Honestly, I don’t know how she managed without me.
Always searching for accessories to “stage” her tables… but never the personal element, the one that catches the eye and truly defines a style. Everything was… correct. But nothing quite up to my standard.
And then one morning at a flea market, she saw me. Me, stuck in a pile of old thread spools. Patinated wood, perfect proportions, an impeccable bearing, nobility in all its simplicity. I saw in her eyes that she knew: I was the candle holder. The one missing from her tables. The one who would carry the flame. Literally and gloriously.
Well, she made me wait. Sketched in a notebook, left there for years. Classic. Great careers take time to launch. And then finally, my grand role: molded in mixed red and black terracotta, handcrafted. Dense, profound. With a thread wrapped around my stem, a nod to my humble origins.
Today, I no longer merely pose for her photos. I have left the studio. I travel, I grace clients’ tables, I become the detail that changes everything at a dinner, a brunch, a celebration. From a sought-after accessory, I have become a centerpiece. A true timeless piece, one that is kept, displayed, passed down. Because I don’t just carry the flame: I propagate it. I stage it. And the show, that’s me.
Nicole Manfron
An object designed for the table
The handcrafted candle holder belongs to that family of objects that grace a table. Its function remains simple. Everything lies in the precision of its proportions, the chosen material, and the refined detail. I design these pieces as objects for real use. They accompany meals, shared moments, interiors from here or elsewhere. Their presence matters.
Terracotta: material and durability
Terracotta is chosen for its density, stability, and ability to withstand heat. It withstands repeated handling, time, and movement. Each handcrafted terracotta candle holder is shaped by hand. The surfaces remain matte. The color comes from the material itself, with no added effects. Harmony is naturally created between the table linen, textiles, and other objects present on the table.
The stem of this handcrafted candle holder is manually wrapped with a spun thread, derived from textile passementerie techniques. The wrapped thread creates a continuous relief, perceptible upon handling. This detail creates a direct link with my work on textiles. The thread creates harmony with the materials, uses, and gestures I develop elsewhere, in linens and accessories.
These handcrafted candle holders in Marrakech are offered exclusively at the V.Barkowski Store. They can be discovered in a physical setting, alongside the other creations of the house. Some pieces are unique. Others exist in very short series, depending on the nature of the work and finishes. Each object is designed by Valérie Barkowski, in continuity with her approach to textiles, table settings, and domestic uses.
Conclusion These candle holders extend a way of working: starting from the material, refining every detail, then allowing use to confirm the precision of the gesture.
An Exceptional Material: Combed Cotton A Meticulously Selected Fiber Combed cotton, resulting from a rigorous selection process, is freed from its impurities, retaining only the longest and most uniform fibers. This ‘combing’ stage produces a smoother, more uniform, and particularly resilient fabric. Thanks to this method, the resulting textile boasts remarkable softness and impeccable durability …
What is Passementerie? Passementerie refers to a collection of refined textile finishes: fringes, braids, pompoms, twists, or tassels. Behind this apparent simplicity lies an ancient, subtle, and demanding language of thread. Inheriting centuries-old traditions, it is characterized by meticulous work, often manual, where each element is shaped from woven, twisted, embroidered, or knotted threads. This …
Handcrafted Terracotta Candle Holder
Candle Holder / Spool
Honestly, I don’t know how she managed without me.
Always searching for accessories to “stage” her tables… but never the personal element, the one that catches the eye and truly defines a style. Everything was… correct. But nothing quite up to my standard.
And then one morning at a flea market, she saw me. Me, stuck in a pile of old thread spools. Patinated wood, perfect proportions, an impeccable bearing, nobility in all its simplicity. I saw in her eyes that she knew: I was the candle holder. The one missing from her tables. The one who would carry the flame. Literally and gloriously.
Well, she made me wait. Sketched in a notebook, left there for years. Classic. Great careers take time to launch. And then finally, my grand role: molded in mixed red and black terracotta, handcrafted. Dense, profound. With a thread wrapped around my stem, a nod to my humble origins.
Today, I no longer merely pose for her photos. I have left the studio. I travel, I grace clients’ tables, I become the detail that changes everything at a dinner, a brunch, a celebration. From a sought-after accessory, I have become a centerpiece. A true timeless piece, one that is kept, displayed, passed down. Because I don’t just carry the flame: I propagate it. I stage it. And the show, that’s me.
An object designed for the table
The handcrafted candle holder belongs to that family of objects that grace a table. Its function remains simple. Everything lies in the precision of its proportions, the chosen material, and the refined detail.
I design these pieces as objects for real use. They accompany meals, shared moments, interiors from here or elsewhere. Their presence matters.
Terracotta: material and durability
Terracotta is chosen for its density, stability, and ability to withstand heat. It withstands repeated handling, time, and movement. Each handcrafted terracotta candle holder is shaped by hand. The surfaces remain matte. The color comes from the material itself, with no added effects. Harmony is naturally created between the table linen, textiles, and other objects present on the table.
Textile and passementerie detail
A hand-wrapped thread
The stem of this handcrafted candle holder is manually wrapped with a spun thread, derived from textile passementerie techniques. The wrapped thread creates a continuous relief, perceptible upon handling.
This detail creates a direct link with my work on textiles. The thread creates harmony with the materials, uses, and gestures I develop elsewhere, in linens and accessories.
Creations available in Marrakech
These handcrafted candle holders in Marrakech are offered exclusively at the V.Barkowski Store. They can be discovered in a physical setting, alongside the other creations of the house.
Some pieces are unique. Others exist in very short series, depending on the nature of the work and finishes. Each object is designed by Valérie Barkowski, in continuity with her approach to textiles, table settings, and domestic uses.
Conclusion
These candle holders extend a way of working: starting from the material, refining every detail, then allowing use to confirm the precision of the gesture.
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An Exceptional Material: Combed Cotton A Meticulously Selected Fiber Combed cotton, resulting from a rigorous selection process, is freed from its impurities, retaining only the longest and most uniform fibers. This ‘combing’ stage produces a smoother, more uniform, and particularly resilient fabric. Thanks to this method, the resulting textile boasts remarkable softness and impeccable durability …
When Passementerie Becomes Contemporary Design
What is Passementerie? Passementerie refers to a collection of refined textile finishes: fringes, braids, pompoms, twists, or tassels. Behind this apparent simplicity lies an ancient, subtle, and demanding language of thread. Inheriting centuries-old traditions, it is characterized by meticulous work, often manual, where each element is shaped from woven, twisted, embroidered, or knotted threads. This …