A coffee with Annabelle

Hi Annabelle, we’re happy to have you here! Welcome to the journal! Who is Annabelle and where is she from?

Hi! I am the founder of Flammes. We are a candle brand based in London redefining home fragrance for a ‘brighter’ generation that values connection and emotional wellbeing.

I was born in Hong Kong but I am half-French, half-English. Apart from going to University in Edinburgh and living in Copenhagen during my year of studying abroad, I have spent my life living in London.

What was the inspiration behind starting Flammes?

It all started in 2023 when during a really tough period of my life self-care, painting and illustration became my go-to comforts. During this period of looking after myself whilst delving into my creativity, I became increasingly aware of the lack of candle brands injecting vitality and uniqueness into the world. For me, I found that all good quality candles either looked the same or gave off the same minimal, nothing-particularly-interesting kind of vibe. 

With Flammes I wanted to create something different. I wanted to inject colour, optimism, story-telling and connection into the world of home fragrance. Our candles are a combination of interesting, world-class scents and beautiful objects. What more could you dream for in a candle?

We love everything about Flammes! How did you come up with the name?

In 2023 my mum was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and subsequently my life fell apart. However, during this period I discovered the power of scent, particularly its ability to help us connect with positive emotions and memories.  

The whole process of developing and launching Flammes helped me reclaim my confidence and happiness. It was the missing piece of the puzzle that became the driving force behind igniting my ‘inner flamme’. 

Flammes was founded upon the idea that light can always be found, even in the darkest of times. It's about showing you that we are able to transform life's toughest moments into something beautiful and meaningful.

Ultimately, Flammes is more than just a home fragrance brand. We want to inspire people to nurture their passions, embrace their values, and discover their ‘inner flamme’.

What was your inspiration behind, ‘12 candles for 12 signs’?

Our core collection is made up of 12 candles for 12 signs, 12 feel-good scents.

Inspired by zodiac and our birth flowers, each candle has been designed to elevate both space and spirit with notes ranging from fresh florals to warm, spicy, and woody undertones, infused with essential oils.

From partner compatibility to investigating a new career path, many of us look to our zodiac sign for daily insight and clarity in times of personal uncertainty and growth. I certainly did. Whilst horoscopes are not 100% in their accuracy by any means, astrology can provide us with reassurance, particularly when the going gets tough.

Through my interest in astrology I discovered that there are specific flowers that correspond with each zodiac sign. From this discovery I came up with the idea of creating a collection of 12 candles, each candle reflecting a sign's unique birth flower, mixed with essential oils to complement the signs positive personality traits, whilst also balancing out their negative traits.

I worked closely with a master perfumer to ensure that all of our scents draw us back to the essence of the birth flower, but not in an overbearing way. For example, the birth flower of our Rose on Melrose candle is rose. Rose is an extremely memorable and divisive scent - you either love it or absolutely hate it. Aware of its soapy and ‘grandma’ reputation, we worked unbelievably hard to create a rose scent that is fresh, light, not soapy and even slightly woody. Young, different but still very delicious! 

Which candle is your favorite?

This is such a hard question because we spent over a year perfecting the scent of each candle and therefore I am obsessed with all of them. However, there must be a reason why our Oh Honey candle has sold out twice…and I must say that the Premier Mai candle is the perfect celebration of Spring/Summer.

Do you have plans on another collection anytime soon? 

I have so many plans! But currently I am working on creating a candle for a charity organisation really close to my heart…the establishment that treated and saved my mum's life. 

How do you switch off after work? 

I think being able to ‘switch off’ as a new business owner is really hard. However, for me nothing beats lighting a candle and having a long soak in the bath with the lights dimmed. We have added essential oils to all of our candles which really strengthen their full relaxation benefits.

I really believe that small rituals like going for a walk, doodling in a journal and lighting a candle can bring moments of calm and comfort. 

We’ll end with a classic, how do you take your coffee?

For me nothing beats an extra hot soy cappuccino. Emphasis on the extra hot!