Old Vases Aren't Trash: 15 Genius Ways To Turn Them Into Home Treasures

Do you have an old vase you rarely, if ever, use? Instead of leaving it to collect dust or tossing it out, you can upcycle it into something more useful. What might feel like an uninspiring or outdated piece could be the perfect base for a project. With a little creativity, vases of all sizes can be used for something new, adding utility, charm, or sophistication to your space.

Vases deserve more credit for their versatility: they can be repurposed as all sorts of vessels. We've rounded up some of our favorite ways to reuse an old vase. Ranging from using it for decorative storage to upcycling it as a cordless lamp, there are a variety of ways to give a vase new purpose. We've stuck to easy DIY projects, with no special experience, expensive tools, or even much time required. The projects ahead use everything from mini bud vases (used to hold a stem or two) up to large, statement floor vases. Before you banish an old vase to the bin, consider the ways you can give it new life with these upcycling ideas.

This DIY is a great way to make use of a decorative vase you love. Turning it into a cordless lamp means you can keep it out all the time, wherever you want. Place a lamp shade and rechargeable light bulb (for example, the Brightown Rechargeable Bulb) over a medium-size vase. If your pieces are a good fit, you may be able to slide them into place, as shown by Homielovin. If you have to use glue or tape, just make sure you can still access or remove the bulb for charging. 

Turn a vase into a terrarium for a unique way to display plants. A clear vase is necessary for this DIY, so you can use glass, crystal, or plastic vases. You can choose between a closed or open terrarium. For the latter, you can try to find or make a tight-fitting lid out of cork. A video from TikTok creator Crystal Eye Creations shows the entire terrarium-making process in more detail. You can use vases large and small for this project: a video from Worcester Terrariums shows the potential with small vases.

Upgrade the idea of a candy bowl with a fun candy vase. This is another idea that requires a clear vessel, so you can see the colorful lollies inside. Keep in mind that vases aren't designed for food, so you likely won't be able to find out if the material is food-safe. That's not a problem if your display is purely decorative. If you plan on eating the candies, use individually-wrapped options. Sour ball or peppermint candies are both classics that would look cheerful in a vase on the kitchen counter.

If your least favorite part of using a vase is replacing dead flowers, upgrade it into a planter. To turn it into a good plant pot, you should add a drainage hole. You can use a carbide drill bit to drill through glass and ceramic: a video from Billsdazie shows the unexpectedly straightforward process. You can even repurpose some broken vases for this idea, as long as they're structurally sound and don't have dangerous sharp edges. A video from Sunrise Ceramics shows this idea in action.

A glass vase can make a pretty vessel for a decorative scene. Like a snow globe, it keeps everything contained on a quaint little stage. In a video, Ashley Marie Savage_ shows a holiday-themed option with faux snow and mini Christmas trees. Ultimately, it's just a container for your creativity. Use miniatures to make seasonal dioramas or take your usual pieces of home decor to make a small vignette. Examples include dried orange slices and pine cones for an autumnal jar or pretty flowers with a candle in the middle for spring.

There are plenty of ways to use an old vase in the bathroom. Many of them revolve around storage, and you can find uses for vessels big and small. Small ones can be useful for holding Q-tips, floss picks, and cotton balls. Even mini vessels can accommodate a small matchbox or a handful of bobby pins. Larger vases are useful to hold toothbrushes, makeup brushes, or for bulk storage. A creative idea from 1min.diyhack involves gluing a candlestick to the bottom of a vase to make a raised, decorative storage.

A small vase is a pretty choice for a match holder. A short one can fit traditional matches, while a tall and narrow one will suit longer matches. A video from Lydia Prazak shows a creative addition: she takes the striking strip off the matchbox and glues it onto the bottom of the vase, so you can easily use it to light the match.

Tall, transparent cylinder vases make elegant holders for pillar candles. It's a romantic-looking and elegant combination, often seen in wedding decor, that can also bring a luxurious feeling to your home. For safety's sake, use flameless LED pillar candles for this idea. If you can, combine vases and candles of different heights for a more dynamic display. The finished project looks particularly beautiful as a dining table centerpiece or as a dramatic display next to or inside an unused fireplace.

A bunch of flowers isn't the only type of bouquet you can display in a vase: you can make a whimsical version with candlesticks. Use colorful taper candles to make it feel bright and floral. To personalize it even more, you can try this project with your own DIY decorative taper candles. If you don't want to tackle a candle making project, you can buy printed taper candles like the Yukcaxdls Floral Taper Candles or twisted Kandelo Spiral Taper Candles to add visual interest. 

A large vase (or a couple of vases) can serve as the base for a bird bath. For shorter vases, you can stack a couple and secure them with glue. An example is shown in a video by Vintagesoul1331, where she uses Gorilla Clear Grip Waterproof Adhesive to fashion several glass vases into a stand. Attach a serving dish or shallow bowl (ideally 2 inches deep, maximum) to the top for the bathing area. You can also attach one to the bottom if you need a wider base.

Vases of various sizes can be used for kitchen storage, from small vessels for teaspoons to larger ones for cooking utensils. Wide-mouth options are ideal. Here, CandyThrifts uses a celery vase to display cute straws next to a coffee-making station. This type of old-fashioned vase on a stand was used to show off celery stalks, which was considered a luxury in the Victorian era. Designed to be decorative, they'll also fit items like your wooden spoons or small rolling pins nicely. 

A wide-mouth, cylindrical glass vase is the ideal option to make into a cloche. Use a cordless drill with a carbide-tipped drill bit under water to create a hole. Then, you can place a handle like a cabinet knob through. Alternatively, you can glue a small knob on, but it won't be as sturdy. Depending on the weight of your vase, the latter option might be solely decorative rather than a proper handle. If you want some inspiration for decorating the inside, consider this dried floral cloche design.

A creative way to turn a small vase into something you actually use is to convert it into a soap dispenser. You'll need a cork stopper and the pump top for a liquid soap bottle. The cork stopper should fit snugly inside the vase opening: you can likely find one in a multi-pack like these Natural Cork Stoppers. Then, you'll need to create a hole so you can feed the straw of the soap pump through. The steps are simple, but you can create a soap holder that rivals anything on store shelves.

Vases make the perfect vessel for plant propagation, whether it's a bud vase for small cuttings or a larger vase for a mature propagation waiting for a new home. It's practical, but also lasts longer than cut flowers, so it's nice if you want more greenery around. Some plants can even grow in water only: hydroponic plants don't need soil. These can look really interesting in glass vases, which let you appreciate the root system of the plant.

A vase that's similar in size to a tissue box can be repurposed as a much prettier Kleenex holder. The best vases for this purpose have a specific shape: it needs to be large enough for you to put the tissues in, ideally with a narrower opening, which helps you pull out one at a time. In a video, _Thedaishamarie shows the ideal vessel for this project, plus a folding method so the tissues dispense one at a time.