Tag Archives: candle holder

A 400-Year-Old Japanese Candleholder, Upgraded Again

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There’s something quietly satisfying about a design that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. Dai Furuwatari’s Pendulum Candleholder isn’t trying to be radical. It’s not minimalist for minimalism’s sake, and it doesn’t come loaded with a big brand story about disruption. It’s just a very thoughtful update to something that was already good, and that, to me, is the most interesting kind of design work there is.

The backstory matters here. The piece is rooted in a traditional Japanese portable candleholder called a teshoku. Back in the 1600s, the teshoku was a luxury item, the kind of thing you’d find in the homes of the wealthy or inside temple halls. Candles were expensive, and the ability to carry light from room to room was a privilege. At some point, an unknown craftsman solved a simple but obvious problem: the teshoku got a long, horizontal leg that doubled as a handle, making it easier to pick up and carry without getting too close to the flame. It was a small addition that changed the whole experience of using it.

Designer: Dai Furuwatari

By the 1800s, paraffin candles made the whole thing more affordable, and the teshoku eventually found its way into everyday life. The design stayed more or less the same for centuries, which says something, because designs that stick around that long usually earn it.

Furuwatari, a product designer who transitioned into ironwork, picked up the teshoku and asked what could still be better. His answer came in the form of two specific, considered improvements that feel less like features and more like realizations.

The first is that the long horizontal leg, that original carrying handle, now doubles as a hanging hook. It’s such an obvious extension of what was already there that you almost wonder why no one thought of it sooner. Being able to mount the candleholder on a wall opens up a completely different use case. Suddenly it’s not just portable, it’s also fixed lighting when you want it to be, which makes it far more versatile in how and where it can live.

The second improvement is a pivot mechanism built into the piece. This allows the candle mount to be held at different angles depending on how you’re carrying it, which is genuinely useful. Carrying a lit candle without wax dripping everywhere is its own small skill, and a pivot that lets you adjust the angle takes a lot of the anxiety out of it. The candle mount is also removable, which makes cleaning it much easier.

What I appreciate most about this piece is that both changes are extensions of the original logic of the teshoku. They don’t override the design or force it to become something it isn’t. They follow the same thinking that shaped the object centuries ago: what is this person actually doing with this thing, and how can we make that experience a little less complicated? That’s user experience design at its most sincere, and it shows up in objects just as much as in apps or interfaces.

The Pendulum Candleholder is made to order by Furuwatari’s iron products company, To-Tetsu, and retails for $158. Each piece is handmade by a craftsman, which means delivery can take one to two months depending on order status. Iron is the material, and it will develop rust over time, which can be maintained and even enriched with periodic applications of linseed oil or beeswax. That aging process is part of the appeal if you’re into objects that change with use.

Is it practical in 2026? Not in the way a smart lamp is practical. But there’s a different kind of value in objects that connect you to a longer timeline of human ingenuity. Lighting a candle and carrying it across a room is a small act that people have been doing for centuries. Furuwatari’s version just makes it a little more graceful, and a little more considered, which is more than enough.

The post A 400-Year-Old Japanese Candleholder, Upgraded Again first appeared on Yanko Design.

TOLO Stacks Tea Lights in a Vertical Tube Like Polo Mints

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Candle holders have always favored traditional taper candles and their elegant, statuesque forms. Tea lights, meanwhile, get relegated to shallow dishes and basic glass cups, functional but hardly inspiring. The problem is practical as much as aesthetic. Most holders treat tea lights as single-use items, offering no solution for storage or replacement beyond keeping a stash somewhere in a kitchen drawer. That leaves you with a scattered collection of metal tins and the constant need to hunt for spares when one burns out.

The TOLO Tea Candle holder takes a different approach, drawing inspiration from an unexpected source to solve both issues at once. Designer Liam de la Beyodere looked at how Polo mints stack neatly inside their cylindrical wrapper and applied the same logic to tea lights. The result is a minimalist metal tube that holds multiple candles vertically, with one sitting at the top ready for use while others wait below. It’s a simple idea that gives tea lights the height and presence of traditional candles without any of the usual mess or inconvenience.

Designer: Liam de la Beyodere

The holder itself is straightforward in construction. A seamless metal tube, likely brass or gold-plated steel, features a precise cutout at the top that exposes just enough of the uppermost candle for lighting. The polished finish adds a touch of elegance, while the clean cylindrical form fits easily into modern interiors. Different heights are available depending on how many tea lights you want to store inside, turning what’s typically a storage problem into part of the design’s appeal.

Of course, the real advantage is how effortless this makes candle replacement. When the top tea light burns out, you simply remove the spent tin and the next one rises into position. No rummaging through drawers, no loose candles rolling around in cabinets, and no need to interrupt your evening to fetch replacements. The tube keeps everything organized and accessible, which is exactly the kind of thoughtful detail that separates good design from merely functional objects.

