Soma and 2Lip Vases: Holmegaard Glass Shaped by Body and Tulip

Holmegaard has blown glass in Denmark since 1825, and most of its best-known vases are about restraint: clear glass, a single line, a quiet silhouette. Soma and 2Lip take the opposite route. This piece looks at what defines each series, how the four sizes differ in scale and weight, and which flowers and branches actually work in them.

Two series, two sources of inspiration

The two families start from different places. Soma takes its cue from the human body: soft curves, a sense of movement, and what Holmegaard calls the body's imperfect perfection. The name itself is the Greek word for body. These are compact vases with an almost figurative presence, and each one is meant to read as a small character on a shelf or table.

2Lip, designed by Maria Kariis, starts from a flower. Kariis took the full, rounded shape of the tulip and scaled it up into a heavy glass vessel with a full body and a wide opening. Where Soma is playful and intimate, 2Lip is architectural. It is built to stand on a sideboard or directly on the floor, and it is designed to look finished with or without anything in it.

What links the two is the material. All four vases in this feature are mouth-blown glass, which means each piece is shaped by a glassblower working molten glass on a pipe. Small variations in wall thickness, in the way colour gathers in the curves and in the exact line of the rim are part of the process rather than flaws.

Soma: colour as part of the form

The defining feature of Soma is that colour is not applied to the vase, it is the vase. Each piece combines two shades in a single body, so the glass shifts from one colour to another as the walls curve and thicken. Light passing through a deeper section reads darker and richer; thinner areas glow more softly. Move the vase from a north-facing shelf to a sunny window and it will look noticeably different.

The Soma Vase H16.5 cm pink/orange is the smaller and warmer of the two. It stands 16.5 cm high, 13 cm deep, with a diameter of 12.5 cm, and weighs 1.006 kg. That weight is worth noting: for a vase of this size it is substantial, a sign of thick, generous glass, and it means the vase sits firmly even with a top-heavy stem or two. Pink and orange together give it a warm, sunset quality that suits pale wood, white walls and linen.

The Soma Vase H22.5 cm light blue/aqua is a step up in every direction: 22.5 cm high, 16.5 cm deep, 16 cm in diameter and 2.225 kg. The cooler palette of light blue and aqua is closer to water and sea glass, and it sits well against grey, green or darker timber. At this height it holds a proper hand-tied bunch rather than a single stem.

Because the two Soma vases differ in both colour and scale, they work well together. Set the pink/orange piece slightly in front of the blue/aqua one and the contrast in temperature becomes part of the arrangement. The care rule is the same for both: no dishwasher, wash by hand.

2Lip: a tulip at sculptural scale

2Lip is where this feature moves from tabletop to furniture scale. The 2Lip Vase H34 cm dark blue is 34 cm high with a diameter of 27 cm and weighs 5.7 kg. Its larger sibling, the 2Lip Vase H45 cm dark blue, reaches 45 cm with a diameter of 34 cm and weighs 7.7 kg. Both sizes are also made in green.

The dark blue is deep and saturated, which suits the volume of glass involved. Where the glass is thickest the blue deepens, and where it thins the light comes through more clearly. Kariis's tulip reference is clearest in profile: a full, rounded body opening into a wide mouth, like a bloom in its last days in the vase.

Living with a 7.7 kg floor vase

The 45 cm 2Lip is classed as a floor vase, and at 7.7 kg before any water goes in, it behaves like a piece of furniture. A few practical points follow from that weight.

• Decide on its place before filling it. Once it holds water and branches, it is heavy and awkward to move. Fill it where it will stand, using a jug.
• Lift from below, with two hands. Never carry it by the rim. Support the base and the belly, and keep it close to your body.
• Choose a stable, level surface. A solid floor, a low bench or a sturdy sideboard all work. Avoid narrow plinths and spots where a door or a passing dog could catch it.
• Use a felt pad or a rug. Heavy glass on stone or tiles can scratch both surfaces when it is nudged.
• Wash it in place or in a sink you trust. Like all four vases here, 2Lip is not dishwasher safe. A soft brush with a long handle reaches the base without lifting the whole piece.

The weight also has an upside. A vase this heavy is very difficult to tip, so it can carry long, wide-spreading branches that would topple a lighter vessel. Holmegaard suggests it for a seasonal arrangement in a hall, where it greets guests, and that is exactly where its scale makes sense.

What to put in a very wide mouth

A wide opening is the main styling challenge with 2Lip. A few thin stems will slump to the sides and leave the centre empty. The answer is either volume or structure.

1. Branches with their own architecture. Cherry or apple blossom in spring, beech or oak in summer, dried hydrangea heads and hips in autumn, birch or pine in winter. Three to five long branches, cut at different lengths and leaned against the rim, fill the opening naturally and suit the vase's scale.
2. Big, generous heads. Hydrangeas, peonies, garden roses and of course tulips. Tulips keep growing in water and bend towards light, so a loose bunch will reshape itself over a few days, which suits a tulip-inspired vase well.
3. A hidden grid. Clear tape laid in a criss-cross pattern over the mouth, or a ball of chicken wire placed inside, gives thinner stems something to lean on. The dark blue glass hides most of the support.
4. Nothing at all. Kariis designed 2Lip to stand alone as a piece of glass sculpture. In a room with plenty of daylight, an empty dark blue 2Lip on the floor beside a window can be the strongest option.

For the Soma vases the advice reverses. They are compact, so a few stems are enough: one ranunculus, a sprig of eucalyptus, a single dahlia or a handful of sweet peas. Let the coloured glass do most of the work.

Choosing between them

If you want colour in small doses, on a windowsill, a desk or a dining table, start with Soma: the pink/orange for warmth, the light blue/aqua for a cooler, larger presence. If you want one strong object to anchor a hall, a corner or the end of a long sideboard, 2Lip is the better fit, with the 34 cm size for furniture and the 45 cm size for the floor. For another side of Holmegaard's vase tradition, read our guide to the Flora vase in long, medium and short neck.

To see these alongside ceramic, porcelain and other glass designs, browse the full Vases & Plant Pots collection.