Topic E:

How To Eco-Chic

The Sprig List

The Sprig List

How To Eco-Chic

How To Eco-Chic

Sprig Top 10

How To Eco-Chic

how did you two meet?frederick: i was admiring some of her pieces in a shop in williamsburg [brooklyn, new york]. the owner mentioned that sarah lived nearby and suggested i get in touch. i did. the rest is history. sarah: we began discussing projects and forging a friendship at the same time. i was into black porcelain, so we played around with combining a black porcelain cup with a black wax and wick. it looked like a solid object, which is neat.perfume in porcelain is your second candle collection together. what did you have in mind this time around?frederick: i wanted the collection to smell mysterious, unusual, and a little dangerous. sarah intensely opposes scents that are too girly, too sweet, or part of the delicacy/vanilla family. sarah: i wanted to create something nice to hold that people would keep, not throw away. we incorporated motifs from my rehabilitated dishware collection and changed them by adding a floral pattern. we had so much fun the first time, we wanted to do it again. frederick: for the second collection, sarah began with these stunning jagged, faceted, asteroid-type shapes—who knows how she thought of these! hopefully, the fragrance blends are a similar mix: classic yet unexpected.what's green about 'em?frederick: for starters, no petroleum in the wax. petrolatum, which is used in many candles, was originally discovered on an oil rig, and i'm not comfortable crossing over into that industry. of course, the wicks are 100% all cotton. at the moment, organic scents are limited, and pure essential oils are incredibly expensive. to make our prices more accessible, we blend essential oils with fine fragrance and nature identicals. we're developing a completely pure wax and oil blend, as well as trace-mineral bath salt potpourris and other all-green home fragrance line extensions.do conventional candles contribute to indoor air pollution?frederick: the amount of indoor air pollution that petrolatum-based candles contribute is insignificant—i just don’t think there's any good reason to support that industry.which fragrances are your and the industry's bestsellers? which do you think will be bestsellers tomorrow?frederick: in the mass market, i think melons and vanillas are the strongest sellers. and the tart, yet sweet, currant scent is very popular. then comes the many iterations of fig—sun-washed fig, sun-drenched fig, mediterranean fig, and the like, which has seen lots of success. the high-end candles feature luxurious florals, such as tuberose, orange blossom, and mimosa. i see exotic fruits and plants—goji berry, mangostine, orchid, which we recently have more access to—on the horizon.what are your suggestions for what to do with the glass container after we've burned through the candle?frederick: you should absolutely reuse the glass. scrape out the remaining wax and the disc that holds the wick. hand-wash them thoroughly with dishwashing detergent to remove the residue, especially if your candle was housed in something like a beautiful porcelain piece.sarah, how did rehabilitated dishware come about?sarah: i'd see stacks of old dishes when i was out thrift shopping and wondered if they could be reglazed in one color and fired again. that way i could bring the disparate pieces together, making new families out of all the orphaned dishes. i started experimenting with a process, and it evolved into my senior thesis at parsons. it was the perfect project as i just couldn't think of making one more completely new thing to put into the world, and using up raw materials.are there ways of being more green in making ceramics and porcelain?sarah: yes. you can use only non-toxic glazes. we fire the kiln at night in the studio when energy demands are low and the air is cooler. we also vent our kilns and keep them well maintained, so they run more smoothly and less energy is consumed. we also recycle all the plastic containers our clay and glazes are shipped in, which can really build up.what are three suggestions for setting a table for a fun dinner party?sarah: mix it up with all of your dishes, no placemats, and keep your centerpieces low or out of the way so you can see the people you're dining with. what's most important is the food, of course, and the conversation.frederick, how did you begin candlemaking?it was accidental. after college, i did a freelance graphic design job for a well-known chain. it was for a "back to school" series that included scented candles. after doing research, i discovered a natural tropical palm oil wax, which has an interesting texture, and thought it would be fun to launch my own collection. my mom introduced me to her friend at saks fifth avenue, and i created packaging concepts and printed them at kinko's. the buyers liked the prototypes and picked up the collection that holiday season—and joya (which means jewel in spanish) was born.how do candle scents come about?frederick: scent comes from the fine fragrance [perfume] industry more so than the home fragrance market. i work with three ultra-talented perfumers and aromatherapists. we brainstorm to create unexpected, harmonious pairings of scents [such as quince and heliotrope, from the new collection]. we strive for originality and also the element of surprise, like some of the indie fashion companies we work with like rodarte, as well as larger chains like anthropologie.who are your favorite green designers?frederick: there is a cool retired guy in woodstock who fabricates benches, console tables, and desks out of found or recycled wood, which i love. also, philippe starck—i'm not sure he's exactly a green designer, but he does have that line of organic food products.what would you say is your biggest eco-sin?sarah: i buy too much bottled seltzer water…but i just got the soda club personal seltzer maker!

