It took awhile, but my spouse and I finally came up with a decorating style that caters to (compromises?) both our tastes: "Modern Organic" We bought this vase because it fits our newly identified style. When assembled, it really does look like the picture and adds an earthy feel to the room, without looking "rustic". It has great proportion, height and color and is packed really well to avoid damage during shipping.
A few things to consider before buying:
1. Although it looks great, it requires quite a bit of assembly. It took me about 40 minutes to get it looking like the picture. The Mitsumata branches come in natural form and need to be shaped before being arranged in the vase. The instructions suggested soaking them in the tub for a few hours first, but I found that running hot water on the parts that need to bend works well. Just be gentle so you don't break them.
2. The vase is described as "black" but is not a true black. I liked the color shown in the picture and hoped it wasn't darker than that, and it's not. It's as pictured.
3. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is the black branches that you fill in between the white branches. They're covered in glitter. I'm not a glitter kind of person. It isn't visible in the picture and probably would have kept me from buying. But it's subtle enough and doesn't bother me too much. I figure I can easily buy some less flamboyant branches at the craft store if the sparkle starts to catch my eye. But be forewarned and place some newspaper on the floor while you're putting this all together.