It’s the little things

I love a teeny tiny vase, the more the merrier! And I have a ridiculously eclectic collection of car boot finds, gifted and shop bought.

My personal favourite is a little hand thrown bulb vase that cost me 50p at the Brighton Marina car boot. It is far from perfect but it is absolutely perfect for me.

If you’re having guests over and a bit up against it, there is no better way to create a beautiful table scape in a few minutes without breaking the bank. I love that by using single stems or tiny clusters each stem is elevated and given its own spot light.

By using an eclectic mix of vessels you inadvertently create a beautiful rise and fall to your table scape and by slipping in a few elegant taper candles and some crisp white linen you have created the perfectly polished intimate dining set up.

There are no hard and fast rules to achieving this look but I love a little mix of the seasons finest whether it’s in one pallet or a vibrant meadow. Try not to leave your stems more that twice the height of the vessel to avoid it looking disproportionate and do rummage around in the garden and add some herbs or a few tendrils of something you have scrambling up a wall.

With a little bit of effort changing the water regularly these little guys will go on and on and look just as amazing broken up and dotted all around the house.

The little flashes of colour give the overall illusion of a house full of flowers. If you don’t have the bud vase hoarding gene like me a little mix up of old sauce bottles and jars will do very nicely too!

If I really want to impress my dinner guests I pop a sprig of olive or rosemary on each napkin which proves to be a great talking point and distraction from anything I dish up that might be a bit underwhelming!

bud vases – make the most of what’s available