Practical Sculptures Pt 2

If you look around many of the "REALLY NICE" Mid-Century homes*, you will almost surely find a very practical and functional Mid-Century/retro modern sculpture* hiding in plain sight. It may come in various forms: wrought iron, brass, copper, wood, ceramic, or plaster. They come in neutral tones, painted bright colors, or tarnished. They're very handy to have around in winter storms, on lazy evenings, when the window is open and there's a bunch of papers on your desk, or... just when you want to look at a really nice piece of art that was created many years ago. What am I referring too?

Photo Source

While the description above could refer to any number of things that you have have found in a retro modern home of the mid-century era. I'm revering to the oddly antique, but still functional, candle (stick) holder.

Having seen many candle (stick) holders* in my day, I have seen some very beautiful and quite inspiring ones. Then again, I've seen some not so inspiring ones. However, the mid-century candle (stick) holders/bases*, have almost always been a genre of incredible art to me. Being so simple (in most cases) in form helps them lend so well to the Mid-century modern style. It's true that not every candle (stick) holder* from the mid-century/retro times are awesome, but I'd say, most are.

One really good reason for looking into adding these to your entourage of art/sculptures, is that they are very handy to have around in the case of a power outage. Plus, for many, they are great accents to have when you want to have a quite dinner of romantic evening.

Photo Source

Another really good reason to have candle (stick) holders* is, they add a functional piece to your art collection that, many times, fills that thinly vertical space that I often find exist. It's amazing what that thin, tall sculpture can add to your ambient when placed in the right location.

Who though, are the manufacturers of these useful pieces of art?
Honestly, the designer names are all over the board. There are holders from the likes of Jens Quistgaard*, Tiffinay's, Murano Glass, Carl Malmsten, Witco* and you may even see a few from Herman Miller, Knoll* and other mass production designers and manufactures of the time. As far as Herman Miller and Knoll* goes, it's kinda hard to find out if they really have produced many of the candle holders. Unfortunately, Herman Miller and Knoll* are terms that are SO FREQUENTLY applied to products of other manufactures, that it's hard to be sure which candle holders are really produced by these 2 big designer/manufactures and which ones are just labeled as such to draw business.

Photo Source

In any case, there are no shortage of candle holders* out there for sale. The styling options are varied and plentiful. This is great, because you have such a wide option range. You have everything from brutalist* to danish modern* back to faux french provincial*. Good thing for us, is that almost all these styles work well with mid-century/retro modern design.


Still, no matter what your preference, you can find something that fits your style. To help a bit in your deciding, I'll leave you with this handy tool.

Please note that all links with an (*) beside them are affiliate related links. These links, as well as the products apps, such as the one at the bottom of this post (Ebay.com) are directly related to my affiliate programs and help provide the needed income to keep Amidst Mod going. Thank you!