Mboga pillar candle

Ferns, seed heads and leaves are drawn in brown, white and blue over soft blocks of beige and yellow on this multicoloured pillar candle. It measures 7.5 cm across and 11.5 cm tall.

The gentle colours suit any room. It’s unscented and burns for about 64 hours. Each candle is painted by hand, so yours will have the same colours and theme as the photo, but the pattern may differ slightly.

These candles are made by hand at a small workshop in South Africa, where most of the painters are women.

Fully refined paraffin is poured into a pillar mould and left to set. The candle is then painted by hand on the outside with non-toxic paint. The painters use the same colours and motifs on every candle in a design.

Stand the candle on a plate or in a holder before you light it, away from draughts, and trim the wick to about 1 cm. On the first burn, let the wax melt all the way to the edge. Put it out when about 2 cm of wax is left, and never leave a burning candle unattended or near anything that can catch fire.