How Many Vases Do You Really Need?

How Many Vases Do You Really Need?

Well, that depends. I love spring and summer when all the flowers are in bloom. It’s a beautiful time of year and a welcome break from winter. While it’s nice to display flowers in vases, I really prefer to enjoy them outside. (And so do my allergies!) During the winter I find myself drawn to candles, but just a few, more than flowers.

Set a Boundary

Over the years, I’ve worked in many garages, basements, and kitchens and routinely find enough extra vases to supply a large wedding reception. Vases are an item that people accumulate without much thought. Flowers arrive. Flowers die. Vases are washed and put in a cabinet. It doesn’t seem to matter if its a vase you like or have room to store. The default response is to keep all the vases we’ve ever received and find space to store them throughout the house. And this is why I suggest setting a boundary for every category throughout your home, like dishes and books.

When it came time to declutter my flower vases, I knew I would not keep many and that the boundary would be small. Currently, I own two vases. One is a rose bowl which holds short-stemmed flowers through a narrow opening. It’s a beautiful cut-glass vase  that we received as a wedding present. I love this piece but that doesn’t mean I kept every single wedding gift. Nor should you if you’re doing so out of guilt. The second vase is tall and accommodates long-stemmed flowers. That’s it.

Displaying Flowers

Another factor to consider was the location in my home where I was most likely to display flowers. We have a unique challenge that our cat loves to eat flowers so I most often keep them in my office where I can close the door. But I could envision one vase on the dining room table and one on the kitchen table. I keep minimal decorations on my clean kitchen counters. So, I will likely never place a vase of flowers on the counter. And I doubt I will ever display more than two bouquets of flowers at any given time. Thus, owning just two serves our family well. 

Declutter the Vases

I decluttered all except for two vases because this was the right number for me. Since your situation is likely different than mine, these questions will help you determine the perfect number of vases for your home.

• Do you like flowers?
• Are you allergic to flowers?
• Does your pet try to eat the flowers?
• If you received flowers tomorrow, which vase would you use? Keep it.
• Identify which vases were delivered with a bouquet. Would you purchase those vases if you saw them in a store today? If not, donate.
• How many can you display at one time? (Flowers can be messy. Just sayin’.)
• Where will you store the ones you are keeping? Respect this boundary.

Donate and Recycle

Now that you’ve reduced the inventory, here are some donation ideas.

• Local florist – Help a small business by re-stocking their inventory
• Goodwill – Good condition only
• Glass Recycling – Chipped, cracked or damaged
• Gift – Is your garden full of beautiful flowers? Create a bouquet for a neighbor or friend.
• Random Acts of Flowers – Random Acts of Flowers collects vases to deliver flower arrangements to people in hospitals, assisted-living facilities, and hospice centers. 

Be sure to display some beautiful flowers in a vase you love.

How many vases are you keeping?

How many are you getting rid of?