Warm Welcome

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr. It's cold out there. And with rising fuel oil costs inspiring Americans to turn down the thermostat and reach for a sweater or an afghan, chances are it's a little bit cooler inside, too.

While candles may not make the mercury climb high, they do a lot to lift a room's emotional temperature. Retailers who may have seen their candle sales flatten as the category matures can play up this heartwarming effect, and highlight the increasingly sophisticated scents, design and packaging that make candles the perfect gift for stoking a warm atmosphere at home.

One initiative is to sell candles as an evocative and affordable part of an overall lifestyle package. Fortunately, there's a candle to set almost any mood, from seaside picnic to urban hipster. But one mood that's sure to appeal to almost every customer is warmth.

According to the National Candle Association, Washington, DC, nine out of ten candle users use candles to make a room feel comfortable or cozy. Whether it's winter weather, April showers, or just plain bad news that's making the world feel a little too cold for customers, promoting comfort as part of a lifestyle package can warm hearts and boost candle sales.

As a retailer, that means choosing warm colors and scents when creating a candle section. But it also means cross-merchandising candles with everything from soft throws and pillows to gourmet hot chocolate and snug fashion accessories such as scarves. Store owners can set up vignettes that customers will warm up to; light scented candles as the centerpiece. Or create a candle-based gift basket and sell it online, so shoppers never even have to leave the fireside.

Classic, evergreen takes on warmth include spice scents, reds and browns, leather and wood rather than metal, and plush fabrics such as velvet. Rich chocolate brown, last year's hot color, remains atop the trend list for 2006, and chocolate scents remain hot as well, as do teas and even mulled wine.

If all that sounds too heavy, retailers can choose subtler forms of warmth, for a palette that moves smoothly into spring. In colors, beige with undertones of peach, cream, or pink is in this year, according to color forecaster Pantone, Carlstadt, NJ. Those combinations can be paired with browns to brighten up for spring, or used solo for a white chocolate alternative with the same creamy appeal. Copper and gold warm up metallics in candles or packaging without avoiding them altogether. They are joined by sophisticated mid-tones that are neither pastel nor bright, such as deep wine reds, ginger, and mossy-yellow greens.

For the year 2006, Laura Hahn, senior marketing manager for the wholesale division of Yankee Candle, South Deerfield, MA, sees “bold but dirty colors.” making a statement.

“Instead of really bright colors, they're toned down a little bit,” says Hahn. “The white for the first quarter was more of a creamy white. For second quarter, orange is still a really key color, but more of a dirty orange. For third quarter, we're seeing dark, rich purple. And of course the traditional fall colors — but again they're a little bit muted.”

While Miami-based Theo and Hugh does design seasonal collections, Todd Recht, the company's principal and creative director, cites deep gold, sage, forest green, rich royal purples and burgundies as the colors that have the most sell-through, regardless of the time of year.

“People look to those feel-good, warm colors to create a really nice environment,” says Recht. “Even within the rich spectrum of colors, people are going for the earthier black or dark chocolate brown. We've really learned our lesson in a big way. As good as it is to work with watermelon, lime green, and turquoise, it does not translate into sales at all. Maybe [that works] in a novelty line, but in an everyday home decor line, they translated into losses.”

Carol Steele, vice president of marketing and product development for Illume, Sun Valley, CA, notes a real push toward a rich, neutral palette for candles. “It can be a cognac brown, sable, or a leather tone. And we're seeing a trend toward grays as an accent to that,” says Steele. “Then you've got the ambers, oranges, and golden tones. Traditionally, those have been fall colors, but we brought them out for spring with a bit of a different twist, such as papaya orange, a marigold or sunflower yellow; a cilantro green, red, turquoise, or rich purple. We see people gravitating toward the purple tones.”

Just as a touch of color in a candle can help bring warmth to a room, fragrances with a note of coconut, milk, vanilla, or sandalwood heat up even cool-as-a-cucumber scents.

“We've seen a rise in citrus and grapefruit designs,” says Recht. “Because they have such a high flash point, they really don't throw all that well, so a lot of people are adding an earthier, spicier note. And we're finding people are once again responding to the earthiness and warmth of patchouli. Florals and sweets have absolutely no interest to our customers. It's the woodsy, earthy, richer fragrances we have a lot of requests for — ambers, patchoulis.”

Customers also respond to sandalwood notes, according to Recht, but they don't respond well to the name, which many feel is a little bit common. To counter that, perception, Theo and Hugh puts a twist on the name. “We romanticize it a bit,” says Recht. “We might call it amberwood instead of sandalwood.”

Illume contributes to the citrus trend with a Valencia orange and an orange cranberry scent, and pairs its hot oranges and golds with fruits and florals to emphasize their spring and summer appeal. To coordinate with rich neutrals, Steele says that Illume chose warm scents: amber, Tuscan leathers, and wood fragrances, as well as roasting chestnuts, chocolate caramel, java cream, and vanilla suede.

Mediterranean themes and colorways capture this palette's appeal perfectly. Tuscany seems to be the preferred destination, but keep an eye on the rest of the region, too. For example, Illume is introducing the Velas de Casa line. “Inspired by the flavors and colors of the Hispanic Culture.” Copper details, warm colors, and names like Flamenco and Flor del Sol owe something to Spain and something to Latin America.

Scents are looking overseas, too. In scents, Kahn cites a trend of “exotic yet attainable” fragrances. Whether that's created with unusual fruits like pomegranate (which were once novelties, but now can be seen in many standard grocery stores) or through mixing the exotic with the familiar, the new scents offer a whole new worldview in candles.

Kahn cites fragrance combinations like Vanilla Sandalwood. “The vanilla is very recognizable, so shoppers are willing to pick it up,” she says. “But they're going to a higher level [by adding something new]”.

The goal is a touch of warmth that cheers gloomy days by looking forward to a sun-soaked summer, not back at Christmas.