L’or de Seraphine wants your home to be just as beautiful as you do. A clean-burning candle company, its multipurpose vessels start as nontoxic candles that melt down and leave you with a reusable ceramic jar fit to be a pencil holder, plant pot or some other tchotchke that illuminates your home.
Read on for more from L’or de Seraphine about how to make your candles last longer, why scent is a storyteller and more.
What exactly is a clean-burning candle and how does it work?
For a candle to be considered a ‘clean burn,’ it must burn without emitting excess smoke or leaving soot or chemicals on your home’s walls. Some fragrance oils contain phthalates and are considered toxic due to its potentially negative impact on hormones since they’re endocrine disruptors.
How did you first come up with the idea that people need clean-burning candles?
Having a ‘clean burn’ was never a particular idea or epiphany, it wasn’t even necessarily a conversation. If we were going to provide luxury, high quality candles, why wouldn’t they be safe or made with safe ingredients? It was a no brainer. It’s about creating a sanctuary— a space that’s safe for your personality and your style, so it should always be safe for you. I think we would’ve been more confused if someone didn’t share that thought!
Why are clean-burning candles important?
When you burn your candle, it naturally releases things into the air, which is why it’s important to know what’s in that candle. Candles that aren’t clean-burning can release toxins or harmful chemicals, which is the opposite of relaxing. We’re also guessing you don’t want soot marks in your home after enjoying a candle! Candle soot marks on ceilings can be an indicator that it wasn’t the highest quality ingredients or a clean burning product.
For L’or de Seraphine, the design is just as important as the candle itself. What is your creative process in matching scents with the pattern?
We always want our patterns and fragrances to connect and tell a cohesive story. Together it can create a specific experience, ambiance and mood. To achieve this, we often start with a point of interest, like somewhere we’ve traveled, a fond memory we cherish or even a dream for the future. From there, we imagine how that comes to life visually and what kind of scent notes can capture that feeling or place.
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You describe L’or de Seraphine candles as “candles for now” and champion buyers to use the ceramic jar as a vase, pencil holder, etc. after use. In addition to developing a clean-burning candle, why make it multipurpose?
So much thought and design goes into each vessel, and we wanted them to act as a piece of art, or story, that could live on even after the candle has completed its burn. Our candles are about expression and creating a space that’s true to you, and our vessels allow people to keep that little piece of their personality in their space.
You say “scent is a storyteller.” How does that phrase embody L’or de Seraphine’s mission?
A few ways, really. Scents are linked to memory, and we wanted our candles to offer the opportunity to bring back favorite memories of travel, family, holidays, etc,. but to also help create new ones and tie those new moments to a scent. The scents paired with the vessels are also meant to celebrate individuality and the life that you’ve lived. We believe a home should be filled with trinkets and tchotchkes from trips, memories and the people you love— each piece coming together to tell the story of you.
What are some important tricks to make L’or de Seraphine candles last as long as possible?
Make sure you burn the candle to the edge on the first burn— the wax has memory! Always trim the wick. Keep away from drafts . If you experience tunneling, use the aluminum foil trick.
Do you have any upcoming collaborations you’re excited about?
We’re very excited about our Sheila Bridges collaboration! The Harlem Toile collection features Sheila’s much-admired design, Harlem Toile de Jouy. It draws inspiration from traditional French toile and is reimagined to celebrate a complex history and rich culture, while exploring stereotypes and allowing expression of politics and art. When it comes to landing on collaborations, we always try to tell the story of the person or place we’re collaborating with. We want to really dig into the inspiration and bring that to life through both the design and scent of the candle.
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Photography by: Courtesy L'or de Deraphine
