Design Inspiration
At Esprit de Ré we have a strong and passionate desire to share with you an authentic olfactory experience of Île de Ré. We are offering a range of expertly created fragranced candles that will carry you away to the island in all its seasons.
Our candle jar with its black base border is a representation of a typical architectural feature found on many of the houses on the island where bitumen is painted on the base of the house to repel the damp of the island’s humidity. The black and white design also evokes the 40-meter-high steeple on the 12th century church in Ars-en-Ré that to this day serves as a navigational landmark for sailors. We think the design is striking and hope that you will come up with ways to re-use it as a vessel for flowers, a toothbrush holder, or perhaps a pot for your pens and pencils. We invite you to use your creative nature to come up with any number of the uses that will remind you of Île de Ré.
In 1996 the ten communes on the island opted for a common color chart in order to reconnect with the tradition of painting shutters green on the island. This practice dates back to when fishermen on the island would paint their boats green and the leftover paint was used on their cottages. To preserve this tradition, a palette of twelve colors was developed with the l’Architecte des Bâtiments de France. These twelve colors are authorized for use on the shutters and doors on the island. That decision is reflected in the choice of color for our candle box as well as on the inside of the candle jar. The names of the ten island communes appear on both the box and candle jar. The flowers on the box depict the hollyhocks that are prolific in all the villages.
Sustainability and looking after the environment are important to us all. We understand very well the fragile nature of the marine and terrestrial ecosystem we are privileged to share. The island’s unique and unspoilt natural beauty reminds us of this every day. We have made every effort to remain true to this ethos in all our decisions in the development of our product range.
Esprit de Ré candles are 100% sustainable, free of petroleum, paraffin wax and animal fat. Our natural wax scented candles, produced using only 100% pure vegetable waxes, burn brightly and cleanly and last up to 20% longer. Our candles are never tested on animals, do not cause or contribute to the destruction of tropical forests, loss of animal habitats or extinction of species. Our wicks are cotton and their metal bases are recyclable. We use responsibly sourced paper products that are FSC certified, and of recycled content when possible.
We have a strong affection for the island and want to share its essence with you. We would love you to join us on our olfactory journey.
Pictured: Color chart from the Île de Ré Architecture Guide: the steeple of the church of Saint Stephen in Ars-en-Ré; house with green painted shutters and black base border.