Buying guide
Practical advice on choosing scale, material and grouping — the three things that decide whether a piece looks right in your room.
Start with scale, not style
The most common mistake is buying something too small. As a rule of thumb, a vase on a console or sideboard should be roughly one third the height of the space above it. On a coffee table, keep everything below eye level when seated — around 25cm.
- Bedside tables and small shelves: 15–22cm bud vases
- Coffee tables and dining tables: 18–25cm low, wide shapes
- Consoles, sideboards and mantelpieces: 30–40cm statement shapes
- Floors, hearths and empty corners: 45cm and above
Choosing a material
Ceramic gives weight and a matte, absorbent surface that softens a room. Glass introduces light and depth without visual bulk, which suits smaller spaces. Natural stone brings genuine texture and works best where it can be touched — a coffee table or a dressing table.
Group in odd numbers, vary the height
Three pieces at different heights nearly always look better than two matched ones. Keep the material or the colour consistent so the group reads as intentional, then let the silhouettes differ.
Fresh, dried or faux
Fresh flowers need a watertight vase and a weekly change. Dried grasses last a season and suit fluted ceramic. Good-quality faux stems, with real-touch petals and wire cores, are the practical choice for a spot you don't want to maintain — and the only ones that hold their shape in a hallway with no daylight.
Colour that lasts
Warm neutrals — cream, sand, stone and clay — carry across seasons and sit comfortably with oak, linen and brass. Introduce colour in the stems rather than the vessel, so the room changes without another purchase.
Still not sure?
Send us a photo of the space and the measurements. We'll suggest two or three pieces that work, and tell you honestly if something in the range is the wrong scale for it.