Pillar Candle Holders / Stands

I enjoy making pillar candle stands because I can, like my wands, be pretty creative with my designs. Although I will often sketch out a pattern prior to finishing one, many of the final details and decisions on scale are determined on the lathe.  As such these are usually very unique even though they may follow a similar theme, and I like to try to make sets with variations around the same elements.

Another thing that has been especially fun with these are the variety of finishes I have been trying to achieve from the very polished and smooth to rougher distressed or antique finishes.  In my opinion some people go a little over the top with distressing furniture and I like to try to think about where paint would rub off on items that were handled or brushed against on a regular basis.

After an initial coat of paint.
These were later painted with a crackle finish and
a second coat of paint, then distressed with various
techniques and lightly stained.

Many of these candle stands are fairly large and were designed to accentuate a large mantle, but I am making some smaller ones as well that will be more at home on a side table.