help me choose decorative sticks

March 21, 2009 5:29 PM

Decorative Sticks: What's the right vase height to stick height ratio? I'm really bad at decorating/visuals. A friend had decorative sticks, like this and this, and I'm copying her, so my question is if, for example, I have 3' sticks, how high should the vase be? Bonus points if you know where I can buy a modern/contemporary vase and sticks together for under $100.
posted by bananafish to home & garden (9 comments total)

I think this decal set of the same thing is well-proportioned, and it gives the measurement as:
Branches 48" to 60" tall / Vase 20" tall (and with a 10" base, but that's somewhat ignorable, except that it's somewhat wide.)

Now, what you could do is do an image search for 'branches in vase' or 'reeds in vase' like I did, and if you like the proportions of another better, just measure it, even on the screen, to figure out the proportions. Assume in most cases that the thickness of the vase is half an inch at most.

As for price? IKEA definitely has sticks and vases. Alternately Pier 1, but IKEA is usually cheaper if there's one in your area.
posted by cobaltnine at 5:40 PM on March 21

The golden ratio is an idea.
posted by hortense at 5:44 PM on March 21

You want to keep the vase at about 1/3 of the total height of the finished project. So if your sticks are 3 feet, a 1 foot vase will look good. (this was the rule for floral arranging when I worked as a high schooler in my aunts flower shop)
posted by agentwills at 5:46 PM on March 21 [1 favorite]

Those last two posts are saying essentially the same thing, btw. Splitting into thirds is a rough guide for the golden ratio.
posted by paisley henosis at 6:00 PM on March 21

I'm a terrible decorator, but we have a 4' tall vase from Pier 1 (made of wicker-y stuff), and sticks from IKEA that are about 6' tall so 2' is visible and it looks good to me.
posted by miyabo at 8:43 PM on March 21

1 foot / 3 feet seems fine to me; don't let it make you crazy, though. Anything from 12 - 16 inches or so will be fine. Do take care regarding the width of the base, though; you need it to be wide enough for stability.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:21 PM on March 21

Cost Plus World Market also has reasonably priced sticks and vases.
posted by andshewas at 8:00 AM on March 22

You know how, in movies, when somebody returns from the grocery store, they've always got, like, a bunch of carrots and a baguette sticking out of the top of the bag? Think of that ratio.
posted by box at 9:27 AM on March 22

You don't say where you are, but if you are in the States, I got a really nice big vase for sticks and stuff from TJ Max a few years ago (sadly, it broke during my recent move, oh well, sic transit gloria mundi) and it was insanely cheap, like $10 cheap. Michael's crafts is where you want to go for your stickage. The whole project can be done for under $50, easily.
posted by mygothlaundry at 10:58 AM on March 22