In the world of home decor, where innovation meets tradition, the Chouchin emerges as a captivating blend of both. This unique, pillar-shaped candle, inspired by the serene aesthetics of a traditional Japanese ‘chouchin’ lantern, represents a harmonious fusion of design and function.
Crafted with a dual wax composition, the Chouchin features an interior made of standard wax, burning in the familiar, comforting manner of a typical candle. However, it’s the exterior that sets it apart. This outer layer is composed of a patented, non-melting wax, creating a translucent shell that beautifully diffuses light, mimicking the soft, ambient glow of a lantern. As the candle burns, the light permeates through this outer wax, transforming the candle into a source of gentle, warm illumination.
This innovative design was brought to life through a collaboration with the esteemed Pegasus Candle Co. Ltd, based in Kurashiki, Japan. The non-melting wax not only adds to the candle’s aesthetic appeal but also serves a practical purpose. It collects the melting wax within, eliminating the need for a tray and allowing the candle to be safely held without the risk of dripping wax.
The Chouchin isn’t just a marvel in wax innovation; it’s also a testament to longevity and sustainability. The inner candle boasts an impressive burn time of 60 hours, ensuring months of ambient lighting with daily use. Furthermore, its design accommodates replaceable refills, enhancing its life span and reducing waste.
Each candle is meticulously crafted at the Pegasus Candle Co.’s factory, ensuring the highest quality. Presented in an elegant black box, the Chouchin Candle is not just a purchase but an experience – ideal for personal indulgence in a tranquil atmosphere or as a thoughtful, sophisticated gift for loved ones. In essence, the Chouchin Candle is not just a light source; it’s a journey of illumination, transforming from a simple candle into a symbol of elegance and tranquility, evoking the spirit of Japanese tradition with every flicker.
In the world of home decor, where innovation meets tradition, the Chouchin emerges as a captivating blend of both. This unique, pillar-shaped candle, inspired by the serene aesthetics of a traditional Japanese ‘chouchin’ lantern, represents a harmonious fusion of design and function.
Crafted with a dual wax composition, the Chouchin features an interior made of standard wax, burning in the familiar, comforting manner of a typical candle. However, it’s the exterior that sets it apart. This outer layer is composed of a patented, non-melting wax, creating a translucent shell that beautifully diffuses light, mimicking the soft, ambient glow of a lantern. As the candle burns, the light permeates through this outer wax, transforming the candle into a source of gentle, warm illumination.
This innovative design was brought to life through a collaboration with the esteemed Pegasus Candle Co. Ltd, based in Kurashiki, Japan. The non-melting wax not only adds to the candle’s aesthetic appeal but also serves a practical purpose. It collects the melting wax within, eliminating the need for a tray and allowing the candle to be safely held without the risk of dripping wax.
The Chouchin isn’t just a marvel in wax innovation; it’s also a testament to longevity and sustainability. The inner candle boasts an impressive burn time of 60 hours, ensuring months of ambient lighting with daily use. Furthermore, its design accommodates replaceable refills, enhancing its life span and reducing waste.
Each candle is meticulously crafted at the Pegasus Candle Co.’s factory, ensuring the highest quality. Presented in an elegant black box, the Chouchin Candle is not just a purchase but an experience – ideal for personal indulgence in a tranquil atmosphere or as a thoughtful, sophisticated gift for loved ones. In essence, the Chouchin Candle is not just a light source; it’s a journey of illumination, transforming from a simple candle into a symbol of elegance and tranquility, evoking the spirit of Japanese tradition with every flicker.
This battery-free aroma diffuser seemingly works like magic in spreading soothing scents while looking gorgeous wherever you place it.
With the almost unending causes of stress in our modern lives, many people have resorted to different methods to calm their minds and bodies, often by delighting senses other than their sight. While music seems to be the most common way to set (or break) a mood, some people have instead taken to aromas to bring them to a state of equilibrium. As such, it isn’t at all surprising that there has been an uptake in the production and sales of essential oil diffusers, many of which use electronics to create and spread vapors. It isn’t a convenient method, nor is it sustainable. Fortunately, there are better alternatives to electricity-powered diffusers, and we take a look at one of the most interesting designs to see if this battery-free beauty is worth its price.
