Guiding Light
The illuminating impact of LINNEA® candles
By Elle Fure
Laura Cler, proprietor of LINNEA®, loves to travel. She’ll be the first to tell you, however, that there’s a simpler, cheaper, and more sustainable way to escape. That way is to light a candle—to light several candles, in fact. By blending multiple aromas—or “LINNEA® layering,” as Cler calls it—we can transport ourselves to faraway places and create a haven of refuge and inspiration in our own home.
“We offer an escape to allow you to be safe, but also to wander—as well as to wonder,” Cler says, adding that this pursuit of the extraordinary is what makes LINNEA® spiritually aligned with abc home. “You have that customer base that appreciates really beautiful, thoughtful details and products that speak to their heart and their soul,” she tells us.
And when it comes to connecting the inner life with the outer one, “LINNEA® layering” does just that. The concept, which Cler describes as fragrance mixology in ethereal form, involves combining two or more scents to create a unique home ambiance that speaks to your mood and the memories or settings you wish to conjure. “The beauty of scent layering,” Cler explains, is the opportunity to create “a bespoke experience in your own home.”
Luckily, for those of us who wouldn’t know where to begin, Cler has laid the groundwork. “When we do a collection,” she says, “we always design [our candles] so you can play with them as a complete suite.” For instance, the six scents which comprise LINNEA®’s spring line— FIELDS, LILAC, NECTAR, PETALS, RAIN and SUN DAY—are intended to work together. All six candles can be burned at the same time in different rooms, or, Cler suggests, you can create your own pairings based on your desired experience. “If you want to know how it feels to be in an open meadow with the sun shining down on fresh grass, you might opt for SUN DAY and FIELDS,” she says.
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The possibilities, Cler affirms, are endless, noting that the concept of scent layering can also apply to the brand’s beautiful mouth-blown glass diffusers. And while LINNEA®’s collections offer a reassuring framework for olfactory exploration, Laura Cler encourages her customers to venture beyond those borders and indulge their curiosity and childlike sense of wonder. LINNEA®’s latest creation, STRAWBERRY MOON, an enchanting earthy scent which honors the solstice cycle and the Swedish celebration of Midsummer, would burn beautifully, Cler points out, alongside the fresh, vegetal notes of RHUBARB, a candle from the Botanik Collection. For Cler, it’s about daring to experiment, imagine, and play. What about a more unconventional pairing such as STRAWBERRY MOON and PERSIAN LIME, we wonder. “Just try it, and see what happens,” Cler says.
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The LINNEA® brand, then, offers not just a transformative sensory experience—one that fuses global adventure with the comforts of home—it also provides an outlet for individual and creative expression, promising the joy of discovery alongside the nourishment of soul. “The idea behind our brand is to inspire and delight,” Cler says, adding that the label is anchored in slow, intentional living—a cultural mindset that straddles LINNEA®’s Midwestern origins and Cler’s Swedish roots.
Indeed, there is a distinct Swedish-ness to LINNEA®—from the brand name (the national flower of Sweden, and a popular female moniker that has featured in Cler’s family for generations) to its exquisite, pared-down packaging and the understanding of home as a sanctuary that merits curation and care. “Our homes are our havens,” Cler says, “especially in times of uncertainty, in the times we’re living in today.” Candles, of course, are also a cornerstone of indoor Scandinavian culture—an integral component to the coziness encapsulated by the concepts of “hygge” (Denmark), “kos” (Norway), and “mys” (Sweden).
Still, LINNEA®’s mindful spirit extends beyond internal voyages and feel-good cultural constructs. The company’s candles are also sustainably made. Crafted with renewable soy wax, all-natural cotton wicks, and high-quality fragrance oils, Cler’s creations are entirely free of harmful ingredients. “If it’s not good for your body, we don’t want to put it in the candles because it’s not good for the air in which you’re breathing, she says.
Cler’s label is committed to doing good for the planet and its people, too. Partnering with charities and nonprofits such as Feeding® America, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc®, and the Alzheimer’s Association®, LINNEA® has amassed an impressive list of give-back statistics, including planting close to 30,000 new trees since 2021. Those trees have largely come from LINNEA®’s Botanik Collection—for every unit sold, a donation is made to One Tree Planted.
When it comes to LINNEA®’s societal contributions, Cler is particularly proud of the brand’s twelve-year partnership with JANUS®—an organization that provides artistic and meaningful work for adults with differing abilities. Since 2013, LINNEA®’s candle vessels have been cleaned and wicked by individuals at JANUS®, helping them find confidence, independence, and purpose. “That’s the kind of work that we love to do,” Cler says. LINNEA®, she emphasizes, is “more than just about making a product and putting it in the marketplace. We’re a philanthropic company as well.” Indeed, in LINNEA®, Cler succeeds in the most noble of human endeavors—creating beauty and transmitting hope.
