Sermon Candle holder by Aristotelis Barakos

Sermon is a high-end brass candle holder crafted by local Athenian technicians. The smart flat pack design reduces production costs making it a sustainable and affordable product.

The Sermon candle holder takes its name from its strict form in combination with the material finish that reminds a ritual artefact. The minimal yet bold design pays a tribute to the Brutalist architectural movement which is known for its raw simple forms, hard edges, exposed materials and consistent structural elements of the buildings.

“The main idea at the beginning of this project was to use the know-how of local craftsmen available in my area in order to create a contemporary design object that could easily scale up to a mass produced product in an affordable price. By using standard diameter brass tubes I designed the first sketch of the candle holder by repeating the same shape in order to create a symmetrical structure of three identical brackets holding three candles.

In close collaboration with the metal expert who would produce the prototype, we researched and experimented on different ways to connect these three brackets together. Finally we ended up with the simple idea of connecting the three parts by using a piece of metal at the base of the candle holder that holds the three brackets together in place.

Using this one module as the main part of its structure has two main benefits. The manufacturing process is considerably simplified in terms of production line complexity, because there are only two different parts that have to be produced, the tube bracket and the connection part. The disassembled candle holder takes 1/3 of the space needed to get packaged and stored, reducing the cost of the packaging and logistics.

The end user assembles the product in an effortless way just by tightening 3 screws at the bottom of the structure connecting the three parts together. I chose brass as the main material because of its excellent behaviour during the manufacturing of the parts, achieving clean welding edges and high quality finish. Of course the fact that brass is fully recyclable is also a strong reason for choosing it, considering the product afterlife and minimising the environmental impact.”