There are, of course, aroma diffusers that simply put an oil container on top of a candle flame. While they technically satisfy the sustainability requirement, they’re hardly different from electric diffusers in that their design is completely utilitarian. They fulfill a function, and that’s pretty much it. Beyond that very specific use case, they rarely have any other purpose and are most often stowed away out of sight.
The Lei non-electric aroma diffuser, in contrast, is almost like a decorative piece that already upgrades the quality of a space just by being there. It has the appearance of a very barebones miniature windmill with a single-blade fan. The all-black metal structure provides a nice contrast with any color, while its minimalist aesthetic blends well with any interior motif you might have going.
Unlike any other diffuser, Lei looks both simple and complex. The thin pieces of bent metal form only the skeleton that keeps the structure standing, allowing the viewer to see anything behind it. This theme of transparency is carried over to the left side of the diffuser, which houses the candle in a glass cylinder. This vessel shields people’s hands from the heat of the candle while also adding a bit of material contrast to the cold black metal frame.
At the same, the aroma diffuser also evokes a sense of mystery and complexity, especially when you see it working. How can something so simple and plain even function as a diffuser, especially with a fan that turns without any machinery or electricity? Your brain isn’t able to immediately make the connection between the candle flame and the turning blade, putting your mind in an almost contemplative state. Even when just passively standing as a piece of decoration, this beautiful aroma diffuser already creates an impact on your awareness and mood, setting the stage for a deeper and more emotional experience once you actually light up that candle.
Ergonomics
Although a diffuser of any sort is not something you will constantly hold in your hands, the usability of a product goes a long way in ensuring the user’s comfort. Even if you do not need to worry yourself about the risks of electricity or the availability of batteries, getting burned by hot surfaces can still ruin what should instead be a calming experience. Fortunately, Lei was designed to be super simple to use, despite its seemingly magical operation.
It doesn’t get any simpler than putting a few drops of oil on a tray that slots into the back of the fan and then lighting a candle. The glass cover around the candle not only protects anyone from accidentally touching the flame but also ensures that heat is properly directed to the metal plate above it. Cleaning the diffuser is also a simple affair since only those parts have to be regularly cleaned.
The electricity-free aroma diffuser is also portable to some extent. You can place it anywhere in the room or house as you wish without having to worry about placing it near a wall socket. That said, it isn’t exactly something you can bring with you anywhere, especially if you want to include the glass cover. And while you definitely don’t need batteries, you will have to make sure you have a supply of tealight candles ready for use. If you don’t, Lei is really nothing more than a beautiful piece of decoration that you should have left at home anyway.
Performance
This sustainable aroma diffuser is quite unique in the way it works, even among other candle-powered diffusers. Others of the latter kind often light a small fire underneath a receptacle, usually a small ceramic bowl, that heats up the oil inside it until it evaporates and diffuses into the air. That, however, has the effect of overheating the oil to the point that it actually affects the scent it gives off.
In Lei’s case, the candle only heats the metal arm above it, and this heat is transferred to a fan that uses that energy to spin slowly. The aroma from the oil is therefore preserved and is gently carried by the breeze generated by the fan. While this seemingly magical process works fine for most cases, it does come with two very important drawbacks.
The first one is that it takes a bit longer for the diffuser to actually start spreading the aroma, around two to three minutes to warm up the fan. You also have to give the blade a push to start its motion rather than having it move on its own. There’s also no option to set the intensity of the diffusion, unlike on an electric device. It is, however, still more effective than a regular candle diffuser because you can control the direction and flow of air rather than hoping for the best.
The more important consideration, however, is that room temperature can greatly affect its performance. If you put it near an air conditioner or fan, it will take a bit longer for the fan to reach the required temperature to start spinning. Placement is still important, but you have at least more freedom in where you want to put the diffuser.
