Fornasetti

Fornasetti candles bring Piero Fornasetti's surrealist black-and-white imagery into a fragrant home object – Otto Fornasetti's continuation of the family studio, with hand-poured wax and Italian fragrance houses behind every scent. The candles read as design objects on the shelf and as proper home fragrances when lit.

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Each candle is housed in a hand-decorated ceramic vessel designed by Piero Fornasetti or Otto Fornasetti – the imagery is pulled from the studio's archive of over 13,000 designs. The vessels themselves often outlast the candle and are kept as decorative objects. Limited editions and discontinued patterns appreciate over time.

Otto is the classic – cedarwood, vetiver, frankincense – and works in most rooms without becoming heavy. Komorebi and Borromini are more atmospheric and suit evening use in a sitting room. Avoid the tobacco and leather scents in small bedrooms where they can become overwhelming.

The 300g standard size burns for around 80 hours of slow burning; the larger formats stretch to 200+ hours. Trim the wick to 5mm before each burn to prevent smoking and uneven wax. Burn for at least two hours on first use to establish a full melt pool that prevents tunnelling.

Some Fornasetti retailers offer authorised refills for selected vessels – check the brand's official refill programme rather than DIY refilling, which can compromise the vessel and the burn quality. Many owners simply repurpose the empty vessel as a pen pot, plant pot or storage object once cleaned.