The Proteus

Cedar, vetiver and honeyed protea. What the studio smells like at six in the evening. Named after the shape-shifting god — and after the flower Spencer picks when he’s forced to choose. The protea comes in three hundred varieties and never quite settles on one. This is what the studio smells like at the end of a day. Cut stems and cold water. Damp concrete. The dry, honeyed sweetness that builds up in a room full of flowers. Cedar and vetiver underneath, doing the woody work. A resinous, honeyed heart where the protea sits. Green stem and a crack of pink pepper on top — so the first thing you get is the bucket, not the perfume. It doesn’t smell like a protea. Real protea barely smells of anything. It smells like the place we keep them. What’s in it Coconut–soy wax, no dyes Crackling wood wick Unglazed terracotta vessel — keep it for a bud vase when it’s done Essential-oil led fragrance, phthalate-free 8 oz Burn and care Trim the wick to 5mm before every burn — a wood wick that’s too long will smoke and drown. On the first burn, let the pool reach the edge of the vessel. About two hours. This sets the memory, and a candle that never gets there will tunnel for the rest of its life. Four hours at a time, maximum. Stop when there’s a centimetre of wax left. Never leave a burning candle unattended, near anything that catches, or within reach of children and pets. Keep it out of draughts.