How Do I Choose the Best Metal Vase?

The best metal vase for your home or office can range from modern to rustic in design and from just big enough for a single, tiny bloom to large enough to accommodate a sizeable garden’s cuttings. For indoor use, the style and color options for metal vases are practically unlimited, whether you need a vase to hold a table centerpiece or one to hold its own as a decorative element in an otherwise dull corner or hallway. Metal vases for outdoors use can be as simple as a metal bucket or an antique washtub. In choosing the best, you should first determine the size you need, the style you want and a price range.

There are several different finishes available for metal vases. Determining the type of metal you want, whether a more expensive silver or platinum or a cheaper aluminum or tin, can narrow your search significantly. Some metal vases will need no adornment aside from their natural finish. For others, a hand-painted design can make a metal vase look like a ceramic vase without as much risk of breakage if it were to tip over. Pewter vases have a muted finish, like brushed silver, and can evoke the feel of a medieval castle or add a touch of contemporary elegance, depending on their design.

If you want to use metal vases as table decorations for an indoor gathering, you may want to consider using metal flower pots or mint julep cups. A silver-plated mint julep cup can make a fine metal vase and is the right size to provide a touch of elegance. It also stays fairly low to the table, so guests don’t have to fight a towering flower arrangement to talk with others at their table.

Your décor is a key element in choosing the best metal vases for your particular use. For example, a large metal milk jug may be perfect to hold a massive arrangement of sunflowers or oversized artificial blooms in a home with a country feel. It likely would be out of place, however, in a home with more modern flair. The same can be said of metal vases intended for outdoor use. In addition to metal milk cans, metal watering cans work well as outdoor vases, and they are available in a range of styles appropriate for a variety of yards, especially those with a garden.

A key selling point of metal vases is that they are durable, though there are things to watch out for to prevent getting a cheap product that will fail quickly. For example, the best metal vases are sealed to prevent rusting, an especially important factor for a vessel intended to hold water on a regular basis. Sealing also keeps any paint from peeling and can prevent any harmful elements found in the metal from leaching into the water and killing the flowers the vase is intended to help. If the paint on a metal vase of any kind chips off easily, you probably shouldn’t buy it unless you intend to repaint and reseal it before use.

One other consideration when trying to buy the best metal vases is the type of flower it will contain. A relatively small bloom can be fairly easy to accommodate. If a flower is top-heavy, however, you might want to find a thick metal vase with a weighted base. This provides balance that helps to keep the vase from tipping over with little provocation.