For Tanel, the sensory dimension of life has always been important and inspiring. Over the years, he has immersed himself deeply in the world of scents and has now built an impressive collection of perfumes. For Tanel, the fragrance carries messages and emotions, a way to express himself daily—like with jewellery.
A view of Tanel's perfume shelf, where various moods, desires, and dreams come together in the form of scents
The Tanel Veenre Kingdom of Dreams candle was born in collaboration with the Estonian candle maker JOIK. The fantastic Eva Maria from JOIK immediately embraced the idea, and the process of composing the fragrance could begin. As if guided by fate, Tanel visited Põlva at that time, the home of his grandparents and his childhood paradise. This inspired the decision to create a candle that captures the scents of this Põlva paradise.
Tanel (on the left) with his grandmother, and grandfather in front of their yellow home in Põlva.
Tanel testing various fragrance pyramids in the JOIK candle laboratory.
Combining various oils, the final fragrance pyramid fell into place, capturing moments from those cherished days. The base notes are provided by blackcurrants (picking them felt like a joy compared to red currants), but this candle also brings together linden blossoms (spread out to dry on tables in rooms), anise (the prized candy of Soviet kids—those little dragees), cloves (endless batches of marinades for mushrooms, fried herring, and pumpkin), cinnamon (grandma’s warm cinnamon buns and gingerbread), jasmine (a favorite hiding spot under the large jasmine bush), caraway (trips to Latvia for caraway cheese), and vanilla ice cream (because no perfect summer day is complete without it), honeycomb (grandpa in Põlva spinning honey, kids licking on honeycomb pieces), marzipan (we always hollowed out the figurines with a finger from the back), amber (grandmas’ favourite jewellery, always silver and amber), sandalwood (essential for crafting a good perfume), and cotton candy (a late-80s childhood favourite).
The Kingdom of Dreams candle is made from natural rapeseed wax, with a bit of beeswax added as a tribute to Grandpa Alfred, who kept bees in his garden. The moments spent together with him, tending to the bees, were some of the golden memories of summer.
A big thanks to the JOIK family for the fantastic collaboration! For Tanel, this was the fulfilment of a big dream.
