I have always been obsessed with candles, to the point of owning way too many to where I wouldn't light them (anyone else?!). In November 2019, Melody from Mala the Brand reached out via email about doing a potential collab. In the midst of Black Friday/Christmas madness, I suggested we reconnect in the new year when we all have a clear head. 

Melody, sure enough did follow up (persistence is key people) and I am so glad she did! We started to toss around ideas of what would make this candle different than what we have seen and how we can incorporate the Hudson + Oak brand with Mala the Brand. I knew for sure I wanted the vessel to be reusable, such as a planter! I always wanted it to incorporate our signature minimalist look. We settled on a matte white finish in the cylinder shape (our most popular selling planter shape). 

 

We met for the first time on January 31st, at Soy Talk in Richmond to start discussing our ideas test out the 3" matte white cylinder with labels, and start with picking out scents and start to think of what we would name this creation! PS the soft ice-cream is sooooo good! We tested her current labels on the planter to see if would adhere to the matte finish. We knew we didn't want an overly sticky label, as the whole vision was for the end customer to reuse the vessel for a forever planter :-) 

 

Next was playing around with scent profiles. Prior to meeting Melody in person, I knew I wanted the scent to be light with hints of citrus. I am a big citrus fan, but I also am always conscious about overly scented candles because of the doggies! We landed on to test scents with bergamot, grapefruit, agave, aloe and sea salt. 

 

Next we met and one of my favourite lunch spots in Vancouver, Kokomo, to finalize the scent on February 10th! We landed on top notes of grapefruit and coconut, with undertones of sweet agave and watery aloe. I have never loved a scent profile more than this! It's light, sweet but will still be safe to burn with animals in the house! There I pitched Melody, the idea of adding a mini cactus with every order. We want you to love and use your planter for many years to come, but the idea came full circle with adding a plant to plant in your planter after you have burned through your candle!  

 

We landed on the name Beach House! It incorporates Hudson + Oak style and aesthetic as well as the scent pairs perfectly with the name. We went with a twist on a muted terracotta colour label, with white writing and I love love love how the label looks on the matte white cylinder! 

You sold us out of our first batch and second batch, you crazy people! I cannot wait for you to get your hands on this limited edition candle and burn it in your homes or on your patio in the upcoming summer months!