Sustainability
An electric diffuser might sound like less work to get you in a state of relaxation, but only if you never stop to consider how your peace of mind comes at the expense of the planet. Most, if not all, such diffusers are primarily made from a lot of plastic, and the electronics inside them make recycling and proper disposal more difficult. Those that directly plug into power outlets also add to the overall electricity consumption and carbon footprint, even if they take only sips.
This aroma diffuser is, of course, completely sustainable, from its metal and glass composition to its use of heat conduction rather than electricity. Even the packaging itself, made from aluminum and paper, is sustainable. In other words, you can enjoy a guilt-free “Me Time” with your favorite oils, knowing that, at least in this case, you aren’t adding to the troubles of the planet.
Value
Lei is a beautiful aroma diffuser that puts sustainability at its core. It’s almost perfect, if not for the considerations about temperature and portability mentioned earlier. There is, however, one other major factor that could make or break your decision to buy one. While it is, without a doubt, a well-designed product, it is also a product that isn’t easily accessible to many people.
This sustainable diffuser carries a three-figure price tag that is almost double that of typical aroma diffusers. Admittedly, that kind of price difference isn’t exactly unusual for designer products such as this. It does clearly mark it as something made for and targeted at enthusiasts, those who greatly appreciate a beautifully designed product, as well as the pure scents of oils. For this kind of crowd, this is definitely worth the investment for both its sustainability and its aesthetics.
Verdict
Aroma diffusers today come in all shapes, sizes, and features. Some are hi-tech wonders that try to be smarter than you, while others go back to the basics with nothing more than fire and oil, with some ceramic or metal in between. This completely green diffuser is somewhere in between while also being in a league of its own. It demonstrates the best of human creativity in applying physics to something so simple yet still respects natural processes while giving it a little push. And it does so in a shape that is eye-catching yet so simple that it almost blends into the background. Elegant and uncomplicated, it embodies what a relaxing atmosphere should be.
It isn’t without its faults, though. To some extent, it is also at the mercy of the very heat it ingeniously utilizes to its benefit. It is also a representative of the stereotypical designer product that surpasses the common fare in both aesthetic and price. But for something beautiful that’s meant to last a long, long time, it is pretty much a long-term investment not only for your well-being but also for that of the planet.
Although they target different senses, aroma diffusers, mood lamps, and scented candles all have the same goal, to put your mind in a certain calm state. Although the direct effect is to put the mind and perhaps the body at ease, it also has some additional benefits, like improving one’s concentration or helping people become mindful of the present moment. These tools and devices, however, don’t have this kind of functionality built into their designs, and you have to make an intentional effort to associate the sensation with the mindset. This mood lamp concept, however, actually makes it a core part of its design, bringing together different sensations and cues to help develop a habit of focus and mindfulness without forcing the practice.
Being mindful is one of the key techniques often given in order to develop a clear and present mind or to fight the feeling of being overwhelmed. It often involves pausing for a few moments to become aware of your surroundings and what you’re doing. This doesn’t come naturally to most of us, of course, especially when it’s so easy to get lost in what you’re doing. Focus tries to gently nudge you into that mindful state at regular intervals, and it does so using pleasing smells and sights.
Focus is a combination of an aroma diffuser and a mood lamp in the form reminiscent of a scented candle, an object that’s meant to touch those two senses. When in its “unlit” mode, it looks almost like a small wireless speaker, especially because of its black matte finish and cylindrical shape. When turned on, it uses another productivity exercise that’s designed to help you focus on the task at hand while also leaving plenty of room to take a break and become mindful.
The device follows the popular Pomodoro Technique that advocates setting aside a fixed chunk of uninterrupted time for focused work, followed by a brief period of rest before starting the next chunk. Focus has a built-in timer set to 15 minutes, and as it counts down, the light of the lamp softens and dims. Once the timer goes off, a puff of aroma is released, mimicking the last breath of a dying candle. These cues remind the person to take that Pomodoro break and appreciate the present moment.
