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Candle Decorating
Candles can work magic on a room and on us, and with creative craftsmanship
and thoughtful display, we’re doing a lot for them, presenting them in their
best light .
“I’ve been decorating with candles for as long as I can remember,” says J.B.
Dixson, who lives in a home in Detroit’s historic Indian Village. “In the
last couple of years, though, I’ve been getting more creative with them.”
In the past five years, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing candles in a rainbow
of colors, in myriad shapes and sizes, some as big as boulders that look as
if they’ve rolled off a mountaintop. There are candles that float, that soothe
us with aromas of lavender, peach and even angel food cake. Candles are
patterned to mimic animal skins, painted like marble or glass, textured to
resemble leather or linen, or sculpted like pine cones or logs.
Last year, people burned $2 billion worth of candles. Seven out of 10
American households use them, according to the National Candle Association.
These statistics may seem impressive, but they don’t hold a candle to use
in Europe, where, by some estimates, they are used 10 times as much.
The difference, according to Wally Arnold, is that in Europe candles are
romantically merchandised. They are not viewed as commodities, “like wax
on a shelf.” Intrigued by a charming candle display in a London shop,
Arnold returned from his visit with a concept for a shop and catalogue.
“There’s a comfort to being in a room with living light,” says Arnold,
whose Petaluma, Calif.-based Illuminations is 3 years old. “The way it
dances and moves has a hypnotic effect.” Arnold’s philosophy is “to inspire
you to live every day by candlelight.”
Perhaps that sounds a bit old-fashioned, but it appears we’re ready for
a touch of nostalgia. Just look at what’s new in candles.
Candles are resurfacing in lighting, with chandeliers and sconces.
Combined with lamps, they offer a subtle, more gentle light where
appropriate. They’re being incorporated into furnishings such as wall
screens and fireplace screens. They’re subbing for art objects. They’re
taking on decorative, even architectural roles in tall or small containers.
Even the simplest arrangement of three or five pillars of different heights
on an attractive wood or metal tray on a coffee table is a powerful design
statement, completing a Zen-like setting as effectively as a tray of wheat
grass.
For a black-tie New Year’s Eve gathering, Dixson planned to replace a
gaggle of cream-colored candles in her fireplace with the requisite
firewood for a cozy fire. But she got too busy with party preparations and
decided to leave the candles in a variety of shapes in place on the
fireplace grate.
“Everyone loved the look of the lit candles in the fireplace,” says Dixson,
co-owner of Durocher, Dixson & Werba, a Detroit public relations firm.
“I also put some candles in forest green and burgundy in a vintage
satin-and-velvet shoe caddy in front of the fireplace — it was stunning.”
Dixson also has 10 candles in silver candle holders on her dining room table.
She has a collection of peach candles in the sun room, and, of course, she
has a changing display of romance-inducing candles in her bedroom.
Candlelight draws us in. Chandeliers lighted with candlesticks or votives
remind us of simpler times and add charm to a dining table or entry. In
addition to traditional styles, some new creations are positively electric.
A votive chandelier in an asymmetrical design features nine teardrop-shaped
mini-lanterns suspended from a flat square of iron and hanging from wires.
It’s like a waterfall of candlelight, and the 48-inch-long piece would be
a warm welcome in a foyer.
Sconces again are being lighted with candles. As supplemental lighting,
they’re low-key, yet engaging. And since they don’t require breaking
through walls or wiring, there’s only the cost of the sconce and the candles.
Traditionally installed in pairs to flank a mirror or painting, candlelit
sconces also are a focal point, as dynamic as a good piece of art.
A trio of glazed ceramic sconces in red, for example, draws the eye to a
creamy stone mantel front. Their rich ruby hue reflects the fancy painted
walls, and the 12-inch-tall sconces complement a cozy room furnished with
a comfy leather chair and ottoman as well as 27-inch plump floor pillows.
Anything reflective makes a good backdrop. One 3-inch circular sconce is
backed with a mirror, hand-set in small mosaic-like squares in a brass
frame with bronze finish. The effect of a flame amplified against the
mirror is dazzling, like that of a mini-disco ball. Instructions for
creating a sconcelike composition are detailed in Candles, a recently
published spiral-bound workbook by florist Paula Pryke (Watson-Guptill
Publications, $19.95). An artful teaming of driftwood with four stems of
cardoons, cactuslike blooms that look like artichokes with fuzzy purple
tops, rope and 6-inch-tall purple candles is among 50 colorful examples
for introducing candles into the home.
Besides such illuminating wall decor, candles are finding a way into
furnishings. One example is a three-panel hand-forged iron screen. An
organic leaf design is punctuated with 12 detachable votive lights, which
twinkle like stars. It adds an architectural presence to a sitting room,
while its see-through form prevents it from crowding the corner.
Another way to add life to a corner is with hand-forged square iron “towers.”
Inspired by the clean, classic lines of Danish furnishings, the tall
columns hold tea lights, staggered for dramatic effect. With candles
burning, it’s like a piece of kinetic sculpture, and grouped together —
a 39-inch, nine-light tower with a 51-inch, 12-light tower — the
presentation is breathtaking.
Tiered stands designed to hold votives in fireplaces have been available
for several seasons, and the choices continue to fan out. They’ve been
happily embraced by people with faux fireplaces, and the multiple
candlelights add a warm glow, bringing life to a black hole.
Lantern designs are dotting the outdoor as well as indoor landscape. Some
are simple covers, like hurricane lamps. But these covers may be painted.
One set has a gold-mottled finish that shimmers with the light. Another
“tote” of oxidized tin with a bronze finish and shopping baglike twisted
handles has a mesh screen through which the candle is visible.
Even fireplace screens have been lit with candles. One catalogue shows a
wrought-iron screen with two pairs of candleholders hanging in varying
lengths from hooks.
With all of these wall or freestanding containers, holders for the table
have not been neglected, and some of the more engaging pieces stretch out,
their elongated horizontal forms hugging multiple flames. One such holder
is carved from an oak or mesquite sugar mold. Crafted in the ’40s, the
vintage piece emits the faint smell of maple sugar when the nine or more
candles burn. Another rustic, footed candelabrum is crafted with an Old
World rustic patina by Jan Barboglio, who calls it a “veladora.” It has
a single outstretched arm of light with 10 sturdy cups that hold aloft
glass votives.
Another approach is similar to the construction of fireplace inserts,
which set the candles on different levels. One catalogue featured a
stainless steel stand that places jewel-toned candles with the look of
glass at staggered heights.
The long holders are especially attractive on a dining table. For a
sideboard, night table or side table in a living room, a stunning example
of decorative candles mimics ostrich and crocodile skin. They look like
containers for the flames, but the pieces are crafted in France from
paraffin wax and elaborately hand-painted to resemble leather, down to
the “stitching” at the base.
Innovative containers give us clues to presentation. Scale obviously is key.
Puny candles aren’t generally big enough to go solo. Besides, there’s
strength in numbers. Odd numbers usually work best. Consider varying
heights and even shapes.
All of this new packaging will never replace traditional candlesticks.
It’s the power of candlelight that transforms a room’s mood, softening
edges, transcending style. It throws a veil over furnishings, casting
mysterious shadows on walls and surfaces. Its gauzy glow is magical,
sensuous and, yes, romantic.
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