What’s The Story Behind This Mood-Paired Candle Collection?

Jo Malone and Little Greene’s collaboration of candles launched this month, pairing a scent, a paint colour and a wallpaper to a collection of moods, finds Tessa Dunthorne. We talk to the two brands about how the collection comes as a response to how we actually shop fragrance for our homes – not just by scent, but by mood.

What’s The Story Behind This Mood-Paired Candle Collection?

‘Until recently,’ says Jo Malone London’s head of fragrance Celine Roux, ‘we’d been talking about home fragrance the same way we’d been talking about personal fragrance. But when we thought more about how people shop for the home, we realised that that wasn’t quite true. You’re not looking for citrus, you’re looking for a mood.’

This because the collection’s cornerstone. ‘You come home, after a tough day at work, and what you want is to put your feet up, burn a candle, and settle in with a book.’ 

The energetic Lime Basil and Mandarin candle in Salix

This then led to Celine and the Jo Malone London team meticulously reevaluating their existing fragrance portfolio to group them into distinct emotions – to unearth the answer to these mood cravings. ‘It was important for us to not create new on this collection, but to categorise our bestsellers,’ explains Celine, ‘but from there we realised we need a visual element to bring these stories to life with few words.’

Ruth Mottershead, design director at Little Greene explains that from here Jo Malone London contacted her.

‘We’d collaborated before,’ says Ruth, ‘and there’s so much in common between the brands. We both focus on sustainable raw materials in products, manufacture and were founded in the UK, and have a similar creative process.’

If fragrance then sets the tone, Ruth explains, colour amplifies it. Although this was a new creative challenge for the brand. ‘We’re used to creating colour that’s specific to certain spaces,’ she says, ‘but to work with scent and mood is a new dimension and direction for us, even though it relates back to the same space.’

The tranquil one: Lavender Blue presented in Bone China Blue paint

This collaboration allowed Little Greene to carefully select paint colours that reflect and enhance the desired mood of each candle, creating a whole sensory journey:

• For an energising atmosphere, the vibrant Lime Basil & Mandarin candle is paired with Salix, a ‘lovely clean colour with lots of freshness’ reminiscent of the invigorating outdoors.
• The English Pear & Freesia candle, designed for a joyful and inviting mood, finds its visual echo in the serene Silent White.
• A classic, Pomegranate Noir, takes on new depth when paired with Masquerade paint, fostering a profoundly comforting, relaxing ambiance. Ruth describes Masquerade, with its subtle red oxide, as a ‘good neutral’ that can ‘drench an entire space… to create a comforting, cosy feel,’ particularly effective in south-facing rooms.
• To cultivate a tranquil and unwinding atmosphere, Lavender Blue is presented alongside Bone China Blue paint, elegantly featured on the candle box in the Ditsy Block print.
• Finally, the Myrrh & Tonka candle, crafted for a sensual, warming mood, is complemented by the soft hues of Light Peachblossom paint and the intricate Massingberd Blossom wallpaper. This ‘soft, but with just a slight warming underneath it’ colour is envisioned for moments of connection, perhaps friends preparing for an evening out, suggests Celine.

This collection goes beyond fragrance, inviting us to consider how scent and colour can profoundly shape the atmosphere of our homes. Is this a glimpse into a future where our homes are curated not just by decor, but by the moods we wish to cultivate?

Mood-paired candles from £59, jomalone.co.uk