Holding a Candle

I make candle holders out of wood. I got the idea for my first candle holder from an article I read in Woodworkers Journal a few years ago, and then the idea just snowballed into a small industry. I sell these things online and at craft shows, and I have a lot of fun making them.

The idea, at it's core, is to simply make something to hold a candle so it sits upright whilst burning. That way you don't burn your house down. This idea, of course, leaves lots of room for artistic expression, and there is no shortage of artisans taking a stab at building the better candle holder.

You see, it turns out I haven't exactly cornered the market on candle holders, and that's a good thing. Variety means competition, and that means everyone strives to get better. Here are some examples of the candles and holders -- including a pair of my own -- to be found at Design Style Guide.

Hand Painted Candle Cube

V Silcox Designs/ A Painted Setting

This glass candle holder refracts and reflects the flickering candle light, creating ever-changing patterns all over your room. Vickie Silcox says, "Amazing table top illumination comes from the candlelight passing through the transparent paint on the glass. Styled to resemble stained glass yet much more durable and robust." It holds one votive candle in any scent you desire.

Tealight Candle Holder by Charan Sachar

Creative with Clay

These are hand thrown clay candle holders, designed for use with tea lights. They sit low to the table, the light plays off the warm colors of the clay, and the mood is set. These would be wonderful around an intimate dinner for two, as lighting for a holiday setting, or in your master bath.

"Balanced" Candlestick

Boone's Hooks

From short to tall, here we have a forged steel double candle stick holder by Master Blacksmith Smyth Boone, a descendant of that guy with the coonskin cap. This unit makes a statement, and it would make a wonderful addition to an elegant dinner, or as a centerpiece whilst sampling a bottle of your favorite vintage. Personally, I'd like to have this sitting on my buffet for this year's Thanksgiving dinner.

Red Heart Candle Holders

jn3 Hand Crafted Woodworks

And here's the pair of my candle holders, as promised. I built these out of Redheart, one of my favorite woods with which to work. I love the figure of the wood when finished. I also love the smell of the wood when I am working it. When the candles are burning low, and the lights are down, the flames seem to dance off the reds and browns in the wood, creating an effect similar to the clay holders above. Any room is the perfect room for this pair, but I prefer them in my library and my wife loves them in the master bath, where they create a mood of utter relaxation... when we're not trying to read, of course.

Contemporary Steel Wall Sconces with Wax Cylinders by Jacob Kennedy

Wink Art & Design

This is a pair of high end candle holders, designed to mount on your wall. Jacob Kennedy says, "Sculpture for your wall. Stunning waxed steel wall sconce and inset wax pillar candle creates a soft glow perfect for an entryway, dining room focal piece, or bedroom mood setter." I couldn't have put it better myself. But I can imagine these in an entry foyer, lighting the way for guests arriving for a Christmas party.

Premium 10 oz. Soy Jar Candle

Bliss Soybean Candles and Gifts

Which brings us to the candle in a jar. It arrives in it's own holder. All you have to do is take the top off, light the candle and enjoy. The piece you see here can be had in any of more than 185 scents. It burns clean, smells wonderful, looks great in your master bath, master bedroom or living room... what more could you want?

This is a 10 ounce jar, but you can also buy these in other sizes, including jelly jars, and I even build a candle holder specifically for the Bliss Soybean Candles Jelly Jar Candle. Check it out, and check out the other beautiful work from all these gifted artisans. They make decorating your home a pleasure.

There are other candles and holders available from these vendors and from several others as well, all under the Design Style Guide umbrella. Check it out. See what treasures you come up with.

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Why Things Are the Way Things Are

Have you ever wondered why a thing looks the way it does? Operates the way it does? Maybe not. Maybe I'm the only one who ever thought about this stuff, but I doubt it.

Anyway, I'm going to explain why one of my designs was, well... designed the way it was, and then I'm going to attempt to explain someone else's designs without asking them about it. I may be crawling out on an exceptionally fragile limb, here, but I figure I can control the danger somewhat by sticking to my own field of expertise: woodworking.

So, here's my own design. It's a candle holder made out of bird's eye maple. It holds seven candles and sells for $110.00. It's a one-of-a-kind piece.

This project is an outgrowth of my original candle holder design, made of bird’s eye maple instead of pine. It's rectangular instead of square, and it holds seven candles instead of four, but it is otherwise identical in construction. The idea was to make a little fire-pit to be used indoors. The idea was to show off the wood, not my joinery skills.

Like the original the table top is made by laminating two pieces. The bottom piece lacked much of that feature most prized in bird’s eye maple, so I didn’t mind hiding it.

When I made this piece my old drill press had just died on me. These holes were actually drilled out by hand with a drill-driver and a 1 7/8” Forstner bit. That took two days. They really aren’t kidding when they say bird’s eye maple is a hardwood.

The point is that it was worth the effort. I love this piece. The wood just sings, begs to be touched. I've had several people ask about it, three or four get excited about buying it, but no one has pulled the trigger on the deal yet. And I'm not concerned. There is a home for this little indoor fire-pit. After it sells I will probably build something similar because I think it's a pretty cool idea.

And now let's look at "Black Limba" by Henderson Wood Craft. This is a wall hanging, and Henderson Wood Craft has this to say about it:

"This set of wall panels are made from a combination of African Black Limba, Yellow Heart, Ebony Alowood and Bloodwood. Each panel measures 17 x 17 in. They are finished in a polyurethane semi-gloss. The set is designed to hang vertical or horizontal with a 3/4 in. standoff."

On Saturday, May 9, 2009, my wife and I visited the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. This museum is known for it's wonderful collection of Remington and Russell paintings and sculptures, but one piece that jumped out at me was by... well, someone who's name isn't jumping out at me right now. It was a collage, made entirely of reclaimed wood. I'm certain I've never seen another one like it. If you're ever in the area, this piece is hanging in the lobby near the gift shop.

The point of that piece, I'm sure, is to show off the beauty of the weather-beaten wood. In that respect the piece is a enormous success. The point of this piece by Henderson Wood Craft, I'm certain, is to do the same thing, and it is just as successful as the piece I saw in the museum.

I try to show off the wood I use -- even when it's a lowly slab of pine -- in every candle holder or wine rest or whatever that I build. Henderson Wood Craft does the same thing with their tables, wall hangings and everything else I've seen from this designer. They let the beauty of the wood shine. Good design is sometimes the design you don't notice right away. Good design in woodworking is the design that puts the wonderful figure of maple, red heart, black walnut, bubinga, cherry, bloodwood and African Black Limba in the best light, showing off what Mother Nature has already done for us. These designs deserve to be seen and purchased and displayed prominently across the globe.

Here are some other pieces from Henderson Wood Craft. The beauty of the best natural material on Earth shines in these two furniture selections and one more wall hanging.

 

I sincerely hope I have done justice to Henderson Wood Craft in this article. I would love to hear from someone there, either father or son (both?). And I'd love to hear from everyone who reads this. What do you think about the pieces on display here? And what do you think of my evaluation of them?

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If you make Handmade Home Decor Items, come and join our team by clicking on the image below. Not only will you be able to network with us, but also you will have the ability to post your listing on our team website.

If you like this blog entry you'll love my blog, jn3 Hand Crafted Woodworks. Check it out. I'll be glad you did.