ferm LIVING Brass Candle Holders: Bowl, Block or Circle

ferm LIVING makes three families of brass candle holder that look related on a shelf but behave very differently on a table: the cast Bowl, the brushed Block and the open Circle. This guide compares all five pieces by size, candle type and the table each one suits, so you can choose the right one, or the right pair, before the dark months arrive.

Three brass shapes, three ways of holding a flame

The Copenhagen studio founded by Trine Andersen in 2006 tends to design in small families that share a material and vary the form. Here the shared material is solid brass, the copper and zinc alloy that has been used for candlesticks for centuries because it is heavy, stable and warm in tone. What changes from one family to the next is the surface and the number of flames.

The Bowl is cast, which gives it a rough, rich texture and makes each piece slightly individual. It is a shallow dish with candle sockets set into it: one in the centre on the Single, four around the rim on the Small. The Block is a compact holder for one block candle, with a brushed finish and a built-in bowl detail that collects any wax running down the side. The Circle is the most open of the three: a thin brass ring with a matte polish and four sockets for slim candles, leaving the space inside free for foliage or ornaments.

Side by side: size, candle and best table

All five pieces are low, between 2 and 4 cm high, so the real differences are diameter, finish and how many candles each one carries.

The Bowl: cast texture in two sizes

The Bowl Candle Holder – Single is the smallest piece in the group at Ø 10 cm and 3 cm high. It weighs 0.4 kg, which is a lot for its size and tells you something about the casting: this is a dense object that will not tip if a sleeve brushes past it. Because the surface is rough rather than polished, the flame produces a soft, broken reflection instead of a sharp glare. One on its own suits a bedside table or a desk. Three spaced along a shelf read as a set.

The Bowl Candle Holder – Small carries four candles up to 13 mm in diameter in sockets around its rim, which makes it a compact take on the Scandinavian advent arrangement of four lights. At Ø 15 cm and 4 cm high it is still small enough for a coffee table or a deep windowsill. The centre of the bowl stays open, and ferm LIVING suggests using it to hold small seasonal objects: a pine cone, dried seed heads, a few walnuts in December. With the candles removed it still looks finished as a dish.

The two sizes were designed to be grouped. Placing the Single beside the Small gives you one flame and four, two diameters and two heights in the same cast surface, which looks deliberate rather than matched.

The Block: one candle, kept tidy

The Block Candle Holder is the practical choice in the group. It is Ø 11 cm and 3 cm high, sized for block candles of around 5 cm diameter, and its built-in bowl detail catches the wax that runs down a pillar candle over a long evening. That matters on a dining table, where drips usually end up on linen or wood.

Its finish is brushed rather than cast, so it looks cleaner and more graphic than the Bowl: a raised collar for the candle above a wide, flat rim. It comes in Brass and Black Brass, which gives you a way to put brass on a darker table without the warm tone taking over. At 0.2 kg it is the lightest of the five, easy to move from the table to a windowsill when the meal is over.

The Circle: an open ring for the whole table

The Circle is a different idea. Instead of a dish, it is a slim band of brass that draws a line around whatever you place inside it, with four sockets for slim candles. The Candle Holder Circle – Small is Ø 25 cm and only 2 cm high, available in Brass and Black Brass. It sits flat on any surface and leaves the table visible through the middle, so a sprig of greenery, a few ornaments or nothing at all can fill the centre. It suits a coffee table or the end of a sideboard.

The Candle Holder Circle – Large is Ø 38 cm and 3 cm high, in Brass. At that size it can anchor a long dining table on its own. It also comes with removable leather strings, so it can be hung from the ceiling as a floating ring of four candles, a format that works well above a table in December and comes down again in spring. Both sizes have a matte polish, which keeps reflections calm.

Used together, the two Circles give you a large and a small version of the same ring, one hung above the dining table and one on a side table. For a weeknight table, ferm LIVING pairs the Block with the Circle, one heavy flame and a lighter ring of four.

Living with brass: patina and safe burning

Solid brass changes. Over time it darkens and develops a patina as the surface reacts with air, moisture and the heat of the flame, and the brushed and matte pieces will show it as much as the cast ones. The holders gradually lose their new shine and start to look as though they have always been in the room. A soft cloth keeps dust off, but expect the colour to deepen with use rather than stay as it arrived.

Two habits apply to every piece. Always extinguish the candle before the flame reaches the holder, and never leave a lit candle unattended. On the Circle in particular, the brass can heat up and leave marks if a candle is allowed to burn right down, so leave a margin. The candle matters too; our guide on how to burn stearin candles covers wick trimming and draughts.

As a rule of thumb: choose the Bowl for texture and small spaces, the Block for an everyday dining table, and the Circle when you want four flames to organise a whole arrangement. To compare these with glass, porcelain and other brass designs, see the full range of Candles & Candleholders.