Do you absolutely need a fancy water carafe that can double as a decanter? No. You don’t. You can use all sorts of water pitchers to pour water for your guests, and the same goes for decanters. Scientific beakers make great decanters, actually. But sometimes it’s nice to level up your table décor, and it doesn’t hurt when the purchase in question serves a dual function, making it feel like each dollar spent is working twice as hard.