Flores de San Miguel by Gilles Dewavrin: Fragrance Meets Design

A candle can change the mood of a room, but Gilles Dewavrin takes the idea further. His Cires Parfumées are conceived as decorative objects, combining fragrance, craftsmanship and a taste for interiors with character.

Produced in France and Italy in small series, the collection stands out through its refillable holders. Terracotta is mixed by hand to create irregular colour patterns, while the volute glass versions play with transparency and light. Placed alone or on matching single and double trays, they look just as convincing unlit. This is slow decoration in the best sense: pieces designed to stay, with only the scented wax needing to be replaced.

The fragrances are rooted in places, memories and imagined journeys. Dewavrin draws on architecture, literature, landscapes and the years he spent in England, translating them into scents that feel personal rather than generic.

Flores de San Miguel offers one of the collection’s warmest escapes. Inspired by the Mexican city of San Miguel de Allende, it evokes vivid pink and yellow façades, hidden gardens and elegant houses glowing beneath an intense sun. Tuberose and jasmine shape its floral character, creating an atmosphere that is sensual, bright and quietly theatrical.

What makes these candles interesting is the balance between perfume and form. They are not simply made to disappear after a few evenings. The refillable design allows the handcrafted container to become a lasting part of the room, somewhere between a candleholder, a small sculpture and a souvenir from an imaginary journey.

For interiors that avoid the predictable, Gilles Dewavrin brings fragrance into the conversation without allowing it to dominate. The result is colourful, artisanal and poetic, with enough personality to remain long after the flame has gone out.

Stockists: Thierry Boutemy and Scène de Ménage in Brussels; The Invisible Collection in Paris, London and New York.

Instagram: @gillesdewavrin