The cadence of the Pomodoro Technique creates something almost similar to a breathing pattern, and it’s probably no coincidence that Focus indirectly makes you want to breathe in that aromatic scent as well. Even without the productivity angle, the aroma diffuser mood lamp makes for an attractive accessory on your desk or shelf, one that delights the senses to induce a feeling of peace and calm, especially after a very productive and busy day.
Different people try to relax in different ways. Some just need to pop in a good video and lose themselves for hours in entertainment. Others, however, need something a little more sublime. Soothing music, pleasing aromas, or even hypnotic candle lights can help flick a switch in our brains to start winding down. Each one of us has a unique preference, but those preferences can change at a moment’s notice. Most relaxation products, however, address only one or at most two use cases, limiting what you actually achieve when it comes to bathing the senses in positive stimuli. That’s why this smart lamp concept breaks down those barriers to offer a multi-sensory experience that will delight and soothe the senses to help you enter into that state of calm.
Some people shut their eyes tight when they want to block out the world, while others prefer being mesmerized by flickering lights. Some take to their favorite kind of music to chill, while others prefer the scents of essential oils. There are obviously different ways to help our bodies and mind settle down, and also different products targeting those different senses. If you ever wanted to combine all three or find yourself switching between them once in a while, you’re pretty much forced to buy all three kinds of products.
Idiya goes beyond those monosensory devices and combines all three experiences into a single, elegant solution. It’s a smart lamp that looks like a giant candle on the outside, which isn’t by accident. After all, appearances are for the eyes, so it’s critical that the product comes in a familiar and aesthetically pleasing package. The gently sloping middle surface, surrounded by an uneven wall, is designed in the semblance of the basic candle shape, while the lamp’s different and changing colors adapt to a person’s preferences and inclinations.
The device, however, is also a smart speaker that can emit sound in all 360 degrees. A mobile app will let you select your preferred soundscape or theme and even match it with the light of the candle. Last but definitely not least, There’s also an essential oil diffuser that completes the equation, creating a more powerful and entrancing experience that will definitely change the atmosphere inside your home or room.
Truth be told, Idiya is technically a mashup of three different devices, but it’s a combination that is executed in such a graceful manner that you’d be left wondering why it hasn’t been turned into an actual product just yet. Arguably, some prefer simpler, single-use products, but human desires can change so frequently that a single device that targets three of your five senses might be a more efficient and economical way to relax and find your center.
For those who want to have a relaxing, spa-like experience at home or in their room, scent diffusers are a must-have as well as ambient lighting to suit the mood you want to create. There are of course different products and options available in the market for both these purposes but what if you could have both in one single device? This is what a Swedish scent brand has come up with in collaboration with a French light artist.
Byredo founder Ben Gorham contacted French artist and designer Benoit Lalloz to come up with a device that will be a candle warmer as well as a scent diffuser. The result is a pretty unique product called Infra Luna, an industrial-looking combination of light and smells. Basically how it works is it heats up the candle wax and then diffuses the scent to fill up your room.
The device looks like a miniature time machine with its aluminum, circular frame. But instead of transporting you through time, it will transform your room into a calming haven when you need to relax and meditate. It uses a heating mechanism to turn the candle wax into liquid. The color of the candle cap will throw a soft glow onto its surroundings while its scent will envelop the room.
The industrial, silver color of the Infra Luna is in contrast to the dark colors of the Byredo candles and it is intentional as it can absorb and then reflect the light to give off eye-catching but at the same time relaxing illumination for the room. The candle cap comes in blue, red, and chrome colors.
The Infra Luna, which costs $2,590, is already sold out on the Byredo website but there were only limited quantities produced. They may probably come up with different versions and iterations of this device so if this is something you’d want to get for your home, you will have to wait.
Burning scented candles don’t just light up the surroundings. It offers several benefits, whether for ceremonial or decorative purposes. No doubt candles deliver aesthetic value and scent to set a nice ambiance to an otherwise dull surrounding.
