2020’s Trendiest Vase Looks Good Even Without Flowers

A dried blooms, or branches, this kind of decorative touch will elevate a space in seconds, and it’s always worth adding a new vase to your arsenal from time to time, particularly if you don’t hold onto the plain glass ones that come with professional arrangements from florists.

While browsing some of my favorite home decor sites for new styles recently, I noticed a pattern emerging. So many of the vases I saw have holes right in the center. The exact size and shape of this cut out varies, but typically, it’s circular and near the middle of the vessel, rendering it a little difficult to actually fill the piece with water and live stems. Which made me wonder… why?

“In the last few years, the interest in florals as an art form has exploded, and these vases lend nicely to that,” says Alexandra Floro, owner and principal floral designer at Under New MGMT. “We’ve been seeing a lot more emphasis on organic and thick shapes that add life and an artistic touch to the home,” she adds. “Vases are being used as sculptural pieces now.”

It seems like 2020’s hottest vase is so striking, it doesn’t need to be filled at all! Should you want to go for it though, you can use something like eucalyptus, which I put in my H&M Home ceramic vase similar to the one seen above, which I snagged when I first spotted this trend emerging (it’s sold out now, but check back—and buy it quickly if it does come back). Dried flowers are another good choice. “I love to use bunny tails, curly willow branches, or dried bougainvillea stems,” says Floro. The trick is not adding too many pieces, since the opening is relatively shallow.

If you can’t resist styling those farmer’s market blooms in a funky vessel like this though, Floro has a solve for that, too. “If you’d like to add fresh florals to an open vase but the base doesn’t quite hold enough water, ask your florist for floral tubes or pick some up at a craft store,” she says. That way you can have your sculptural vase and your flowers, too. Again, you’ll be limited on how many stems you can actually fit, but some may be better than none, if that’s the look you are going for.

Now that you know how to style these gorgeous vases, shop some of my favorite designs below.

Inspired by mid-century Italian design, the colors—and shimmery finishes—on these splurge-worthy glass vessels by artist Nanda Soderberg are truly stunning. One would be enough to command attention on a dresser but think of the impact a cluster would make. They come in two shapes, oval and short, and three colorways: jade green, fuchsia, and tequila sunrise, the pretty pink hue depicted here.

Buy: Loop Vase, Starting at $140.00 $112.00 from East Fork

Looking for a bargain buy? You can certainly repurpose this clear glass pitcher as a vase. Add a sun palm and maybe a piece of pampas grass or two, and you’ll have a funky display for well under $50.

Buy: Clear Pitcher With Hole Design, $14.99 from World Market

Technically, this ceramic style is a planter, but you can actually separate the two pieces, using the round basin for something with roots and the circle standing base as a vase, as shown in the photo above. It’s pricy but for the size—18.5 inches tall and 14 inches wide overall—and the versatility, you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Buy: Zelda Planter, $149 at Urban Outfitters