AB+AC Architects designs sculptural Alma Mater candle holders as "ritual objects"

Lebanese-Italian studio AB+AC Architects has created its first collectible design collection, the brutalist Totem and Ring candle holders, which are made from iron.

The candle holders draw on sacred geometries and, fittingly, were launched at Lisbon’s Locke de Santa Joana Hotel in a former convent during the city’s design week.

Named Alma Mater, the collection comprises Totem, a standing holder, which is nearly 1.9 metres tall, and the circular Ring, which has a diameter of 1.6 metres.

Both were created as a form of mindful design by Lisbon-based AB+AC Architects.

“The Latin phrase ‘alma mater,’ meaning ‘nurturing mother,’ reflects our inspiration: the cyclical relationship between the sun and the earth – a rhythm of giving and renewal,” studio co-founder Arianna Bavuso told Dezeen.

“Each piece in the series is conceived as a ritual object, a vessel where light, matter, and time interact,” she added. “Whether standing or in use, these pieces are meant to hold space, encouraging a moment of pause in both private and collective environments.”

The designers made the candle holders from laser-cut and micro-welded hand powder-coated iron, before stacking them to create the Totem candle holder and welding them into a circle for Ring.

AB+AC Architects drew on its background in architecture for the designs, but an equally important source of inspiration was the desire to evoke a sense of sacredness that is universal, rather than tied to a specific religion.

“The pieces intentionally draw on sacred geometries and ceremonial archetypes, recalling altars, relics, or ritual vessels that transcend cultural boundaries,” studio co-founder Andre Chedid explained.

“A strong reference came from the pipe organ, an instrument historically linked to spiritual spaces,” he added.

“Its verticality, rhythm, and contrast in scale informed the sculptural language, both in the Ring and the Totem, where the varying heights and repetition create a visual cadence, almost like a frozen musical score.”

The interaction between the iron candle holders and the beeswax candles, which have a base cut like a cross so that they slot into the holders, was another important part of the design.

“While the raw iron and minimal forms nod to brutalist architecture, the warmth of the beeswax and the play of flame soften that rigidity, resulting in pieces that are both monumental and meditative, deeply grounded yet quietly transcendent,” Bavuso said.

AB+AC Architects has previously designed larger-scale projects, including a temple shrouded in translucent chiffon and a multifunctional wellness centre.

Taking the step into the collectible design industry with Alma Mater was about “proposing a lifestyle,” the studio said.

“Each piece is designed not only to hold wax and flame, but to hold space: for pausing, for breathing, for connecting with the moment,” said Chedid. “By introducing these forms into domestic or public settings, we’re quietly suggesting that stillness and beauty have a functional place in daily life – and that even the simplest gestures can become ceremonies of care.”

“In that sense, launching a collectible series wasn’t just about entering a new creative territory,” Bavuso added.

“It was about proposing a lifestyle – one that honours presence over productivity, reflection over reaction, and meaning over excess.”

The photography is by Ines Silva Sà.

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