THE DAGG VASE BY SVENSKT TENN

Yep, you’ve guessed it. I’ve just gone and bougth myself another vase. I’m a total flower addict which means you can never have too many vases either, right? I currently own about 10 vases and they all get rotated frequently. I use different vases for different types of flowers. I use a very wide vase for hydrangeas when it’s hydrangea season and a smaller round vase for roses. I use a much smaller vase for individual stems or small bouquets (see my flower styling post here), so you see it’s pretty useful to have a decent vase collection.  I’ve been looking for a new vase that would go well with all kinds of flower arrangements (real and faux) and that would be quite a statement piece on its own. I’ve been eyeing up the Dagg vase on Pinterest for over a year now. It’s literally been haunting me lately and the final straw was when I saw it on the cover of one of my favourite interior magazines here in the UK. I took it as a sign and decided to order it as a pre-Christmas present to myself.

Svenskt Tenn is a luxury Swedish interior design brand selling everything from furniture and textiles to lighting and home accessories. They are very well known in the Nordics and all over Scandinavia. The brand is quite exclusive in the sense that they don’t have resellers or stores here in the UK or anywhere else in the world as far as I’m aware. Their flagship store in Stockholm is definitely worth a visit if you’re planning a trip to the Swedish capital. Luckily they do have an online store which is how I managed to get my hands on this vase. Ordering it online was a bit risky though as I’ve never actually seen the vase in real life. The delivery to UK cost me another £40 and the returns aren’t free, so you need to be pretty sure you want the product you’re ordering.

My vase arrived within five days, beautifully gift-wrapped and complete with a little card from me to myself (sorry, I just had to). I was so excited to finally see it in person, and my early Christmas present did not disappoint. In fact, it looked even better than I’d hoped. I knew it was going to be large, but I hadn’t realised quite how heavy it would be. The Dagg vase was designed in 2009 by Carina Seth Andersson for Svenskt Tenn, and in its first year only around 100 vases were sold. Today, they sell roughly 100 each month, which says a lot about just how iconic the design has become. While the price point may give some people pause, it begins to make sense when you consider the craftsmanship involved. The Dagg vase is mouth-blown in a graphite mould at in Småland, Sweden. Although each vase is created using the same mould, variations in the glass mass and temperature mean every piece develops its own unique expression. That individuality is part of what makes the vase so special, and it’s no surprise it has become something of a modern classic. It’s also available in green, black, pink and blue.

I was hoping to find some gorgeous lilies to go with my new vase but had to settle for roses instead. I didn’t mind, though as these tall blush roses look ideal with the vase. I love how versatile it is.  You can pair this vase with lilies, roses, eucalyptus branches, pampas grass, anything really. I’ve seen people pair it with hydrangeas too, but I prefer slightly taller flowers, I think. I even placed it in the hall (temporarily) with some faux flowers and I thought it looked stunning. So, if you’re looking for a versatile vase to go with all kinds of flowers, this is it. It’s big and heavy though, and you need to be careful when you’re cleaning it. I wash all my vases in our bathtub simply because it’s much bigger than our kitchen sink and I don’t have to worry about dropping them against a hard surface.

I really did think long and hard before buying this vase, but it was worth every penny.  I’m also trying to change my buying habits a bit. I really want to buy less, but better if that makes sense. I want to invest in key pieces that will last a lifetime rather than buy the cheap(er) alternative. This type of ‘responsible consumerism‘ is very common in the Nordics and I really think buying fewer items but better quality is the way forward. Having said that, there are loads of cheaper alternatives out there (H&M Home have a pretty cool selection at the moment) if you simply don’t want to splash out. I just know myself and that if I don’t buy the ‘real thing’ a year later, I’d be buying another vase (probably the one I really wanted). I’m super happy with my ‘early’ Christmas present and cannot wait to style it in so many different ways. Unfortunately, once you start it’s impossible to stop. I think next up on my shopping list is their Knot candle holder. So addictive, isn’t it?