Stem Vase: Seeing the Flowers, not the Bouquet

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There are two things I’ve got against displays of cut flowers.

First, I’m a guy: we’re not big on the flowers thing. We tend to associate flowers with grovelling apologies, or enforced gardening. It’s a matter of perspective. (But I’ll agree, a well-done display of flowers can lift even the lowest mood and brighten the most drab room.)

But there’s my second point: why not keep them growing? Have I mentioned my basil plant? I call him Basil. I’ve carefully tended Basil from a limp, shop-bought state into a riot of greenery spilling over the kitchen window sill. Same with flowers. Why miss the fun?

Then again, if the garden’s rioting and you just have to trim it back a little, it’s a waste to throw away cut flowers when they look so nice arranged in a sunny corner.

You’ve already seen the photo heading this post. It’s the brilliant work of Yee-Ling Wan and Steve Jones, and although I’ve seen a few single-flower vases before, this beats them by a long way. The flower rests in an inner teardrop of glass, drawing attention to the simple, effortless beauty of one flower – just one. I think I’m starting to like flowers again.

Stem Vase – $39
– via CribCandy

Mike Sowden

Mike Sowden is a freelance writer based in the north of England, obsessed with travel, storytelling and terrifyingly strong coffee. He has written for online & offline publications including Mashable, Matador Network and the San Francisco Chronicle, and his work has been linked to by Lonely Planet, World Hum and Lifehacker. If all the world is a stage, he keeps tripping over scenery & getting tangled in the curtain - but he's just fine with that.