Waxing lyrical about the experience of artisan candles

Come to the table: Maison Reyjeané x Okra

Finding herself with some time on her hands during lockdown and a bit of stillness outside of the context of normal everyday life, Reyjeané Haroun-Hashemi started developing an artisan candle idea.

“I found I could ‘still’ myself much more and when this happens the creativity pours out,” she says. This creativity she channelled into her passion for tablescaping, and with the shift back into spending more time entertaining at home, she found the need for candles presented itself more often.

“I wanted a candle that was elegant, didn’t block your view and added the right amount of glow to the tabletop,” she adds. And with this in mind, while wanting to counter all the heaviness of the last year, she thought a mood lightener was in order — a product that was irreverent. And thus, the Skinny Bitch was born.

To bring the idea to life, she teamed up with artisan candle studio Okra. Drawn to Michelle du Preez and Erik Rust of Okra for a shared appreciation for excellence, it was a natural collaboration. Each candle is handmade/dipped in Cape Town, a labour intensive process that Haroun-Hashemi loves for its return to the art of making things.

“The whole process from packaging to placing it on the table to lighting it should be an experience,” she says. Adding to the ritual are hand-honed marble bases that elevate it still further.

With colours inspired both by trends and intuition, Haroun-Hashemi started with classic colours (Nude, Salt, Ink, Onyx), and then added playful occasional and seasonal accents like the Neon range (exclusively available at Merchants on Long), and Valentines colours (Rosé & Scarlet). Then came Peach, Please! a shade in line with the progression of her interior design aesthetic.

In the pipeline is also a range of pastels and accessories (matches, long lighters, extinguishers and glass hurricanes), and an ultra-luxury hand-painted version.

‘The sky’s the limit but the core of this product line is to have fun and be playful. I’m over the seriousness of life and the obsession over everything being a commercial success. The real success is when a venture brings joy, fun and creativity into people’s lives,’ she adds.

Maisonreyjeane.com; okracandle.co.za