Eldvarm’s ultimate fireplace accessories

Working in the fireplace industry, Louise Varre was often approached by her clients as they searched for quality fireplace tools that were both beautiful and functional. She found that she had nowhere to direct them as everything that existed on the market prioritised one or the other, never both. Having noticed this gap in the market, she began to think that she could be the one to fill it.

A conversation with Tobias Lutz, Architonic’s Managing Director, convinced her to go for it as he confirmed that there was nothing that truly fulfilled both needs of being practical as well as pleasing to the eye. She thought ‘If he can’t find it, and Architonic doesn’t know where to find it then no one can.’ Eldvarm was born in 2014 as Louise set out to provide tools that she describes as ‘a true addition to any space rather than something to hide.’ The brand has since grown to supply 120 retailers in over 30 countries, as well as working with some of the most prestigious and exclusive hotels and private homes around the world.

Eldvarm’s signature range was designed by award winning Swedish designer Emma Olbers. Louise met Emma at an industry event in Stockholm and the two hit it off immediately. The rest all happened very quickly, a sure sign of a successful creative partnership. From their initial meeting to the launch of the products, the entire process took just over a year. Louise says ‘One of the very first design briefs I gave Emma was that the products should be so beautiful that it makes people wish they had a fireplace’, something she now often hears from visitors to Eldvarm’s showroom in the 6ème arrondissement in Paris.

Of her confidence in the quality of Emma’s design, Louise explains ‘we wouldn't have had such a sustained amount of growth over the years if the quality of the design wasn’t so successful. The design is our foundation. It’s what grounds us.’ This trifecta of quality, functionality and beauty along with the versatility offered by the number of different colour combinations allows the series to fit in seamlessly to a wide range of spaces.

For Louise, prioritising sustainability within her brand was a no brainer. She says ‘if you start a company, you have to do what you can to make it sustainable.’ The foundation of Eldvarm’s commitment to sustainability lies in the durability of their products. This means sourcing clean, non toxic materials that will last over time, reducing the need for replacement and consequent waste. Louise is realistic in her approach to sustainability, a refreshing attitude in an age of greenwashing. She admits ‘Of course, the most sustainable option is to not make anything at all. I think it’s really important to consider why we are making things and to truly believe in the design and quality of your products. I’m not interested in making things just for the sake of it. Everything we produce is very carefully considered.’

Eldvarm’s four pillars of love, beauty, generosity and vulnerability are its foundation. Of these core elements Louise says, ‘Our firm is very personal. I wanted to choose four elements that were important to me, central to my personal way of living. These elements inform everything I do from how I build my team to how we create our products. I love what I do. I wanted to be generous with our story and our materials. I think of vulnerability as a great source of strength. I think admitting what we don’t yet know as we work towards fulfilling our ambitious goals is a good thing. Beauty is not superfluous, it has great value as a source of joy. The world is full of wonder and we’re really careful not to lose track of that within our brand.’

For Louise, the fire is an important symbol of togetherness. Her passion for creating meaningful human connections through experiences of coming together, whether around the fireplace or a candle lit moment, is at the very centre of Eldvarm. She explains that telling stories by the fire is something humans have done since the beginning of time and how, throughout history, the flame has been what brings people together as they gather around the light. Louise’s favourite memories from around the fireplace are the times she would spend at her grandparent’s summerhouse in Sweden. She says ‘This meeting between family and friends and the sharing of beautiful moments together around the fire, talking and laughing, means so much to me.’ Her hope is that people use Eldvarm’s products in order to facilitate their own sharing of stories around the fire, carrying on this long established tradition.

Eldvarm is currently working on developing its product range and has lots of exciting products in the pipeline that are tied to moments of connection by the fire. As Eldvarm’s range develops, Louise has started to collaborate with the French designer Charles Kalpakian with whom she feels she shares a similar design language. The first outcome of this collaboration has been the Lucie candle holder, recently selected by AD France in their ‘Best of Maison&Objet’ feature from the January 2023 edition of the renowned exhibition.

Louise also has exciting plans for Eldvarm’s Paris boutique. Keen to develop the experience of Eldvarm and make it accessible to her clients, she is working on launching a supper club in the showroom. She says ‘For me, lighting a candle or a fire has the effect of lowering the sound of life, and if I'm lucky, it may even slow it down for a moment. This is what it means to me to Eldvarm, and I would like to invite people to join me. To come together to share ideas and stories all by the intimate light of the flame.’

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