21+ Modern Vases for the Scandinavian Home
Modern vases, geometric vases, and minimalist vases from iconic Danish design brands
Good design is all about the details, and a quality modern vase can add texture, depth, and dimension to just about any space. Then best vases can be displayed beautifully by themselves when you don’t fresh flowers or dried greenery on hand.
Here at Batten Home, we have a thing for modern vases, carefully curating quite a large collection to share with you.
Today, we’re taking a look at 21+ modern vases for the Scandinavian home, ranging from minimalist vases for a side table to statement-worthy floor vases that spark conversation.
Modern vases from COOEE Design: Ball Vases, Pillar Vases, and more
Let’s start with a collection of modern vases from COOEE Design, a family-owned Swedish design brand with Danish design roots dating back to the 1950s (get the whole story behind this brand here).
COOEE Design’s Ball Vase was the first vase design added to their living collection in 2015. The round minimalistic vase is a staple for any soft minimalist home, and since then, the collection has expanded to include a wide assortment of colors and sizes.
COOEE has also introduced other vase designs that perfectly complement the iconic Ball Vases.
Each vase is handmade with a soft yet matte surface that has become a hallmark of all of COOEE Design’s vases. Once you hold one in your hands, you’ll understand why they’re so popular.
Shown here is the 12cm Collar Vase in Dusty Pink, the 8cm Ball Vase in Mud, the 20 cm Pastille Vase in Sand, and the 32 cm Pillar Vase in Sand.
Shown here as part of a minimalist tablescape is the 20 cm Ball Vase in Peanut, the 12cm Collar Vase in Ochre, and the 20cm Ball Vase in Shell.
COOEE Design’s Trumpet Vases feature a neck like a trumpet, balanced by a round bottom. The 16cm Trumpet Vase has a wider bottom and looks beautiful arranged next to the taller 30cm Trumpet Vase. In addition to the matte Shell finish shown above, each size comes in black or olive tones, too––explore all colorways here.
The 30 cm Drift Vases ––shown here in Vanilla, Pepper, and Walnut––are designed by artist and former ballet dancer Anders Pfeffer Gjengedal. Gjengedal hand carves the molds for these vases in his Oslo, Norway workshop.
''The nature around us is constantly shaped by the elements. From the major changes through the ice ages to weather's daily impact on a mountain birch and sand on a beach,” Gjengedal says. “Soft lines and organic forms are created. Even a seemingly straight horizon has a slight curve. In our homes, we are surrounded by straight lines and digital surfaces, so a soft shape on an object can be a welcoming and comfortable place to rest our eyes.''
We agree!
Lastly, here’s the 12cm Collar Vase in a lovely Dark Green.
Modern vases from MUUTO
“My starting point for the Kink Vase was an exploration of how new forms could be created through the digital manipulation of simple shapes,” says Earnest Studio, who collaborated with MUUTO on this unique vase design. “The design combines this appreciation of modern technology with traditional ceramic craft, resulting in a piece that is both contemporary and sculptural. The graphic and playful appearance of the Kink Vase—combined with its double opening, which suggests a new way to arrange flowers—infuses its surroundings with joy.”
This piece really does add such a playful feel, wherever you place it.
We love turning to the designers themselves to explain the stories behind their pieces. ““The idea for the Ridge Vase came while traveling through different cities with a vase in mind, searching for details that had an architectural feel,” says Helsinki-based Studio Kaksikko. “Upon returning to our studio in Finland, we began sketching by hand and making mock-ups in paper and ceramics. With its vertical lines and unique shape, inspired by a doorway in Paris, the Ridge Vase presents a new way to place flowers through a modern expression along with a sculptural character when not in use. The Ridge Vase manipulates the oval form through its refined dent while adding the function of a small handle to use when moving the vase from one room to another.”
We love both the terracotta and off-white color of the Ridge Vase, which comes in two sizes.
Minimalist vases from Menu Design
Menu is known for Danish design with a sense of community, collaborating with a variety of designers to bring pieces that you can love and live with every day.
Inspired by the way smoke or mist spirals in the air, the Large Aer Vase brings sculptural appeal to surfaces. The name Aer comes from the Latin word for air or vapor.
Designed for MENU by Gabriel Tan, the Large Aer Vase's asymmetrical silhouette undulates in liquid-like waves to bring a tactile, almost ethereal quality to the glass. It’s beautiful as a standalone sculpture, or styled with stems or branches.
Scottish-Swedish Stockholm-based designer Nick Ross found inspiration for the design of the Cyclades Vase by observing the female idols of the Cycladic culture ––a group of islands in the Aegean sea between 3200-2000 B.C.) The Cyclades Vase offers a fresh, new take on how to use materials that are often associated with the past. Exhibiting its ancient prowess, while still seeming familiar and modern, the Cyclades Vase acts as a beautiful and contemporary standpoint for all areas of the home, connecting with the observer on a more primordial level.
