Behind the Design: The Pinecone Candle Lantern

Designing the pinecone motif for our Pinecone Candle Lantern was more of a challenge than I expected. There’s always the conundrum of how to make the design “flow,” especially when focusing on a specific subject rather than a repeating pattern. In this case, I wanted pinecones and needles, but not haphazardly scattered around. Many lovely holiday wrapping papers use that technique, but they have the advantage of color.

I also wanted a really nice pinecone, so I drew, and I drew, and I drew. I even created a reel on Instagram showing the sources and iterations—if you’re interested, you can take a look here. Eventually, I landed on a wreath with tiny, quite modern pinecones and sprays of needles, with an elegant symmetrical pinecone centered in the wreath. It really turned out well. The medium size has three wreaths with a funky little pinecone triad linking them.

For the small size, there is just room for one wreath. But what to do with the extra space? The point of a candle is to provide light, so it’s important to let the light out. The solution was a repeating border and a spray of needles and cones flanking the single wreath.

Inspiration from Nature

The pinecone has long been a symbol of growth, renewal, and the enduring beauty of nature. Inspired by the tranquil forests and the enchanting allure of pinecones scattered along the forest floor, we set out to capture this essence in a handcrafted holiday candle lantern.

Wood Selection

The Pinecone Candle Lantern is only offered in maple and white oak. The intricate details would really be lost in the walnut. I will be very careful selecting the maple—as clear as possible—to make it quite distinct from the oak. The process involves laser-cutting the intricate pinecone design, and I have tweaked the settings a bit to create the more rustic effect I want for this holiday candle lantern.

A Celebration of Light and Nature

The Pinecone Candle Lantern is so pretty in my living room. I took all the photos there but I’m looking forward to seeing the maple, in particular, in a modern setting (anyone offering?)

I’m going to make sure I post more behind-the-scenes stories about the creative process, but for now, now that the design has landed, it’s time to get making.