Charmed by Candella Candles

Candella Artificial Flames

Every night at sunset, you can find me flitting around the house dimming sconces, switching one lamp on and others off, and – of course – lighting candles in all corners of the room.  My evening can only begin after the appropriate lighting has been created to suit my mood.

As a designer, and someone who is visually inspired by my surroundings, I’ve always respected lighting and its power to set a tone and create a specific energy.  Perhaps this appreciation for lighting was born in me as a small child during our family’s annual visit to Disneyland, and especially to the Haunted Mansion, where whimsical ghosts dressed in ball gowns and tails are found dancing around a haunted ballroom, chandeliers are covered in wax drippings a hundred years old, and dark and eerie rooms are lit only by quivering candlelight.

Disney's Haunted Mansion

So, it could hardly be more exciting for me to discover the new company, Candella, a visionary start-up that owns the exclusive worldwide rights to the artificial flame technology originally developed for Disney’s Haunted Mansion.  Based in the UK and the US, Candella has successfully commercialized Disney’s inimitable battery-powered flame technology for business and personal use by designing the first realistic faux flame.

Normally, I make it a rule to steer clear of anything artificial (flavors, boobs, plants, people), but Candella’s flame flickers and oscillates as if it were alive, thereby creating the charming and enchanting ambiance that, until now, could only be produced by a real flame.

Beyond being brilliant and elegant, Candella’s artificial flames are low-maintenance (powered by rechargeable batteries), clean (don’t put out dirty smoke) and safe (no open flames to catch on fire).  The applications are plentiful and I expect that interior designers will soon be “burning the midnight oil” decorating all types of spaces with this innovative product.  Think: bars, restaurants, outdoors, hotels, spas, yoga studios, and anywhere else an open flame is too dangerous.

One thing is for sure, you’ll find Candella votives by the dozen in my home as soon as I can get my little hands on them.