What sets TOLO apart is how it reframes tea lights entirely. Instead of treating them as cheap alternatives to proper candles, the design gives them structure and verticality that command attention. The holder looks intentional even when unlit, standing as a sculptural object rather than just another utilitarian accessory. That shift in perception, from disposable to deliberate, is what makes the concept feel genuinely fresh rather than just clever packaging.

TOLO remains a concept for now, existing only as renderings rather than a finished product. That said, the design’s simplicity and practicality suggest it could translate well into production, offering a more elegant solution for anyone who prefers the convenience of tea lights but wants something better than the usual uninspired holders cluttering store shelves.

The post TOLO Stacks Tea Lights in a Vertical Tube Like Polo Mints first appeared on Yanko Design.

Byredo Just Built a Lamp That Melts Candles While It Glows

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There’s something magnetic about objects that refuse to stay in their lane. Byredo and designer Benoit Lalloz have created exactly that kind of rule-breaker with Infra Luna 2.0, a desk lamp that doubles as a candle warmer, triples as a sculptural statement piece, and somehow manages to look like it landed here from a more aesthetically interesting future.

This is the second collaboration between Byredo founder Ben Gorham and Lalloz, and it’s clear they’ve hit their creative stride. The concept sounds almost too clever: a halogen lamp that uses its own heat to melt a candle placed beneath it, releasing fragrance while casting ambient light. It’s part science lab experiment, part art installation, and entirely functional. Hybrids like this don’t just mutate, they evolve into something that makes you rethink what everyday objects can be.

Designer: Benoit Lalloz x Byredo

Lalloz brings serious design credentials to the table. Originally specializing in architectural projects, he’s expanded into creating his own objects that reflect what he calls a personal quest for design that melds the innovative with craftsmanship and the industrial with poetic narration. Translation: he makes things that look futuristic but feel human, technical but somehow soulful. The Infra Luna 2.0 embodies exactly that philosophy.

The inspiration behind the lamp’s striking aesthetic comes from an unexpected place: the insect world. Before you think that sounds unappealing, consider the visual universe of entomofauna, the technical term for bug life. It’s a realm of vibrant, almost unnatural color where iridescents and fluorescents completely redefine our perception of what nature actually looks like. Think of the metallic sheen on a beetle’s back, the holographic shimmer of dragonfly wings, or the electric blue of certain butterflies. Nature’s own color palette offers a kaleidoscope of vivid metallics that most human-made objects can’t touch.

The Infra Luna 2.0 takes its codes from these dynamic opalescent shades and shimmering insect bodies, translating them into bold industrial design. The result is a lamp finished in metallic pink that catches light like an exoskeleton, shifting and glowing depending on your angle. But there’s also a natural finish available, giving you options depending on whether you want statement piece or subtle sophistication.

Even the details tell a story. The striped cable isn’t just decorative; it references how stripes function in nature as both warning and camouflage. A wasp’s yellow and black bands signal danger, while a tiger’s stripes help it disappear into tall grass. Here, the stripes bring the design to life both metaphorically and literally, as the cable becomes an integrated element of the overall aesthetic rather than something you try to hide behind furniture.

The silhouette maintains a technical, raw identity that feels industrial and purposeful, but nature writes this story just as much as engineering does. It’s this tension between the manufactured and the organic, between form and function, that makes the piece so compelling. You can see the halogen bulb, understand the mechanism, appreciate the transparency of how it works, yet it never feels cold or purely utilitarian.

Using temperature to release fragrance creates what Byredo describes as a gentle halo of light paired with an additional halo of scent. Place one of their candles on the base, and as the halogen bulb warms the wax, your space becomes enveloped in fragrance without a flame. For anyone who loves candles but worries about open flames or wants a more even scent distribution, this solves that problem while looking impossibly cool doing it.

The surprise here is both visual and olfactory. It’s one thing to create a beautiful object; it’s another to create one that engages multiple senses and actually improves your daily rituals. This isn’t design for design’s sake. It’s thoughtful, intentional, and genuinely useful, which feels increasingly rare in a world full of objects that prioritize aesthetics over everything else.

Infra Luna 2.0 represents where Byredo is heading as a brand: beyond traditional perfumery into territories where scent intersects with other sensory experiences and design disciplines. It’s inventive, intriguing, and exactly the kind of hybrid object that makes sense for how we live now, wanting fewer things but better things, objects that earn their place through beauty and utility combined.

If you’re interested, the lamp is available online and at select Byredo stores including Soho, Wooster, South Coast Plaza, and Melrose, but quantities are very limited. Available in both that eye-catching metallic pink and a more understated natural finish, it’s the kind of piece that transforms a space simply by existing in it.

The post Byredo Just Built a Lamp That Melts Candles While It Glows first appeared on Yanko Design.