A bowl of potpourri fills a surface that would otherwise sit empty, and it gives a room a faint, warm smell as you walk past. It is also easy to get slightly wrong: too little looks like crumbs, too much spills over the rim. These potpourri bowl ideas cover where to put it, how to display it, how long it lasts and how to bring the scent back, plus the one rule that matters when the bowl is made of paper.
Potpourri bowl ideas
Start with one mix per bowl, and plenty of it. Then pick an idea:
- Petals with a few feature pieces. A base of dried rose petals, with a handful of whole rosebuds or a skeleton leaf set on top where they can be seen.
- Autumn potpourri. Small pine cones, dried leaves, acorn cups and a few cinnamon sticks. Much of it can come from a walk; dry anything you pick up on a tray indoors for a few days first.
- Spring potpourri. Pale petals, dried lavender and a few seed heads, in a darker bowl so the colours show.
- Christmas potpourri. Cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole cloves and bay leaves. There are three mixes to copy in what to put in a decorative bowl for Christmas.
- A pair in two sizes. The same mix in a large bowl and a small one, a short distance apart, reads as one arrangement.
- A trio, three mixes. Three bowls of a similar size in a row: deep red petals in one, dried eucalyptus leaves in the next, small pine cones in the last.
Where to put potpourri
Its scent is gentle and only carries a short way, so potpourri works best where people pass by or sit close to it:
- The hall table, so it is the first thing you notice when you come in.
- The coffee table or a side table by the sofa.
- A bedside or dressing table, with a quieter mix of lavender or petals.
- The spare room, set out the day before guests arrive.
- The dining room sideboard, rather than the table itself, so it stays clear of plates and spills. At Christmas, our Christmas mantelpiece ideas include how to dress a sideboard.
And the places to avoid:
- Bathrooms, the hob and the kettle. Steam softens a paper bowl, and damp potpourri goes limp and musty. Stovetop potpourri, simmered in water, belongs nowhere near one.
- A sunny windowsill or a radiator shelf. Strong sun fades dried petals and can fade the colour of the bowl too, and steady heat dries the scent out faster.
- Near any naked flame, an open fire or a heater. Dried petals and paper both catch fire easily.
- A low table, if you have a dog, a cat or a toddler. Potpourri is not food, so put it where they cannot reach it.
How to display potpourri
Fill it properly
A thin scatter across the bottom looks as if something is missing. Fill to a little below the rim, so the mix looks generous but you can still see the inside curve of the bowl. If you only have a small bag, choose a smaller bowl rather than spreading it thin.
Finish the top
Keep a few of the best pieces back, such as whole cones, star anise or rosebuds, and set them on top once the bowl is full. The top is the only part anyone sees.
Contrast the colour
Deep red petals look rich in a pale bowl and muddy in a brown one. Pale petals, lavender and seed heads do the opposite: they vanish in a white bowl and stand out in a darker, earthy one. Hold a handful against the bowl before you fill it.
Lift it
A footed bowl raises the mix off the table, so it reads from across the room. On a coffee table, a short stack of books under the bowl does the same job.
How long does potpourri last?
The look and the smell last for different lengths of time. Kept dry, out of strong sun and free of dust, the dried pieces keep their looks for months. The scent goes sooner, and how soon depends on the mix and the room, so expect to refresh it every few weeks rather than every few months.
Warmth, moving air and sunlight shorten both. A bowl in a cool, still room keeps its scent longest.
Does potpourri lose its smell?
Yes. The fragrance slowly evaporates into the room, which is how it reaches you in the first place. Two things make it seem to fade faster than it really does. The top of the bowl fades first, while the pieces underneath still hold some scent. And once you have lived with a smell for a while, you stop noticing it, so a guest may still pick it up when you no longer can.
Can potpourri be refreshed?
Yes, and the simplest ways need nothing but your hands.
- Stir it, so the pieces from underneath come to the top.
- Break a few pieces. Snap a cinnamon stick or crush a couple of dried bay leaves to release what is left inside.
- Add something new: a fresh cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves or a pinch of dried lavender.
If you want to use a refresher oil, do it away from the bowl. Tip the potpourri into a glass jar with a lid, add a few drops, close it and shake. Leave it for a few days, then spread the pieces on a sheet of kitchen paper for a day. If they still feel oily or leave a mark on a fresh sheet, give them longer. Only then do they go back in the bowl. Never drip oil or spray scent straight into a paper bowl: the paper soaks it up and it can leave a mark.
When to replace potpourri
Refresh first, and replace it when refreshing stops working:
- A stir and a few new pieces no longer bring the smell back.
- The colours have faded to one dull brown, or the top looks grey with dust.
- The bottom of the bowl is more crumbs than pieces.
- It smells musty or feels soft rather than crisp. That means damp, so move the bowl somewhere drier as well as changing the mix.
An easy rhythm is to change it with the seasons: petals in spring, cones and leaves in autumn, spices at Christmas. Before you refill, tip the bowl out and brush the dust from the bottom with a soft, dry brush. Never rinse a paper bowl. There is more in how to look after paper mâché.
Is potpourri still a thing?
It is, and it comes into its own as the evenings draw in and spiced mixes come out for Christmas. The version that suits a room today is quieter than the bright, heavily scented bags some of us remember: a loose mix of dried flowers, cones and spices in a plain, matt bowl.
Choosing a potpourri bowl
A fairly wide opening shows more of the mix, a foot lifts it, and a matt surface suits dried petals and spices. A light bowl is also easy to tip out when it is time to refresh.
If you are looking for a potpourri bowl, ours are paper mâché and made by hand in Jaipur, so each one varies slightly. Three that suit potpourri well:
- Set of 2 ridged bowls in warm greige (£79). Two footed bowls in two sizes: the smaller nests inside the larger, or the two sit apart as a pair.
- Set of 2 in a natural mud finish (£79). Two footed bowls in an earthy colour that shows off pale petals and lavender. The large bowl is about 14 cm tall and 28 cm wide; each is made by hand, so sizes vary slightly.
- Set of 3 in off-white, oatmeal beige and flecked cream (£89). Three bowls with rims close in size, which suit the trio idea above.
We do not sell potpourri: what you see in our product photographs is there for styling and is not included. Our bowls are for dry use only, holding potpourri, whole fruit, keys or post. They are not waterproof and never go in a dishwasher; wipe them with a dry cloth. For other ways to fill one, read what to put in a decorative bowl.
