Colourful candles to light up life!

Liz Nicholls

The Colour Emporium is the brainchild of Katie Holman who creates hand-dipped candles in a rainbow of hues in Shamley Green, with her friend Charlie Hardesty

If you’re in need of a dopamine hit (and who isn’t at this gloomy time of year?!), a quick look at The Colour Emporium should do the trick.  

Your retinas are sure of a turbo-charged boost thanks to the kaleidoscopic collection of dip-dyed candles and accessories crafted by Shamley Green mum of two Katie Holman who runs The Colour Emporium with her friend Charlie. The idea came after a year of lockdown gave Katie the itch to do something creative.  

“Having spent the last five years raising my two children Bodhi and Zephie, I had a lot of time to toy with a lot of different ideas for a business premise,” she says. “Having trained in costume-making before becoming a design and technology teacher, I’ve always felt a calling to do something creative with my time. 

“It’s incredibly important to me that the products I create are unique and ethically made, and items you’re proud to display in your home or gift to friends and family. 

“I love colour in every shade that it comes and hope everyone can find something to suit your colour palette. All of the candles I make have been hand-dipped in colourful paraffin wax to evoke a fun and joyous feeling when placed in your homes or on the dining table.” 

The huge variety of dip-dyed candles includes the likes of Neon Sea; a vibrant marbled concoction, the uplifting zesty Club Tropicana, and the pastel beauties Tender Tulips. 

These have won The Colour Emporium lots of interest in interiors magazines and blogs all over the world and the global customer base to go with it, with fans Down Under.  

Katie also shares her experiences on social media, including “the mess, the mistakes, the fun bits”. “There is nothing more satisfying than dipping these beauties but I know as much as the next person that we aren’t on here to watch perfection all the time,” says Katie on one video  sharing the thrills and spills of her creative process in the family garage. 

“I take inspiration from all sorts of places; my garden, the seasons, food, art and more, then work on creating a combination that I feel will work in a variety of settings and bring a splash of colour to your interiors. Because of the nature of handmade products, each candle may differ slightly from one another but I think this only adds to the appeal of having something truly one of a kind.”