scandi rustic interior styling.
When it comes to the faux stuff, I love The Suffolk Nest – their stems, flowers and branches are such great quality and among the most realistic I’ve seen. I *coughs* may have built up a decent seasonal collection over the past year or so. Also check in with The White Company, OKA, Etsy, Olivia’s Homeware, Abigail Ahern and Layered Lounge too – they all have good selections of artificial botanicals.
I like to use magnolia, willow or cherry blossom stems in spring and pampas grass or olive branches work well in summer – for a real Mediterranean vibe these palm leaves would also look amazing in this pot. Come the autumn I revert to contorted hazel combined with rusty-hued leafy branches and more grasses – this year I foraged some tall, dried out cow parsley stems from the hedgerows and they’ve been going strong throughout winter. Can you tell that some of my creative work is for a local florist?
If you use foliage that requires water in your vintage vessel or ceramic pot, don’t forget to use an inner container to hold it as the majority are highly porous and will leak everywhere – sorry about that water ring on the oak shelf P! I’ve used cut down milk cartons or an old water bottle depending on how wide the neck is and what size the foliage is.
And on a final note, if you’re after more styling inspiration for your pots, vases and bowls, take a look at the Instagram accounts below:
EyeSwoon | Loft 208 | Emma Hill Home | Reena at Hygge For Home | And her co-author of the interiors book -Scandi Rustic - Rebecca at Malmo & Moss
shop vases, vessels & decorative pots
