COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio
At VISI, we love beautifully designed candles – they make ideal gifts, add ambience to a room, and can elevate any table setting. Here, we’ve listed 7 local options that have caught our eye.
The Wild Story
The Wild Story’s debut collection introduces crystal-crowned magical objects that transform into scented candles. Blending form with function, each candle is a treasure of the natural world – with stones intricately sourced and hand-selected for their presence and significance.
Inspired by the magnificence of nature, the eight custom scents are named – Soleil, Chapter 8, Luz, Magic Hour, Kisses, Cocoon, Dreamers and Untamed. When lit, the candles fill the air with wisdom and intention attuned to their corresponding crystals. The natural scents are aromatically charged with essential and botanical oils in a base of soy and coconut wax, providing a clean, smooth and immersive burn. Each piece is handcrafted in Cape Town by master makers who imbue a little part of themselves into every creation.
Soleil Crystal Candle with Citrine
R2 900 | merchantsonlong.co.za
Stokperd
Monya Eastman, from interior design studio Stokperd, has just launched a delectable trio of luxury scented candles – Motreën, Hanyauku and Komorebi.
Motreën, was inspired by soft drizzle and contains delicate, relaxing notes of neroli and lavender. The combination of heady orange blossom and bergamot in Hanyauku will invigorate the senses while Komorebi’s notes of grapefruit and rose geranium will “level you onto a plateau of calm”.
All three candles are made from soy wax and the finest essential oils, with a 50 hour burn time. They come packaged in re-usable amber glass vessels with black metal lids to preserve fragrance and protect the candles from dust.
Motreën, Hanyauku and Komorebi candles
R490 each | stokperd.com
Babylonstoren
Take a touch of Babylonstoren luxury with you, whatever the destination. The small, single-wick candle come in a glass jar with a twist-on lid which makes it perfect for gifting an travelling. This zesty scent celebrates the blood orange with an invigorating combination of blood orange rind, grounded by woody notes of thyme and vetiver.
Babylonstoren’s scented travel candles, ideal for burning in small and medium-size rooms, are locally hand-poured and release their fragrance gradually.
Bloedlemoen Travel Candle
R150 | shop.babylonstoren.com
Melle
Available in three styles – The Taper, The Spiral, and The Sphere – Melle candles are designed, individually poured, and hand finished in the brand’s Johannesburg-based studio.
These sculptural, non-scented candles come in a range of six muted colours and make a beautiful, dreamy addition to any tablescape.
The Taper, The Spiral, and The Sphere in Beige
From R195 | melle-studio.co.za
Rekindle Co.
Rekindle Co. a Cape Town-based sustainable brand, creates bespoke scented candles inspired by nostalgic locations across South Africa.
The candles are hand-poured with mineral wax from Durban and the ceramic vessels are handmade in the Cape, using locally sourced clay.
Dark as the Night (medium)
R455 | rekindlecandleco.co.za
De Nagmaal
Jacques Erasmus’ De Nagmaal homeware offering includes the full range of the minimalist crockery used at Hemelhuijs every day, as well as whimsical candleholders, pure linen napkins and tea towels, and scented candles featuring the aromas of the garden at Jonkmanshof.
There a six citrus-infused candles in the scented range… and we’ve got our eye on No.1 with it’s fresh notes of grapefruit and cypress.
No. 1
R395 | denagmaal.com
Okra
Okra Candle’s Michelle du Preez has combined her eye for detail and design with co-founder Erik Rust’s background in biochemistry and computer-aided design to create these hand-poured made to order candles.
Okra’s ‘Gear’ candle is perfect for a celebration table and comes in a range of colours. Plus there is a scented version too – you can choose between three scents: fig, sandalwood and vanilla.
Okra Gear Candle
From R180 | okracandle.co.za
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