WAXING LYRICAL
The lushest candles that give the most potent scents.
It wasn’t too long ago when I couldn’t scroll through Pinterest without seeing a Diptyque candle post. The glass vessels, with their signature ovals labels adorned with dancing letters are often repurposed into makeup brush holders and tiny vases—and its second life is often just as charming as its first, a testament that good design lives on, in every shape and form.
Building on their rich legacy of creating captivating scents and elegant designs, Diptyque launches Les Mondes de Diptyque (The Worlds of Diptyque), a new candle collection that is not only beautifully crafted but also refillable— just what I’ve always wanted. The range of five distinct candles, each representing an enchanting blend of nature, culture and destination, opens a new chapter in the history of Diptyque candles.
The design of these candles is a masterpiece in itself. Created by designer Cristina Celestino who is renown for her glasswork, intuitive sense of decoration, and a style influenced by organic forms, each candle resembles a coloured monolith, a perfectly stacked oval glass vessel inspired by Diptyque’s iconic oval shape. When asked about the choice of material for Les Mondes de Diptyque, Celestino says, “We explored the possibility of using other materials but ultimately went with glass as its translucent quality means light is able to peek through when the candle is lit, and can be tinted to different colours. There is also the sustainable aspect of glass as it’s a raw material that can be reused over and over again.” The glass also sports three layered bands to honour the brand’s three founders—interior designer Christiane Gautrot, theatre set designer Yves Coueslant and painter Desmond Knox-Leet. The candle’s engraved glass lid reveals a scented wax block, which also functions seamlessly as a stable base for the candle. As I weigh the glass in my hand, I marvelled at how everything fits together, the embossed logo on the lid and the etched text along the rim of the container—it is not hard to appreciate how distinct the design language is, all while whispering opulence in the space it occupies.
Les Mondes de Diptyque is the brand’s first refillable candle, and the collection, crafted by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, offers a range of captivating scents, each inspired by a different world. From the Renaissance gardens of Italy’s Villa Borromeo Visconti to the lush Mexican jungle of Las Pozas, and from the zen gardens of Kyoto’s Arashiyama Mountain to the historic Chinese porcelain town of Jingdezhen, and finally to the ancient Native American lands of Mesa Verde in Colorado—each candle becomes a sensory passport, transporting you to faraway places, evoking the beauty and culture of each location.
Les Mondes des Diptyque is a beacon of mindful luxury, a design centrepiece that enhances the home without looking out of place. As a new conversation about sustainability, luxury and design aesthetics unfold, perhaps Les Mondes de Diptyque could be the catalyst for a fresh surge of Pinterest-worthy displays. I might just be the first to post. ■