Floor vase guide: size, weight and placement at home

Choose a floor vase by its height, base and weight: roughly 60 to 80 cm tall suits most living rooms, and from 80 cm up it needs a wide, heavy base to stay upright.

How tall should a floor vase be?

There is no fixed rule, but a few sizes work again and again. Look at the space around the vase, not just the vase itself: the more air above and beside it, the larger it can be. For how size relates to the rest of the room, see our guide to the right vase size for the living room.

• 60 cm: a floor vase for a corner, beside a sofa or on a narrow stretch of floor. Good for a few branches.
• 70 cm: the size people search for most. It sits well next to a cabinet or TV unit and stays in proportion with a normal ceiling height.
• 80 cm: a clear eye-catcher. Choose a wide base and a heavy material.
• 100 cm and taller: a statement piece for a hallway, stairwell or large living room. Our collection goes up to amphorae of about 120 cm.

If you are torn between two sizes, pick the smaller one and make it look bigger with branches or pampas grass. A vase that is slightly too small is easy to fix. One that is too big dominates the room and no longer goes with anything.

Where do you put a floor vase?

A floor vase needs room to work. Do not put it in the middle of a walking route, or it becomes an obstacle instead of an accent. Good spots are:

• next to a sofa or armchair, on a patch of floor nobody needs to walk across;
• in a corner, where it gives the room a high point;
• beside a door or in the hall, where it marks the entrance like a column;
• under a window, where daylight brings out the colours of the mosaic.

If there are already accessories nearby, see how to combine a vase as decoration without the room feeling busy. One large vase that gets all the attention often works better than three medium ones side by side.

Empty or filled: what goes in a floor vase?

A floor vase does not have to be full of flowers. Many people fill it with branches, pampas grass or dried flowers, because those last weeks to months and need no water. In autumn and winter, willow, dogwood or birch branches are popular. Take them from your own garden or the market: in nature reserves you cannot simply cut branches, see the rules of Staatsbosbeheer (the Dutch forestry service).

A beautiful, well shaped vase can also simply stand empty. A handmade mosaic vase is an object in its own right. If you do want fresh flowers in it, first check that the inside is watertight. How to test that is covered in our article on testing and repairing a leaking vase. Otherwise use a glass or plastic inner vase.

How do you keep a tall floor vase stable?

The taller the vase, the more the base matters. An 80 cm vase that is narrow at the bottom tips over sooner than a 100 cm vase with a wide belly. Watch for three things:

• Base width: a wide, flat base matters more than a thick wall. If the base is less than a third of the height, the vase becomes top heavy as soon as you add branches.
• Weight: a heavy piece stands firmly but is harder to move. See our tips on moving a heavy pot safely.
• Surface: on a smooth tiled floor or a rug that can slip, a non-slip mat under the base helps. With children or pets around, place the vase in a corner.

If an empty vase is too light, fill the bottom of an inner vase with a layer of sand or small stones. That lowers the centre of gravity and keeps the vase upright, even with a bunch of long branches.

Why choose a handmade mosaic vase as a floor vase?

A floor vase gets noticed, so the finish counts. At Masr Potten & Vazen every piece is handmade: the tesserae, hand cut glass pieces, are laid and grouted by hand, inspired by the Egyptian mosaic tradition. That is why no two vases are identical. Colour variation and small irregularities are part of the handwork.

Does your room not suit a standard size? Custom work is possible in colour, model and size, so a floor vase of exactly 75 cm in the colour of your sofa is no problem. A custom piece takes six to ten weeks on average from approval to delivery, with progress photos along the way. Browse the collection first, or request a no obligation quote: you get a proposal within two working days. The collection starts from about €135, larger sizes on request. We deliver in the Netherlands and Belgium, right to the spot where the piece will stand.