We’ve long admired the work of East London design studio Wax Atelier, founded by Lola Lely and Yesenia Thibault-Picazo, both known for their poetic use of wax in everyday objects. This season, Wax Atelier is inviting visitors into their studio for a hands-on workshop making wax-dipped ornaments: delicate decorations formed from humble materials such as nuts, seed pods, paper offcuts, and even dried pasta.
The ornaments make use of Wax Atelier’s signature technique: shaping, heating, and dipping each piece by hand into layers of beeswax. As the wax sets, it softens the forms and lends a light, natural fragrance. It’s the sort of holiday craft we like best: elegant, biodegradable, and completely plastic-free. Ahead of the December 6 workshop (book a space here), here’s a look at their step-by-step process.
Above: A case for saving your beeswax candle nubs to melt down: At the Wax Atelier studio, each object is dipped by hand into different vats of colorful beeswax. Lola and Yesenia work only with UK- and EU-sourced beeswax and natural plant waxes (for color and scent) with little to no processing.
Above: Walnut shells, dried farfalle, and strips cut from sheets of beeswax.
Above: Sheets of beeswax are cut and gently wrapped around a dowel rod to dry.
Above: “We are continually inspired by the unique properties of natural wax—its versatility, tactile quality, and ability to be reshaped and adapted,” says Lola and Yesenia. Here, the curlycue shape holds once fully dry.
Above: The two designers have been most enjoying the possibilities of pasta: “The natural malleability of the wax allows you to shape and bind each ornament without the use of glue, creating forms that are both delicate and strong,” they explain.
Above: A large diamond-shaped ornament made of layered farfalle.
Above: Walnut shells are hand-dipped in colorful wax using a single toothpick.
Above: Once the toothpick is removed, a single strand of thread or twine is knotted in a loop for hanging. “As the wax sets, it gives every object a soft finish, rich texture, and natural fragrance.”
Above: Paper cuttings turned into a snowflake, a ribbon-like shape formed from beeswax strips, and a walnut shell. While dipping each object, the designers leave small holes (made with toothpicks) or integrate tiny metal rings for threading wire through.
For more on candle making, see our posts:
- Wax Atelier in London: Purveyors of Beautiful, Natural Wax Products
- DIY: Black Beeswax Tapers for the Autumn Table
- Remodelista Video: DIY Candle Holders for Outdoor Entertaining
- “A Poem Written in Beeswax”: Hand-Dipped Candles by Alysia Mazzella
- DIY: Make Your Own Candleholders with Wax Atelier’s Porcelain Stems