Candles are famous for their soothing effect on the body and soul. They help create a peaceful surrounding, making them suitable for one’s health and sanity. The Sfumato Candle is a product design that makes the candle, a simple object, more beautiful than ever while it helps you destress and relax.
The Sfumato Candle throws some architectural inspiration into the design. The results are interesting visual elements, as shown by this unique vessel for scents. The Sfumato Candle is made of cast concrete, so this can be one sturdy home decor. The concrete finish reflects the stone, which is often used in architecture.
The word “Sfumato” means “to evaporate like smoke.” The designer learned the term from a book about Leonardo Da Vinci. Sfumato was a special technique used by Da Vinci in painting. The artist used it to blur the edges of objects to soften focus. This then gave the illusion of aerial perspective and realism. The designer Kegan McDaniel loved the word and thought it would make a fantastic brand name.
The designer worked on different scents for the concept candle. There are three fragrances available: Tuscan Fields, Amalfi Citrus, and Sicilian Sage. These candles also come in different colors depending on the scent: green, yellow, and red. Using the Italian regions for the name of scents is a reference to Leonardo Da Vinci’s home country.
Kegan McDaniel isn’t new on our radar as we’ve seen and enjoyed his previous designs. The ARUS Drone, aka the Dronut, gave us giggles. The Aged & Ore Travel Decanter became an actual product, allowing you to enjoy your favorite cocktails or spirits wherever your travel takes you. His Nike X Crocs footwear concept design made us wish it would go into production even if the pair looked weird to many.
As for candles, there have been plenty of designs that we found interesting. The Spiral Light Candles could burn for 40 hours with its spiral-shaped wick. The Infinite Candle from more than a decade ago was designed to make another candle as it burns. You see, candles are centuries old, but they will never disappear. Candle innovations will be introduced as long as there are people exercising their creativity to make something new and beautiful.
It’s quite easy to figure out where the ‘Tiny Flame’ lighter takes its visual inspiration from! Designed to resemble the very thing it creates, the Tiny Flame lighter’s teardrop shape and metallic gold finish is instantly memorable and eye-catching! I’m refraining from making a Flame-ception joke, so bear with me here.
The Tiny Flame lighter isn’t the kind you’d carry in your pocket. Instead, it’s a product fit for sitting on your desk or mantelpiece. Its bottom-heavy shape makes it stable enough to constantly stand upright, and its matte-versus-polished finish has a beautiful way of catching reflections and making it shine. When you want to use it, the lighter’s curved surface fits naturally into the palm of your hand. A parting line separates the matte-finish bottom half and the polished upper half, and a simple push with your thumb causes the upper cap to tip backward, triggering the flame. Similarly, pushing the cap back in place extinguishes the flame too. Tip the lighter over and it reveals its adjusting ring that lets you control the flame intensity, as well as a refill point for refueling the lighter when the fluid within it runs out.
The lighter, although conceptual from the looks of it, comes in three colors – gold, silver, and a matte-black rose-gold combo. I personally love the idea of the upper part of the lighter sporting a polished finish while the lower part comes with a sandblasted matte finish. Apart from acting as a visual separator between the upper and lower halves, it also visually represents the flame, which can sometimes have a different colored tip and base. Apart from that, it has a simple yet commanding appearance that manages to look eye-catching while still remaining beautifully minimal. That’s pretty lit, if you ask me!
I’m not even going to take the trouble of opening Wikipedia to see how long candles have been around, but it’s safe to say that in the thousands of years that it’s existed, the candle’s basic format hasn’t really changed much. (Oh, and I finally caved and googled it – candles have been around since 3000 BC)
The candle is simply a wax column with a wick running through it. Burn the wick and the wax controls the speed at which it burns. The candle really never needed a modern-day redesign, probably because we run our lamps on electricity now… but Todd Nelson’s clever idea allows one single candle to last almost two days while burning continuously – a massive upgrade considering most candles with the same amount of wax don’t burn more than 5-7 hours. Needless to say, if Todd Nelson was alive a thousand years ago, he’d be a pretty rich and famous entrepreneur.
