Every spring I find myself doing the same thing.
Walking home with an armful of flowers and then realising that most of my vases are either too tall, too narrow, or simply not quite right.
I wanted a vase that felt simple and natural — something that would hold a bunch of seasonal flowers without too much pruning or fuss.
Something that looked beautiful with ranunculus, tulips or garden flowers picked in a hurry.
In my mind, it needed to be the perfect handmade everyday vase for spring flowers.
Where my love of ceramics began
My love of ceramics started many years ago at school. As a keen art student I spent most of my time in the pottery studio, and ceramics became my chosen specialism when I took A-level Art & Craft.
For years I imagined having a potter’s studio at the bottom of my garden one day.
Life took a slightly different direction — and my pottery skills have not progressed much beyond those school days. But the love of handmade ceramics never really left.
Designing a Small Home ceramics collection
So when John Lewis asked me to create a small ceramics collection for The Small Home, I knew I needed to find a far more accomplished potter to help bring my ideas to life.
Enter Alan — a brilliant ceramist with decades of experience and the patience of a saint.
Over the past few months we’ve worked closely together, testing more than twenty different glaze options (yes, really) and refining the shape again and again until it felt just right.
Designing something that appears simple often takes far longer than you expect – and making it by hand, even longer.
Watch Alan at work, making one of our handmade vases below.
Creating the perfect vase for seasonal flowers
What we wanted was deceptively straightforward:
- The right size and proportions for a loose bunch of spring flowers.
- Colours that felt soft and natural in a home.
- A pattern simple enough to let the flowers take centre stage, but interesting enough to look beautiful on its own
It took time to arrive at the balance we were looking for.
A vase designed for real homes
The result is this small collection of handmade ceramic vases — in a soft shade of blush pink and more vibrant shades of ginger orange and rose.
A vase that works almost anywhere in the home.
On a kitchen table with a handful of tulips.
On a bedside table with something simple and green.
Or sitting quietly on a shelf when there are no flowers at all.
Just in time for the moment when spring flowers begin to appear everywhere.
A small collection, many months in the making
After months of testing glazes, refining proportions and adjusting small details, we finally arrived at a shape and finish that felt just right.
A simple ceramic vase for spring flowers — designed to hold a relaxed bunch beautifully, without needing too much arranging.
Exactly the kind of vase I had been searching for myself.
Explore the Small Home vase collection
Our handmade ceramic vases are available online and at selected John Lewis stores.
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