A well-chosen vase can transform a room faster than almost any other design element. Part sculpture, part styling tool, it is often the smallest object that makes the biggest visual statement. “Scale is the spine of interior design,” says Suparna Handa, Managing Director of Sarita Handa. Even a small vase can make a big impact.
Unlike furniture or wall colours, vases can be rotated, regrouped and restyled with ease, instantly shifting the mood of a space. Handa advises building a collection with varied heights. “When furnishing a space, you must consider the room’s macro scale,” she says. A small vase paired with a taller one creates “a high-low rhythm that naturally draws the eye,” while floor-standing vessels can anchor empty corners.
Vikram Goyal, founder of Vikram Goyal Studio and Viya, finds placement is instinctive. “There are no fixed rules when it comes to living with objects of one’s choice,” he says. What matters is how a vessel relates to its surroundings. Mita Mehta, founder of Mita Mehta Studio, sees vases belonging in spaces meant to be savoured: “a grand drawing room, a beautifully lit bedroom, an entrance hall that sets the entire emotional tone of a home.”
Material, says Handa, should guide form. “It doesn’t just dictate the form. It possesses its own voice.” Stone and terracotta lend earthy simplicity, ceramics allow softer curves, while metal permits “taut, sharp lines and dramatic, elongated forms.” Texture matters too—a rough surface adds warmth, while smoother forms bring quiet elegance.
Not every vase needs flowers. “The most luxurious thing in a room is that which asks nothing of you,” says Mehta. Goyal agrees that some vessels are sculptural works in their own right, while others are designed for anything from a single stem to abundant arrangements.
When grouping vases, contrast can create depth, but restraint is essential. “Very different things can share a surface beautifully,” says Mehta. “The thread is never the material or colour. It is the depth.” Her one warning: avoid overcrowding. A handful of thoughtfully placed vessels will always outshine a shelf full of expensive clutter.