Nelson’s candle-hack is simple. Increase the length of the wick and you end up increasing the timeline of the candle. The Spiral Light Candles come with a wraparound wick that forms a spiral around the periphery of the candle. Light it and the spiral wick burns for 3 hours as it slowly depletes ‘around’ the candle, rather than through it. Where Nelson’s ingenuity really ‘shines through’ is in the Spiral Light candle’s hollow design. You see, as the candle burns, the wax that melts collects in its hollow center. Once the spiral wick’s completely burnt through, you’re actually left with a brand new candle that’s created from the wax that melted and collected in the center! This new candle has a built-in wood wick that burns for a stunning 40 hours, allowing one single candle to shine on for two whole days… and giving you essentially two candles within one.
Nelson was awarded a patent for his spiral-wicked ‘self-filling’ candle, and went from producing them in his garage to shifting to a larger manufacturing facility located in Lakeland, Minnesota. The candles are still hand-manufactured by Nelson and his family and employees, and come in three sizes across a variety of natural fragrances… but what’s fundamental is still the fact that the candles make a pretty radical improvement on a design that has barely changed in nearly 5000 years. With its spiral wick and hollow center, the Spiral Light Candles have the ability to reincarnate into a second candle once burned through. It’s equal parts innovative, long-lasting, and sustainable. Not to mention it probably smells pretty great too!
Spiral Light Candles: A Candle Reinvented from the Ground Up
The Spiral Light Candles have a unique, patented, two-candles-in-one design that started with the idea that you could create a candle without the wasted wax left over from burning traditional candles.
The idea is simple. Move the wick from the center of the candle out to the outer edge. Now you’re burning the side of the candle that normally ends up in the garbage. As the candle burns, the sides flow into the middle leaving you with a cozy, wood wick candle at the end.
Features & Benefits
Unique Design. Spiral Light’s unique design burns in a circle for the first three hours, filing in its hollow core. This is their “Party Trick!”
Long Burning Time. When the hollow center is completely filled and the spiral portion burns out, you’re left with a wood wick candle that you can enjoy for over 40 hours. That’s the “Real” candle.
Clean Burning. What’s the recipe for a clean burning candle? It’s a highly refined, food-grade, edible wax perfectly matched to the right sized, 100% cotton wick. It is phthalate-free scent oils mixed with vegetable-based colorants finished off with a locally sourced, softwood wick.
Great Scents. The team works with some of the best scent companies in the United States to bring you great smelling candles without the nasty chemicals.
Handcrafted in the U.S.A. All made in the United States from raw materials sourced right here in the U.S. While they been able to modify their equipment to help pour their candles faster, everyone of their candles is still hand-manufactured by their family and employees in their facility in Minnesota.
In Three Different Sizes
– Large: 4″ x 6″, Spiral Candle burns for 3-hours, Wood Wick burns for 40-hours – Medium: 4″ x 4″, Spiral Candle burns for 2-hours, Wood Wick burns for 30-hours – Small: 3″ x 3″, Spiral Candle burns for 1-hours, Wood Wick burns for 20-hours
Fruit Loops. They’re magically delicious. Wait, that’s not right. They’rrrrrre great! No, that’s not it. Anyway, I don’t have to ask Toucan Sam to follow his nose to this Froot Loops cereal candle, because I can do that myself.
This thing looks like a half-eaten bowl of cereal and smells just like Fruit Loops when you burn it. Jennifer Cox of Nashville’s CandleLit Desserts created this breakfast replica to please your nose and your eyes. She makes all kinds of candles that are realistic and look and smell like desserts and other foods. But this one is for the cereal lover in you.
It even has a real spoon sunk into the faux milk wax. You can check out this candle and many others in her Etsy shop. Pretty cool. Now all I need is some toast candles, some bacon candles, and some OJ candles and my breakfast that I can’t eat a single bite of will be complete.
Anyway, if you like the smell of cereal and you can’t get enough of it in your home, this one’s for you.
