Bluethumb x Havana Home: The Artisan Collection
At Bluethumb, we’re on a mission to help artists move art from their studios to collectors’ walls.; but why stop at walls? We’ve recently collaborated with Havana Home, an independent home fragrance company based in Sydney, with a shared vision in mind: to bring beauty and high quality, Australian made products into Australia’s everyday spaces.
Selected by founder and interior designer Judith Bruce, The Artisan Collection introduces a new look to Havana Home’s range of candles, reed diffusers, bath and body products, using art from Bluethumb artists on its packaging. Judith has shared her experience of making this new range and working with some of the country’s most talented creatives.
The fragrance that kicked off Havana Home’s journey. Ember Fairbain‘s piece From A to X Biology adorns the packaging of White Tea.
What was the incentive behind the collaboration between Havana Home and Bluethumb?
As an interior designer I genuinely believe that beautiful design should be part and parcel of everyday life and that it should be dynamic. And being a small business, I have the luxury of being able to implement change quickly and without too much fuss. So when it came time to shake up our look, I was determined to make what was already a beautiful product even more alluring.
Golden Tide by Amy Basnett (available on Bluethumb). Amy’s piece Tranquility in Forest Green was aptly chosen for the scent ‘Citrus Basil’
For The Artisan Collection, you’ve reworked the design both inside and out – can you talk us through the thought process that led you to using the artwork of Australian artists?
For the collection, I’ve changed the materials to an elegant glass candle jar which will compliment any home. Also, rather than cover it with branding, I kept to a tiny logo on the glass. That way, when you have finished burning your candle, it’s easily turned into a vase or a cotton wool holder – anything you fancy.
Always With You by Katarina Lim gives Sapphire Coast the perfect aqua vibes.
Then I started thinking about how I wanted to change the look of the packaging, from the bonny hand-drawn illustrations to something more colourful. I started looking at my options when suddenly (while washing my hair) it hit me – “what if I could get Sally Browne to do the artwork for one of my products”? I have been a fan of Sally’s work forever and her focus on Australian Birds seemed such a good fit for me. By the time I had finished putting on my makeup I had decided to collaborate with Australian artists and feature their work on all my boxes. Genius, Right?
Bluethumb superstar Sally Browne is known for her native birds and plant life, captured on the HH’s Pink Peppercorn scent packaging and seen here in Black Cockatoos and Cymbidium Orchids.
Did you run into any obstacles or hardships along the way to the finished products we see today?
The only hiccup was that I had six weeks to get it all together. From finding the artists to holding the finished products in my hand! No problem I thought to myself – everyone who works with me shuddered in horror but not surprised. I had after all finalised my four new fragrances, and surely that’s the hard bit?
I approached Sally through Bluethumb and thankfully she was keen too. Sally was a no-brainer for the Pink Peppercorn scent as it was the one that I thought best suited her style. All I had to do was find an artist for all the other fragrances.
Havana Home’s Judith Bruce with Bluethumb artist Michelle Drougas at Chatswood Shopping Centre. Her artwork Smoulder covers the “fan favourite” scent Orange Bergamot.
How did you go about choosing artwork for The Artisan Collection?
I have the most fantastic graphic designer who I work with regularly and like me she is also an art fan. The one thing that I was sure of was that I wanted to buy existing artwork as I didn’t want to influence the artist’s creative style. Lucky for me I was able to find 5 of the remaining artists through Bluethumb’s incredible collection – this made it a lot easier for me. Bluethumb liaised with the artists and organised the copyright, which was super important as I wanted to make sure that everything was done fairly and with the correct payment and permissions.
Salt Eyre by Amelia Ross; her piece Elysium was chosen for The Artisan Collection
Fast-forward a few months, and we have this stunning range! How does it feel to see the collaboration come to life?
Seeing Australian made products that are earth friendly, vegan, renewable and now proudly packaged in incredible Australian art, I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to create this and I genuinely hope that you love it too.
The Enchanting Mind by Ruchi Rai offers an enchanting look to HH’s scent ‘Violet Jasmine’
Whether you’re already a fan of Havana Home’s fragrances or you’re new to the name, you can enjoy a 15 % discount on any purchase with the code bluethumb15 over on Havana Home here. Love these designs?
See more of the artists’ work and shop from their portfolios on Bluethumb here.
