Vase decor - incorporating vases in tabletop decoration - Brief Article

Sunset, July, 2001 by Ann Bertelsen

A designer's way with tabletop arrangements

Since Kenneth Wingard quit his job as director of the accessories division at Pottery Barn five years ago to start his own home accessories company, he has created a dazzling array of award-winning products for the home, from candlesticks and ceramics to pillows and lamps. Beautiful tabletop arrangements are his specialty. We asked him for advice on decorating with tabletop accessories, using ceramic vases from his own line.

"If you think of a vase only as a vessel for holding flowers, you grossly underestimate its value," he says. "Regardless of its shape, size, or color, a vase should be viewed as artwork for the table or mantel, and the flowers that go in it should complement, not overwhelm it." One large accent flower as a focal point is often all that is needed for a gathering of shapely ceramics.

"Anyone can create an elegant table setting by following a few basic principles," says Wingard. The examples shown here, created at the home of San Francisco advertising creative director Bob Pullum, illustrate some of these principles in pairing ceramic vases with furniture, artwork, and flowers.

* Seeing red. Pick up on a room's dominant accent color and bring in ceramics to match it. In this case, a red armchair sets the palette. The two Wingard vases, both in the same vivid red, "play with the shapes and color," notes Wingard. The small bell-shaped vessel contrasts with the tall funnel vase, which holds sprays of blossoms from the garden. An acrylic plastic--framed accent light helps balance the setting.

* Green spectrum. It's not always necessary to center things. In an off-center arrangement, Wingard counterbalances a grouping of five tall vases in various shades of green with a low platter of fruit. A single flower--the large pink protea--creates a dramatic focal point. "I deliberately make many vases with small lips, reducing the need for lots of flowers," says Wingard. The different hues of green add depth to the arrangement; the black-and-white painting forms an elegant background for the colorful vases.