One way to decorate your place in a way that feels more like a lived-in, well-loved home and less like a staging room is to curate a collection of tchotchkes, bric-à-brac, knick-knacks, and sundries: aka small, cool, random shit you’ve found. One of the coolest collectibles for your entryway or coffee table is an ashtray.
Even if you don’t smoke, an ashtray adds design and a little edge to your interiors. Since ashtrays come in almost every style imaginable, you can find one that works for your space. Get Italian villa vibes courtesy of a Cinzano Vermouth ashtray, or bring in a sense of vintage sleaze with an ashtray from a Vegas hotel (even better if it’s one that’s since been demolished). You can also go modern with ashtrays that double as small works of art or pick up a designer grail from a brand like Hermes. However your taste skews, a stylish ashtray will add the right amount of intrigue to your living room.
Ashtrays are also useful, even if they’re not holding burning cigarettes or joints. An ashtray is a perfect size to collect loose change, and some are big enough to use as a catchall for jewelry or keys. The right ashtray can also be used for burning incense or palo santo, or you can use an ashtray to collect burnt matches after lighting a scented candle. You can even use one soap dish.
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With tons of vintage ashtrays at flea markets and on Etsy and eBay, they are fun to collect, regardless of what you use them for. Get funky, get creative, and buy a few of the best ashtrays to liven up your living space.
Craighill Castro Tray
Craighill specializes in metal home goods and daily carry accessories. This ashtray has a stylish, minimalist design and is available in brass or stainless steel. You can even add a custom engraving. It’s technically not billed as an ashtray, but look at the darn thing.
OFF-WHITE Blue Ceramic Ashtray
The late Virgil Abloh had many passions, including home goods. This blue ceramic ashtray is a decidedly understated design from the king of graphic lettering. It has two notches on the rim and a hole on the side.
Vintage Martini & Rossi White Ceramic Ashtray
There was a time when ashtrays, like trucker hats, were used as cheap promotional tools for companies. This vintage ashtray was manufactured for Martini&Rossi, the Italian vermouth brand. Certain vices just go together.
Session Goods Ashtray
Many ashtrays on this list are mostly for looks, but this option is both stylish and actually useful. It features a removable debowler, while the silicone base makes it easier to hold in the hand. There’s also a lid for trapping odors and mess.
Hermes Rose Circuit 24 ashtray
Hermes’ ashtrays are as beautiful as they are ludicrously expensive. This tray is made with luxurious materials like a velvet goatskin base
and a hand-painted gold trim.
Shiloh Ashtray
For a trendy, modern option, pick up the Shiloh ashtray from Urban Outfitters. It’s designed to be used for “incense and more.” You can guess what the more is. It’s made from aluminum and comes in two-tone pink or black and white.
House Plant Melanie Glass Cork Ashtray
Unlike many celebrity brands, Seth Rogen’s weed-centric home goods brand Houseplant actually makes sense. Rogen makes many of the pieces himself and collaborates with designers on others, like this Melanie Abrantes-designed glass and cork ashtray.
State Line Hotel Wendover Nevada Amber Glass Ashtray
There’s something delightfully uncouth about the many casinos that dot Nevada’s borderline. The StateLine Hotel in Wendover bordered Utah, and this ashtray has a stylish amber look with red lettering.
Elena Ashtray
Another pick from Urban Outfitters’ surprisingly solid home goods section is the Elena ashtray. It has a raised platform and a glossy finish on the surface.