Credit: Discoveries from The Lifestyle Historian
There’s something irresistible about a garden that feels romantically timeless-a space where nostalgic pieces are incorporated into the design and allow nature to spill out in unexpected ways. Inspired by Modern Antiquarian’s latest video (Below), where stylist Kelly McGuire shares her floral arranging tips using antique urns, we’re reminded how effortlessly history can be woven into a living, breathing garden.
With chicken wire tucked into the openings for structure, fresh-cut stems in hand, and a nod to Margaret’s love of wild purple blooms, Kelly creates arrangements that are intentionally floppy, whimsical, and impossibly beautiful. But what grounds it all, quite literally, are the urns themselves: vessels with centuries of stories beneath their glaze.
From Preservation to Presentation: The French Confit Pot
Two of the urns Kelly shows are 19th-century French confit pots. Originally created to preserve meats like duck or pork before refrigeration, these pots (pots à confit) were fixtures in every farmhouse kitchen from Gascony to Provence. Artisans shaped them by hand using regional clay, glazing the upper half and leaving the bottom unglazed so the pot could be buried in cool cellar earth.
Early 20th C. French Cast Iron Garden Urn.
The handles on larger confit pots weren’t just for show, they of course allowed for easy lifting of these heavy, fat-sealed vessels. Today, these practical features give structure and elegance to garden displays, making them ideal for layered floral arrangements with movement and texture. Their timeworn glaze, often in soft creams or ochres, brings warmth and age to any setting.
Classical Roots: The Garden Urn
The main urn (and largest) that Kelly uses in the video draws its lineage from a different tradition entirely-one that is rooted in ancient Greece and Rome, revived in 17th-century French garden design, and cast anew in 20th-century iron foundries. These stately urns were once placed along sightlines in royal gardens and atop balustrades and pedestals, punctuating the symmetry of Le Nôtre-style landscapes with classical grandeur.
Reconstituted Stone Celtic Style Planter, England Mid 20th C.
By the early 1900s, a revivalist passion for neoclassical design brought these urns into both public parks and private estates. Made from cast iron, they offered durability and detail with fluted bodies, egg-and-dart rims, and scrolled handles. In the video, Kelly shows us that even these formal vessels can be made to feel fresh and wild, cradling loose stems with a painterly softness.
A Garden Still Life: Tableaux with History
The urns in the video rest on a classic French bistro table, its marble top and wrought iron base evoking images of sidewalk cafés and the legacy of Parisian design dating back to the 1600s. Originally intended for intimate café culture, these small, sturdy tables became icons of alfresco life in France.
Stone Topped Dining Table with Blue Trestle Iron Base, France mid 20th C.
Flanking the table are a pair of Fermob 1900 stacking chairs, inspired by the Belle Époque and crafted in Thoissey, France. Their delicate scrollwork and sky-blue color recall the iron benches of the Luxembourg Gardens, where design was both democratic and refined. Together, the table and chairs frame the urns in a scene that is neither overly styled nor overly simple. It’s a garden moment suspended in time.
Blue Paint French Pierced Seat & Heart Garden Dining Chairs, Set of 4 Mid 20th C.
Why It Matters
At Modern Antiquarian, we believe that antiques help create a narrative. Each urn, table, and chair has a backstory, a purpose, and a past. When paired with the beauty of fresh flowers, they create layers that elevate the everyday.
So, whether you’re styling your garden, arranging wildflowers, or simply dreaming of your next antique find, consider the urn. What began as a vessel of pure function now brings character, texture, and story into our homes and gardens.
Written By: The Lifestyle Historian
