Adding to the Collection: The Hound House Olfactory Collection
Initially, we did not set out to create a line of candles. Last year, as we brainstormed about what Hound House might become we both expressed interest in having a small, curated, bespoke line of goods for the home. That conversation led us to think about some of the things we love--and we do love a good candle. That love, combined with our frustration of buying expensive candles that burn really poorly, led us to think about creating a Signature candle. But what would it smell like? We knew pretty quickly--autumn. Autumn has become our favorite time of year since moving to Connecticut, and the house really shines in fall. However, it is not the pumpkin-spice-chai-harvest version of autumn. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the pumpkin spice (Collin--not so much! Actually, not at all), but we wanted something different. Our goal was to capture the smell of our autumn here at Hound House--evergreens that perfume the chilly air, crackling fires, and walks through fallen leaves were sources of inspiration. How can that be captured in a scent? No problem, right? We knew exactly what we wanted and figured that candle-making couldn't be that hard. Boy, were we wrong! After several failed attempts, we sought out a local candlemaker to collaborate with and whose products are up to our standard. Thankfully, he appreciates our vision and we push each other to step outside of the box. Thus, the Hound House Olfactory Collection was born.
As we dove into the process, our vision for our candle collection began to emerge. At the core, is the house and gardens. Our goal is to capture the essence of our 1790 Connecticut farmhouse while, hopefully, stirring up your own beautiful memories. Collin and I are drawn to complex scents that are layered. What we mean by that, is that the scent is not clearly recognizable--like, you know you recognize some of the scents, but can't quite put your finger on exactly what others are. Those memories we hope to evoke are found somewhere in those layers. It takes many iterations of a scent before we know that we nailed it and that it has all of those layers we love so much.
Collin and I began solidifying concepts and developing scents at the beginning of this year. After months of mixing oils and iteration after iteration, we are happy to share that six new scents came to fruition.
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest additions. Click on any photo below to learn more about the fragrance and product.
New scents and a new look!
If you read the blog regularly, you already know about our love/hate relationship with revision. We were never really happy with our original vinyl labels for our candles. They just didn't feel right. So, we collaborated with our talented graphic designer, Carol Hubner to design a paper label that completely surrounds the vessel and features our interlocking Hs in subtle gloss on the "wings" (to the left and right of the logo, etc.) which is a really nice little detail. We love the way it turned out--it is a better representation of who we are. After we worked out the label design, the dominoes began to tumble...
Of course, we felt inclined to revisit our packaging--from top-to-bottom. Revision! So, we brainstormed ideas about how best to display and present our Olfactory Collection.
Don't you just love to receive beautifully packaged products? We do! The careful, personal attention that is given to some of the items we purchase means a lot to us--and keeps us going back to those retailers. We want to provide that same experience for our customers. Our signature packaging is a simple black box adorned with some special Hound House touches, filled with kraft paper krinkle, and a beautiful candle floating in the center of it all! Sounds simple, right? We (and when I say we, I mean mostly Collin!) are artful at making it look that way. However, you would not believe the hours that have gone into selecting the perfect color of grosgrain ribbon to capture the essence of each scent, and attending to every single detail along the way. All of this truly is a labor of love. We set out for our Hound House candles to be the perfect gift to give, to receive, or to simply treat yourself.
Hound House Soap? Why not?
We typically adhere to the old adage, "Go big, or go home!" While we were working on all of the new scents, we began talking about the possibility of producing soap. We are always buying unique bars for our bathrooms at shops like Terrain. Why not make our own? We decided to go for it. We're in love with our Signature scent and felt it would be amazing in a hand-soap. After identifying a local soap maker, it was time to play around with the ingredients. Ultimately, we went with a goat milk soap that is too good for words. As soon as we received the sample, we felt like we struck gold. I know we are biased, but it really is amazing! The soap is available in two scents: Signature and Tea House. Tea House offers a lighter, more summery scent and it is a beautiful contrast to Signature. We think the soaps are a great addition to our Hound House Lifestyle line!
Collin and I are so proud of these candles and soaps, and we know you will absolutely love them. If you are in Connecticut, the Hound House Olfactory Collection is available in Norwalk at DC Kingswood in the Fairfield County Antique & Design Center, in Bantam at BlueprintCT, and in Brookfield at Shakespeare's Garden. You can always purchase right here on houndhousect.com!