Jenifer Green wants to create items that evoke a sense of comfort and sentiment. The Catskill Mountains–based founder of Greentree Home Candle draws inspiration from the organic shapes, colors and motifs found in nature to bring a soothing element to her designs. “I think of our candles as sculptural renderings in wax,” she tells Business of Home.
While growing up in Baltimore and rural New York, Green was surrounded by creativity. Her mother was an artist who encouraged her and her siblings to experiment with various mediums, and her grandparents were avid collectors of art, furniture and antique decor. “I feel a great deal of my passion for sculptural objects comes from the vast collections my grandparents had in their homes,” she says. “Being creative is a part of my DNA.”
However, it wasn’t until after she earned a fine arts degree in painting at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia that she realized how difficult it would be to make a living as a painter. So, in 1992, she launched Greentree Home alongside her furniture-making husband, Don Green, with a mission to create sustainably made, individually crafted furnishings and home accessories. In 2001, she debuted Greentree Home Candle, introducing an assortment of sculptural candles in shapes ranging from spiraling tapers to geometric pillars and vintage-finial-shaped stunners. “I was first drawn to candlemaking out of necessity for our business,” she says. “I decided early on that I wanted to produce original designs, and made the move to make our own molds in-house.”
From breaking the wax slabs into pieces with a hammer to individually finishing and wrapping each candle, Green’s production process is 100 percent hands-on. A new design usually starts with a sketch, and then a model is cast or replicated in wood before being made into a silicone mold. “We bring the wax to the proper temperature and individually hand-pour each candle,” she says.
Though form reigns supreme for the artist, color still plays a pivotal role in her designs. The brand offers candles in 22 different hues, including blush pink, earthy terra cotta and robin’s egg blue. “We have developed a very distinctive muted color palette—with punches of bold color—that we continue to refine,” she says. “I love blues and greens, but neutrals are important, as they can be paired with any color story.”
Since its beginnings, the brand has been committed to eco-conscious practices, using pure beeswax and cotton wicks in their designs, ensuring no toxic carcinogenic chemicals are released when burned. “Our candles give off negative ions when burning, which naturally cleans the air and removes pollutants,” Green explains. “People don’t think of that when buying a candle, but materials matter when it comes to air quality.”
Currently hard at work on a new collection of tapered candles slated for release in 2024, Greentree recently launched the Petite Pillar, a smaller version of its bestselling fluted design. “My aim is to continually explore shape and color, and to design objects that evoke beauty and serenity,” says Green. “I enjoy offering collections that represent objects that inspire us, make us feel nostalgic and, sometimes, just make us smile.”
If you want to learn more about Jenifer Green, visit Greentree Home Candle’s website or Instagram.
