Scientific Beaker Vases

A few months ago I purchased a lot of miscellaneous pharmaceutical beakers from an auction house in South Carolina:

I didn't really have a plan for them at the time, but I thought they were cool and when they arrived, I was not disappointed. The larger beakers are hand blown and the numbers are etched in a cool old Victorian-looking font. I had seen a blog post on Velvet & Linen about using beakers as vases, so I decided to give it a try for my brunch table on Mother's day.

I picked cala lilies and climbing roses from our garden and created a few little arrangements using various sizes of beakers:


I especially liked the little beakers, which were perfect for little climbing rose bouquets and are short enough so that you can still see people sitting across the table from you:


I really like the eclectic, casual look of the different vases, and I think they're cool as centerpieces even without flowers. Here's what's on my table right now (fuschias from my garden):


Vintage and new lab beakers are easy to find, and there are lots of them listed on ebay in all different shapes and sizes. Just make sure you wash them first to get out any remaining chemical residue!