More Combustible Candles

I found more dangerous candles recalled in January, 2008, this time from Pottery Barn. These, similar to the outdoor candles recalled in 2006 by Ikea, have combustible wax, which can cause the whole thing to burst into flames. Good times.

Bunny Williams is Just Like You

[Bunny Williams and John Roselli]

Bunny Williams came to town last week to give a speech and slide show about decorating at the DMA to a jam-packed, sold out crowd of women. I never expected anything Williams said to haunt me a week later (I mean, we’re talking about decorating here) but it has. Seems she and husband John Roselli bought a vacation house in the Dominican Republic, which Williams couldn’t wait to decorate. It was her first house with Roselli that she would get to do from scratch. Roselli, an antiques dealer of some international renown, had tons of furniture in storage so they shipped it down. Then, even though she’s Bunny Williams, one of the world’s greatest decorators, Roselli pitched a fit about the print fabrics and the lively colors she planned to use. He wanted neutral. They argued back and forth, as husbands and wives will do when decorating a house. The next series of slides Williams showed were from the vacation house: rooms filled with antique furniture upholstered in whites and beiges, with similarly colored walls. “I didn’t get to do what I hoped to do with the house,” she said with a hint of sadness, “but I like how it turned out.” I didn’t believe her. Williams pointed out the colorful antique Susani throws and the smattering of embroidered pillows on the sofas that were her contributions. My heart sank, and I wondered how many women in the room that morning nodded silently to themselves and understood.

Birch Bark Candle Warning

Talk about insanity. These Chinese-made Target birch bark candles were recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission back in 2005. It would appear (and logically, I might add) that the bark wrapping catches fire when the candle burns down. I stumbled across a scary press release by accident this morning from the furniture manufacturer, Roost, who posted a Federal recall of its own Chinese made birch candles, some three years later in November 2007. That’s last Christmas, folks. If you remember, Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn both sold birch bark candles during the holidays at stores in Dallas. How much do you want to bet they were also made in China?

I just tried to find the birch candles on the Crate & Barrel site, but they’ve been replaced by something more appropriate for spring, yet equally as potentially flammable — candles wrapped in natural jute and reed. They look chic, but don’t assume these candles have been tested by the government before they were put on shelves, or that they’ve been treated to keep them from catching fire. Especially if they were imported from China. Look at what happened with the birch candles — the CSPSC issued its first warning in 2005 but they are still easily found on the market.

I’m going to call Crate & Barrel’s corporate headquarters next week and find out if the new jute and reed candles have been treated to make them safe. I’ll report back.

Meanwhile, got a candle-bursting-into-flames story of your own? Email me.