All Vases & Terrariums

Single stems, cuttings, and the surfaces a full arrangement would overwhelm — small vases are built for windowsills, bedside tables, bathroom shelves and the narrow ledge above a sink. Under 13 cm (5 in), one stem is the whole arrangement, and three in a row beat most centrepieces for effort against effect. This hub holds the small end of every line: glass bud pieces, porcelain single-stem vases, and the Pooley's individual tubes, each sized so the vessel disappears and the flower does not.

Narrow necks suit single stems and small bouquets by keeping them upright; wide mouths accommodate looser, fuller arrangements. Vase shapes determine the arrangement more than the flowers do — a cylinder holds stems vertical, a compote spreads them outward, a bud vase isolates one. Match the shape to the stem count rather than the flower species. The shape does half the arranging before your hands get involved.

Match the opening to the stem count — a vase for flowers with a narrow neck holds a few stems upright, while a wide mouth lets a dozen fall where they want. Then check the height: stem showing above the rim should run roughly double the vase height visible below it, so the vessel supports without swallowing. Weight matters last — ceramic anchors tall or top-heavy stems, glass shows the waterline and the architecture underneath. The maths sounds fussy. The result looks effortless.

Warm water, a drop of soap, and a bottle brush with soft bristles — how to clean a vase is simple until the neck is narrower than the wrist, at which point it becomes an engineering problem humanity has been solving with mixed results since the first person put flowers in a container and confronted what the flowers left behind. Rice grains shaken in warm water work for vases that defeat the brush. A denture tablet dissolved overnight handles the ones that defeat the rice. The vase wins the first round. The owner wins eventually, using tools built for other problems. The vase does not apologize.

A vase for tall flowers needs a heavy base and a height that supports at least one-third of the stem below the rim — top-heavy arrangements tip when the vessel is too light or too short for the stem length. The ceramic pieces in this collection carry more weight than glass at equivalent size, which helps. Counterbalance is the engineering. The flower gets the credit. The vase never mentions its contribution.

Here, priced in Canadian dollars — this hub holds every Chive vase and terrarium, designed in Toronto since 2004 and sold from the studio's own store at 702 Queen St. W. as well as online. Buying vases in Canada from a Canadian studio means no duty, no exchange surprise at checkout, and one shipping line that applies to everything on the page: ships across Canada from our Toronto studio. Local pick-up is available at the store; the Delivery page carries the current cut-offs.

Clean lines, a single material, and a footprint small enough to share a surface without competing for it — a minimalist vase works by taking up less visual space than the flower it holds. This collection includes bud vases sized for windowsills and shelves where a single stem is the entire arrangement. Minimalism in vases is restraint in three dimensions. The vase disappears. The flower does not. That is the design working.

A studio that designs from the period's principles rather than its catalogue — a mid century modern vase should be shaped for function, coloured with intent, and free of decoration that exists only to decorate. This collection includes glass and ceramic pieces that follow that logic. The mid-century aesthetic was always about the object earning its place in the room. A vase that earns its shelf still looks mid-century. A vase that copies one just looks careful.