It’s always the right time to light a candle. But in cold, dark weather they create an especially cosy atmosphere. What’s the best way to present them, and which materials go well with warm candlelight? We focus on the latest trends.
Candle meets wax: a brief history
The history of candles goes back a long way, just like the secret of lighting fires. Almost 40,000 years ago, people used torches and kept a home fire burning to ward off the dark. Then around 5,000 years ago, the candle as we know it was invented. It was made from hemp, papyrus and tallow. Nowadays candles are mainly made from paraffin, stearin or beeswax. Paraffin – made from petroleum – is most widely used, because it’s relatively easy to produce and process. Beeswax and stearin, made from animal and plant oils, are somewhat more complicated and difficult to obtain and work. If you’re after the best-quality candles from Germany, look out for the RAL quality mark: it even inspects the position and burn time of the wick. There are no limits set though in terms of the design of the candle! There are so many different shapes and colours that there is no risk of candles ever become boring. On the contrary, they’re a slow burning success story. This winter the combination of candles and cool, reflective surfaces will create special effects to encompass the entire room. Need an example?
- Candleholders from:
- 1 Philippi
- 2 Bloomingville
- 3 Applicata
- 4 Stelton
- 5 Riva
- 6 Gift Company
- 7 Serax
- 8 Robert Welch
- 9 Matchbox from HWS Munich
Tall candles set against cool precious metal makes a successful pairing
In fact, tall narrow candles have never gone out of fashion. And for some time now they’ve been reborn as a design classic, as seen on social media such as Instagram and Pinterest. It’s easy to see why. In the 2016/17 season these slimline candles go hand-in-hand with precious metals to produce a whole new look. Silver is currently making a comeback, and can actually be combined with gold and copper this time around. But if you’re thinking opulent chandeliers, think again! This winter is all about a clean, minimalist look – tending towards a rough industrial aesthetic. That means smooth surfaces with a high, polished-metal sheen that reflect around the room. It all helps set a futuristic tone. Comparatively cool materials contrast cleverly with the warm candlelight. Sleek geometric shapes set the overall tone. Manufacturers such as Stelton and Robert Welch have plumped for cones and interconnected teardrop shapes. Riva has gone for corners and angles, while Bloomingville has opted for a delicate three-dimensional framework of triangles. The candles themselves come in understated light shades such as white and cream, which are really eye-catching when combined with the metals.
- Candle and tea light vessels from:
- 1 Engels Kerzen
- 2 Edzard
- 3 Migani
- 4 Iittala
- 5 Design Bubbles
- 6 Rivièra Maison
- 7 Eichholtz
The tea light in new formats
There’s life in the obligatory tea light yet! In design terms, it has been revamped. The latest trends are towards shiny, reflective surfaces. Whether designed by Engels Kerzen, Migani or Rivièra Maison, they’re all gold or silver – and very attractive. Individual pots, dishes and glass candle holders are enhanced with fine plant motifs and other amorphous designs. They’re reminiscent of the tales in One Thousand and One Nights. By contrast, producers such as littala, Design Bubbles and Eichholtz will wow you with coloured glass and few frills. Dark black, deep blue, natural dark green and warm brown hues dominate this landscape. Once again, the actual candles are largely neutral in colour. This interplay alone produces an astonishing effect. There’s something else different about the latest candle holders: they’re a different size. Small dishes to fit a single tea light have been superseded by new glass bowls resembling obese whisky tumblers. Both candle and holder appear to melt into a single unit, giving off a very special indirect light. You can produce a particular effect by grouping several together – even without lighting the candles. This is a trend which really brightens up our lives.
