How to Style A Ginger Jar in Your Home Decor

MaryJo Materazo

2 years ago

Ginger Jars are unique and exceptional pieces to use in interior design. Although ginger jars have been around for centuries and originated as a humble vessel they are now a coveted home decor piece. The art of how to style a ginger jar in your home offers versatile and varied possibilities.

I received this pretty ginger jar for Mother’s Day. In trying to decide how to style it in our home, I tried a few different looks and locations. I wanted to share what I discovered and provide ideas on how you can use a ginger jar around your home.

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Table of Contents

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What is a Ginger Jar

A ginger jar is a storage receptacle for spices like salt and ginger, which originated during the Qin dynasty in China (221-206 BC). When ginger became a major export to the Western world, the vessels in which it was stored and transported became known as “ginger jars.” Fast forward to present day and it’s a high-value decorative element.

There are many ancient and antique ginger jars, which carry a hefty price tag. There are also many new, high end pieces in the market place as well as more reasonable and casual pieces as mine. I really love the wooden knob on my Mother’s Day piece. It gives a rustic and organic vibe, which is my preference.

To clarify though, this technically is not a ginger jar, but rather a temple jar instead. Ginger jars are typically round and squat with flattish lids, while Temple jars are more elongated and vase-like in shape, with pointed ornamentation on the lids. Both styles are commonly labeled interchangeably under the ginger jar terminology though.

Also the traditional and classic pieces tend to be the blue and white porcelain variety, but with everything else in design you can find many different materials and colors. As you can see in my piece, which is a brand new ceramic piece with a green floral motif and a wooden knob detail.

How to Style a Ginger Jar

With Lid On

Ginger Jars tend to have stylish profiles, making them beautiful decor pieces all by themselves. Accents can be used to bring out some of the details of the particular jar’s design.

Empty with Lid Off

The lids can be used as an added accent piece. This stretches the design a bit further through a decor vignette and the open vessel creates more space and movement.

Lid off With Flowers as Vase

Pretty blooms always make anything even better. These were the flowers Mr. M brought home for me on Mother’s Day. Aren’t they gorgeous? Faux, dried or preserved flowers are also great options since the arrangement will stay as long as you want.

Lid off With Plant as Cache Pot

Fresh plants are also a great option to provide organic feels. Using the ginger jar as a drop in container keeps it tidy and available to use for the next styling.

Lid off With Fillers

Bowl fillers are also a great option to fill ginger jars. This is a great option for seasonal vignettes. Think Christmas ornaments or Easter eggs spilling out of a pretty container.

Closing Thoughts on Styling a Ginger Jar

Ginger jars not only can be displayed in a variety of ways, but they also fit into many different spaces in interior design. I have shown the ginger jar in a few different areas in our home, but there are so many possibilities. Here are some ideas on where you can place ginger jars:

Entry way table
Coffee table
Centerpiece for a dining table
Shelving units
Side board or buffet
Dresser
Night Stand
Stairway landing
Bathroom

Like everything else in design, ginger jars look great in a collection. The variety in shapes, sizes and styles make them look great in mass. Today I am just starting with this little modest piece, but doing the research for this post, provided a medley of inspiration of other pieces. I see a potential collection in my future… time will tell.

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I hope you found this inspirational and enjoyable. I always love to play with decor. Remember, there are no rules. It’s your home, so make it yours, summoning a smile every time you see it! Although I am talking about how to style a ginger jar today, you can apply the same techniques and methodology for other decor pieces.

Get the Ginger Jar Look

The pierced design makes this a unique piece.
This is a fabulous petite piece.
I absolutely love this brown and gray design.
This black design is super elegant.
The gold on this one gives it a great vintage vibe.
I love the cherry blossom design on this grand pie ce.
Yellow is another favorite color of mine and I love the look of this one.
These traditional Christmas ornaments are fantastic.

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