“Every space has its own spirit, and it’s important that design speaks to both that spirit and the needs of the people who occupy the space,” says German designer Theresa Rand. “With the Échasse series, I worked to create a sense of lightness and playfulness that naturally connects the design to its surrounding – and offers an uplifting solution for elegant living.”
Rand found inspiration for the Échasse Vase by looking at laboratory test tubes. The drop-shaped form is as elegant when holding flowers on a living room floor or a nightstand as it is when left unfilled. The unique color gradients of the smoke glass version shown above add depth and contrast against the brushed brass legs.
MENU’s Troll Vases take their name from a painting by the famed Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen, depicting a mythological water spirit, Nøkken, rising from the dark waters of a forest pond.
The idea started with an interest in the properties of glass and how color intensity varies depending on the thickness of the material. The result is what you see above –– a vase that varies in thickness and color, from a solid colored base to a thin, transparent, and bubble-like top –– just like Nøkken rising from the dark waters of a pond.
The Troll Vases come in both smoke and amber-colored glass in three varying sizes.
Form and Refine’s Geometric Alcoa Vase
Danish design brand Form and Refine is known for pairing hand-selected materials with craftsmen and designers from all over the world (learn more about their story here), and their high-quality design can be seen through even the smallest of accessories.
The name Alcoa refers to the region of Alcobaça in Portugal, which is where the Alcoa Vase is made. The region is known for its naturally rich and fine white clay which has fostered a culture of pottery over the years.
“We took an analytical approach to the design, by applying to contrast properties of forms and colors,” says Herman Studio. “This is evident in the geometric lines that form the objects and the contrast used in the finished glaze with matt and high gloss.” The result is a highly geometric vase that works in a variety of settings.
Minimalist Vases from Kristina Dam Studio
We love Kristina Dam Studio’s minimalist vases. While new designs are added to her collection each year, her signature earthy tones and sculptural approach make each piece work cohesively together throughout a home, on a shelving set, or in a particular design vignette.
Let’s walk through some of our favorite series of vases.
The Opal Vase in Brown Topaz featured gentle lines formed by mouth-blown, double-layered glass. It’s perfect as a standalone sculpture or styled with a small batch of dried grass or stems. The Opal Vase in Beige is a complementary option with an opaque design.
Kristina Dam’s Dome Vase collection consists of four distinct vases made with a beautiful Terra cotta with grey engobe. Each vase can be styled alone or together.
The Extra Small Dome Vase’s large opening is perfect for a flower arrangement, single stems, or small branches. The contrasting Small Dome Vase’s small opening is a lovely way to display a single stem or branch. The Medium Dome Vase adds levels to the series, with a large body and opening for any time of stem, flower, or minimal branch arrangement you desire. At nearly 20 inches tall, the Large Dome Vase truly makes a statement.
Kristina Dam’s Dual Vase series features three distinct vases in complementary colors and sizes. The name Dual is inspired by the dual functionality of each vase––use the top or bottom as a vase, depending on the vessel size you need. As you can see, you don’t need to fill these vases with anything for them to be a beautiful addition to your design.
Made of thick mouth-blown glass, the Large Dual Vase in Sand gives a warm and earthy atmosphere. The Medium Dual Vase in Cream is such a clean and lovely tone. The Small Dual Vase in Ocher adds further warmth to the series.
Made with stylish grey stoneware, the Monolith Vase’s concrete-like exterior has a rough texture that adds an industrial look. This bold vase comes in both small and large sizes that can be styled together. Enjoy how the outline and form of the Monolith designer vase cast the most beautiful shadows in your space
Modern + Minimalist Vases from Ferm Living
Ferm Living is a Danish design brand with a soft minimalist feel, and we love all of their vases. Today we’re highlighting two pieces shown in the above vignette: the Bendum Vase and the Shell Pot, The Bendum Vase is made with solid brown Bidasar marble that features a gorgeous natural texture and soft yet geometric shape. The Shell Pot is shaped like a nautilus shell that appears both simple and sculptural.
We also love the hand-formed handles of the Anse Vase, made with raw and rustic clay contrasted by its clean and conical form. We appreciate the small speckled details when up close with this unique and modern vase design.
The geometry of the Anse Vase pairs beautifully with the Casca Vase, pictured to the left of the apple in the above vignette. It's a beautifully handcrafted vase. Each Casca Vase is unique, with varying shapes formed by the mouth-blown pieces. This one is perfect for displaying fresh or dried florals.
Surround yourself with the stunningly dark Entwine Vase. The mouth-blown Dark Amber glass cylinders feature bands of twisted glass, all done by hand!
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Batten Home carefully curates Scandinavian furniture designs and minimalist decor objects for the modern home. We are inspired by a Scandinavian aesthetic and Danish design philosophies with a new modern design feel we like to call new Nordic design.
Have any questions for us? We’re family-owned and independently operated, and we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at hello@battenhome.co or find more inspiration on Pinterest.