how did you two meet?frederick: i was admiring some of her pieces in a shop in williamsburg [brooklyn, new york]. the owner mentioned that sarah lived nearby and suggested i get in touch. i did. the rest is history. sarah: we began discussing projects and forging a friendship at the same time. i was into black porcelain, so we played around with combining a black porcelain cup with a black wax and wick. it looked like a solid object, which is neat.perfume in porcelain is your second candle collection together. what did you have in mind this time around?frederick: i wanted the collection to smell mysterious, unusual, and a little dangerous. sarah intensely opposes scents that are too girly, too sweet, or part of the delicacy/vanilla family. sarah: i wanted to create something nice to hold that people would keep, not throw away. we incorporated motifs from my rehabilitated dishware collection and changed them by adding a floral pattern. we had so much fun the first time, we wanted to do it again. frederick: for the second collection, sarah began with these stunning jagged, faceted, asteroid-type shapes—who knows how she thought of these! hopefully, the fragrance blends are a similar mix: classic yet unexpected.what's green about 'em?frederick: for starters, no petroleum in the wax. petrolatum, which is used in many candles, was originally discovered on an oil rig, and i'm not comfortable crossing over into that industry. of course, the wicks are 100% all cotton. at the moment, organic scents are limited, and pure essential oils are incredibly expensive. to make our prices more accessible, we blend essential oils with fine fragrance and nature identicals. we're developing a completely pure wax and oil blend, as well as trace-mineral bath salt potpourris and other all-green home fragrance line extensions.do conventional candles contribute to indoor air pollution?frederick: the amount of indoor air pollution that petrolatum-based candles contribute is insignificant—i just don’t think there's any good reason to support that industry.which fragrances are your and the industry's bestsellers? which do you think will be bestsellers tomorrow?frederick: in the mass market, i think melons and vanillas are the strongest sellers. and the tart, yet sweet, currant scent is very popular. then comes the many iterations of fig—sun-washed fig, sun-drenched fig, mediterranean fig, and the like, which has seen lots of success. the high-end candles feature luxurious florals, such as tuberose, orange blossom, and mimosa. i see exotic fruits and plants—goji berry, mangostine, orchid, which we recently have more access to—on the horizon.what are your suggestions for what to do with the glass container after we've burned through the candle?frederick: you should absolutely reuse the glass. scrape out the remaining wax and the disc that holds the wick. hand-wash them thoroughly with dishwashing detergent to remove the residue, especially if your candle was housed in something like a beautiful porcelain piece.sarah, how did rehabilitated dishware come about?sarah: i'd see stacks of old dishes when i was out thrift shopping and wondered if they could be reglazed in one color and fired again. that way i could bring the disparate pieces together, making new families out of all the orphaned dishes. i started experimenting with a process, and it evolved into my senior thesis at parsons. it was the perfect project as i just couldn't think of making one more completely new thing to put into the world, and using up raw materials.are there ways of being more green in making ceramics and porcelain?sarah: yes. you can use only non-toxic glazes. we fire the kiln at night in the studio when energy demands are low and the air is cooler. we also vent our kilns and keep them well maintained, so they run more smoothly and less energy is consumed. we also recycle all the plastic containers our clay and glazes are shipped in, which can really build up.what are three suggestions for setting a table for a fun dinner party?sarah: mix it up with all of your dishes, no placemats, and keep your centerpieces low or out of the way so you can see the people you're dining with. what's most important is the food, of course, and the conversation.frederick, how did you begin candlemaking?it was accidental. after college, i did a freelance graphic design job for a well-known chain. it was for a "back to school" series that included scented candles. after doing research, i discovered a natural tropical palm oil wax, which has an interesting texture, and thought it would be fun to launch my own collection. my mom introduced me to her friend at saks fifth avenue, and i created packaging concepts and printed them at kinko's. the buyers liked the prototypes and picked up the collection that holiday season—and joya (which means jewel in spanish) was born.how do candle scents come about?frederick: scent comes from the fine fragrance [perfume] industry more so than the home fragrance market. i work with three ultra-talented perfumers and aromatherapists. we brainstorm to create unexpected, harmonious pairings of scents [such as quince and heliotrope, from the new collection]. we strive for originality and also the element of surprise, like some of the indie fashion companies we work with like rodarte, as well as larger chains like anthropologie.who are your favorite green designers?frederick: there is a cool retired guy in woodstock who fabricates benches, console tables, and desks out of found or recycled wood, which i love. also, philippe starck—i'm not sure he's exactly a green designer, but he does have that line of organic food products.what would you say is your biggest eco-sin?sarah: i buy too much bottled seltzer water…but i just got the soda club personal seltzer maker!