Dress Your Candlesticks

About a year ago, I purchased some kaarskoker candle sleeves for a pair of little brass candlestick lamps that I inherited from my parents. The lamps, which I absolutely love, are very traditional, so I wanted to freshen them up with something a little bold and a little colorful- hence the kaarskoker. I became an instant convert and told anyone who would listen about these fabulous sleeves.

The whole concept behind kaarskoker was pretty genius. Designer April Pride Allison was frustrated that she was only able to source white candle sleeves for her clients' lighting. Following the old adage that necessity is the mother of all invention, April started her kaarskoker line to fill a void in the marketplace. The sleeves come in an array of colors and patterns, many of which were inspired by Owen Jones' Grammar of Ornament. They are a great and affordable way to perk up sconces or chandeliers.

Well, kaarskoker was chugging along and garnering national press (as well as a lot of fans) when April decided to expand her line. She recently designed the kaarskoker candlestick. Available in silver or brass tones, the candlestick is a blend of Bauhaus design and English antique candlesticks (not surprising as April has her Masters in Decorative Arts), and it's made to work with the line of candle sleeves.

April sent me a pair of candlesticks as well as some new sleeves to play with. What's great is that you can customize your kaarskoker candlesticks with sleeves that coordinate with a tablesetting, a room, a paint color. The sleeves come in two different lengths, so you can keep the candlestick fully extended for the tall sleeves, while you can unscrew and remove a portion of the stick to accommodate the smaller sleeves. (My explanation may not be so great, so visit the website for further details.) You can create a whole wardrobe for your candlesticks. I haven't had that much fun mixing and matching colors and pattern since outfitting my Barbie dolls a hundred years ago!

The candlesticks and sleeves are available to purchase on the kaarskoker website as well as at various Nordstroms and boutiques. Wouldn't these candlesticks be great for Fall or holiday entertaining?

(April is offering Peak of Chic readers 20% off their online orders. Enter PEAKCHIC at checkout to apply the discount.)