Morandi Ceramic Vase

Morandi spent decades painting the same bottles and jars in the same chalky, desaturated palette, and that palette is what these vases borrow. The colours are muted almost to the point of being neutral, apricot, grape red, cyan and white, so they sit together on a shelf as a considered group rather than competing. Each one is a simple narrow cylinder with a slight swell, which is a shape that flatters almost anything you put in it.

They are made from ceramic and finished by hand, so the glaze varies very slightly from piece to piece in exactly the way a mass-produced vase does not. Four heights are offered, from a compact twenty centimetres for a bedside or a bathroom shelf, through twenty-seven and thirty-three and a half, up to a thirty-nine centimetre floor or console piece. The narrow necks mean a single stem or a few dried grasses look intentional rather than sparse.

They work best in groups of two or three at different heights. Dried stems, pampas, eucalyptus or a single fresh flower all suit the proportions; a full bouquet does not. Rinse with warm water and let dry fully before refilling, and empty them before a frost if they live on a windowsill. Ceramic is brittle, so place them where they will not be knocked.

• Handmade ceramic with a matte glaze
• Four heights: 20, 27, 33.5 and 39 cm
• Muted Morandi palette: apricot, grape red, cyan, white
• Narrow neck suits single stems and dried grasses
• Glaze varies slightly piece to piece
• Rinse with warm water and dry fully
• Brittle: place where it cannot be knocked
• Empty before a frost if kept on a windowsill