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Not long ago I was gifted a celery vase — and when I asked why it had that name, I fell down the most wonderful rabbit hole.
Celery vases are specialised Victorian-era glass vessels, popular from the 1830s through to the early 1900s, designed to display celery — which at the time was a genuine luxury item, difficult to grow and expensive to buy. Upper-class Victorians would arrange raw celery stalks upright in these tall, elegant vases as a centrepiece, using them to quietly signal wealth to their dinner guests. They were frequently given as wedding gifts, made from pressed or cut glass, and eventually mass-produced as the middle class grew. Companies like the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company were among the key makers — and examples can be found today in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Isn't that something? Who knew. And now that I do, I thought it was well past time to bring the celery vase back into vogue.
In this video I'm arranging actual celery — whole stalks, upright — combined with daisies for a little softness. You could also try sprigs of bay, parsley, or simply leave the celery to speak for itself. The smell is very interesting, I'll warn you now.
You'll need:
- A celery vase, or any vase that is narrow at the base and wider at the top
- A whole celery plant (tops intact if you can find one!)
- Optional additions: daisies, bay, parsley
Simple, effective, and with a story worth telling at the dinner table.
Happy designing ????
— Astar
