A gluggle jug is such a quirky accesory. When I envisage what my future home will look like, it’s a sea of 70s inspired décor with a Central Perk sofa, tassel lamp shades and my pink gluggle jug.
I was on the hunt for a vase for some flowers and foliage that I’d dried at home. So I headed straight to the Oliver Bonas website, and I came across this gorgeous carp shaped vase.
I know that a gluggle jug isn’t to everyone’s taste, but it’s certainly a conversation starter. So many of you have commented on my Instagram posts, giggling at my gluggle, or as obsessed with it as I am.
When it arrived I filled it with my Bloom and Wild bouquet, and put a snap on Instagram. A local follower inquired if it was made at Wades, a Staffordshire-based ceramics company. To my surprise, I checked the stamp and there is was – Wades Ceramics, Stoke-on-Trent. I felt a rush of pride for my little city of The Potteries, and it made me fall in love with the jug even more.
This style of jug is called a Gluggle Jug because of the ‘glug glug’ sound they make when you pour liquid from them. The gurgling occurs as a result of an air lock in the fishtail as the water is poured out. It’s very clever and entertaining. They are commonly used as water jugs and kitchen centrepieces, but everyone has their own use for them. Whilst I like to use them to hold blooms, others use them to hold bog brushes!
The gluggle jug was originally made back in the 1870s here in Staffordshire by Thomas Forester & Sons. They grew in popularity in the mid-1900s, particularly over in the States. Now, Wades continues to make them in an array of colours and sizes. I’ve been overjoyed to hear so many people say ‘My nan has one in green!’ or ‘We used to have one of those in the kitchen as kids!’
I’ve styled my pink gluggle jug in a few different ways over the past few months. The first being packing it full of pink, red and orange roses from Bloom and Wild. This bouquet fitted in with my office decor beautifully, brightening up my workspace. Even in a busy room, a gluggle jug still stands out to make a statement.
For more long-lasting decor, you can fill the gluggle jug with dried, preserved flowers. One thing that swayed me to buy this vase was that it can hold both dried and fresh flowers. Some vases on the Oliver Bonas site were only suitable for dried. This bunch is from Shida Preserved Flowers, and the pops of pink gypsophilia with the contrasting mustard is gorgeous. Because these blooms fan out quite wide, I style my gluggle jug wuth slightly lower accessories, like my Stackers jewellery box. A few books scattered at the base also look great.
Finally, I added a bunch of fresh farm blooms – and this is my favourite styling to date. Onto my drawers I placed my gold Primark tray and layered my Emma Bridgewater tray on top. My Gluggle Jug site just behind, and is paired with my bottle of Chanel perfume. I added a Papier framed print – this one is called inky poppies – which sets off the flowers. On the left I have The Insecure Girls Club handbook and an Oliver Bonas money box which is equally as quirky as my gluggle jug.
