Florentine French Provincial Medici Urn Planter, Antique White 56cm

A formal garden urn in chalky antique white, worn at the edges like a piece rescued from an old French orangery.

Florentine is a Medici-style urn planter, the tall campana shape that flanks the steps of a formal garden. It is cast magnesia composite with a gadrooned egg-and-tongue rim, a fluted lower bowl and a turned stem on a stepped square plinth. The finish is a chalky antique white, rubbed and chipped back at the high points to a warm undertone, so it reads as old painted garden statuary.

It stands 56 cm tall and has real weight to it, so it sits firmly whether you use it indoors or out. Plant it with a clipped bay or boxwood, fill it with branches for a seasonal display, or leave it empty as a sculptural piece. It works on the floor either side of a doorway or raised on a plinth.

Why we love it

• ◆ Classic Medici urn shape, the campana bowl and square plinth read as formal French and Italian garden statuary.
• ◆ Cast magnesia composite with a chalky antique white finish, worn back at the edges to a warm undertone.
• ◆ Real weight to it, so it stands firm indoors or on a porch. Use a liner to plant it, or leave it empty as a feature.
• ◆ A statement at 56cm, the kind of piece you build an entry or a quiet garden corner around.

How to style it

A few ways to use it:

• Plant a clipped bay or boxwood topiary and stand it with your other planters
• Set a pair either side of a front door or fireplace for a formal, symmetrical look
• Fill it with tall bare branches or pampas indoors, the way it is styled here, for height on the floor
• Group it in a garden and outdoor corner with weathered timber and aged metal

Care & Keeping

Dust gently with a soft dry cloth. The cast magnesia finish is happy indoors or outdoors, though outside the paint will weather and soften over time, which suits the look. Keep it out of waterlogged soil and standing water, and bring it under cover in frost. Use a liner or a separate pot when planting so moisture does not sit against the inside.

Because Florentine is hand-finished, slight variations in tone and the distressed finish are natural and add to the character of each piece. Colour may also vary slightly between screens, all photography is taken in natural light.