By Dinah Wulf

Black-Painted Vases: Painting, Pairing & Decorating

Before you get started, choose a vase. They’re inexpensive and fairly easy to find, especially when shopping at thrift stores and yard sales. Focus on the size and shape—the funkier, the better!

How to Paint Vases

1. Prep your vase for painting by cleaning it with rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner.

2. On a protected surface in a well-ventilated area or outside, turn the vase upside down. Spray paint the outside with a few light coats of black paint, or brush on black enamel paint with a paintbrush.

3. Let paint dry completely between coats and after the final coat.

Pairing Black Vases

Now that your DIY vase is painted, fill it in creative ways:

• Tuck feathers, natural wheat stalks or branches inside for a perfectly seasonal fall display.
• For a Halloween decoration, put a bouquet of all-white flowers like zinnias or Gerber daisies in your vase, then scatter black plastic bugs and spiders on top for a creepy effect. Or gather branches from your yard, spray paint them black, arrange them in the vase and string cobwebs throughout for a spooky Halloween tree. To finish the look, use our free bat templates to cut small bats from black construction paper, then float them in the cobwebs.
• Create an elegant look any time of year by simply arranging a bouquet inside. The bolder and brighter the blooms are, the more they’ll pop against the black vases.

Decorating with Black Vases

Use your painted, filled vases as eye-catching accents:

• Consider painting several vases in different shapes and sizes, then group them on a mantel, guestroom nightstand or family room side table.
• Create a quick centerpiece by arranging black vases horizontally across the center of your dining table.
• If you’re entertaining this season or having a Halloween party, cluster black vases on the food, drink or dessert table to add height, depth and style to your setup.

What would you put inside a black-painted vase?

Dinah is a full-time mother and blogger of DIY Inspired and has a Master of Arts Degree and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Communication from California State University Fullerton. Formerly an educator at CSUF and business owner, Dinah is a member and regular contributor and writer of several product and community websites.