The Messy Formist

The Messy Formist focus candles + objects studio
home of Task Tealights™
hand-sculpted soy candles with essential oils
🛒 themessyformist.com📍Australia

12/08/2026

I couldn’t choose a colour. So I made seven. 🫣

White. Yellow. Ivory. Orange. Red. Green. Blue.

Same sculptural form. Seven different personalities.

Now the difficult part: which one are you choosing? ⭐️

Character Candles™ by The Messy Formist.

themessyformist.com

Mood 📚A space doesn’t need to be perfectly organised to help you focus.Its about creating small signals within it. A cle...
09/08/2026

Mood 📚

A space doesn’t need to be perfectly organised to help you focus.

Its about creating small signals within it. A clear surface, something tactile, a llittle colour, and an object you associate with beginning meaningful work.🕯️

Make the space around you work with you.

04/08/2026

Not every candle needs a scent.

The Pinecone Character Candle™ was designed as a visual Start Marker.

Leave it unlit as a sculptural companion on your desk, or light it to mark the beginning of meaningful work.

themessyformist.com 🌲

Functional forms are objects that do more than look good. 🕯️Some objects simply decorate a space while others shape the ...
30/07/2026

Functional forms are objects that do more than look good. 🕯️

Some objects simply decorate a space while others shape the way we think, focus and move through our day. In my latest journal entry, I explore the idea of functional forms and why the objects we choose to keep within view can either support our attention or compete with it.

“Objects that sit in my workspace need to do something more than simply look nice. They need to support the work I am trying to do.”

Over time I realised that the most valuable objects on my desk weren’t necessarily the most beautiful. They were the ones that acted as visual cues, reduced distraction, or helped me begin meaningful work.

“The mind does not always distinguish between what is important and what is simply visible. It responds to both.”🫣

From visual noise and sensory anchors to why a candle became one of the most useful tools in my creative practice, this article explores how thoughtful design can quietly influence behaviour.

If you’ve ever wondered why some environments make it easier to concentrate than others, this is a good place to begin.📚

Read the full journal here:
https://themessyformist.com/blogs/journal/functional-forms-when-objects-do-more-than-look-good

🏢 Architecture appreciationA postmodern building that has had many names: TC Energy Center (formerly RepublicBank Center...
30/07/2026

🏢 Architecture appreciation

A postmodern building that has had many names: TC Energy Center (formerly RepublicBank Center, NCNB Center, NationsBank Center, Bank of America Center). While the logo changed, the building remained the same.

🇺🇸 Houston, Texas, USA
Built 1981–1983

Designed by Philip Johnson & John Burgee (Johnson/Burgee Architects), this tower is inspired by Dutch Gothic and Dutch Renaissance canal houses but stands 273m tall!

If you compare the roofline with Amsterdam canal houses, the resemblance becomes obvious. Essentially they enlarged a centuries-old house façade until it became a skyscraper. The stacked blocks create movement without needing curves.

🧱🍣 Fun fact: It’s clad in Napoleon Red granite from Sweden that gives it warmth compared to neighbouring office towers. Depending on the light it shifts between salmon, pink, orange, red and bronze.

Rather than finishing flat they added tiny pointed pinnacles, like miniature Gothic spires. Just enough to recognise the historical reference.

The Star of Notre Dame ⭐️Inspired by the flying buttresses of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.An unscented soy Character C...
27/07/2026

The Star of Notre Dame ⭐️
Inspired by the flying buttresses of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

An unscented soy Character Candle™ designed as both a functional object and a geometric sculpture. A visual cue to pause, reflect or begin.

Which colour would you choose?

themessyformist.com

25/07/2026

Inspired by the flying buttresses of Notre Dame Cathedral, this hand-sculpted star candle transforms centuries-old architecture into a sculptural object for your home.

Explore the full collection via the link in my bio or visit themessyformist.com. ⭐️

Mood 💜Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop pushing.The Lavender Task Tealight™ was created for the mom...
17/07/2026

Mood 💜

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop pushing.

The Lavender Task Tealight™ was created for the moments when your mind is still racing long after your workday should be winding down.

Lavender doesn’t ask you to work harder.

It invites your nervous system to soften.

To slow your internal pace.
To let go of urgency.
To finish the task without carrying it into the evening.

Because getting work done isn’t only about starting. Sometimes it’s about knowing how to keep going through the home stretch.

🕯️ Lavender Task Tealight™
(the tension reducer)

For calmer work.
For gentler endings.

🍋 Why do I choose essential oils over synthetic fragrance?Every material I choose should reflect the philosophy behind T...
12/07/2026

🍋 Why do I choose essential oils over synthetic fragrance?

Every material I choose should reflect the philosophy behind The Messy Formist.

We often think of design as something we see. But before we’ve noticed the furniture, colours or architecture of a room… We’ve already noticed its scent.

“Scent isn’t just something we notice. It’s something we remember.”

In my latest journal entry, I explore why every scented candle I make uses essential oils, the difference between essential oils and synthetic fragrance oils, and how scent can become more than something that simply makes a room smell nice.

“The truth is, it has very little to do with trends and everything to do with purpose.”

From the neuroscience behind smell and memory, to why I value transparency in materials, this article explores the thinking behind one of the biggest decisions I made when creating TMF.

If you’ve ever wondered why I choose essential oils, this is the place to start. 🌿

Read the full journal here: https://themessyformist.com/blogs/journal/essential-oils-vs-synthetic-fragrance-why-the-messy-formist-chooses-essential-oils

✨ Architecture Appreciation🇳🇴 The Silent Room | Oslo, NorwayLocated inside Oslo’s Deichman Bjørvika Library.Designed by ...
10/07/2026

✨ Architecture Appreciation
🇳🇴 The Silent Room | Oslo, Norway
Located inside Oslo’s Deichman Bjørvika Library.

Designed by Atelier Oslo, Lund Hagem and artist Katie Paterson, it forms part of the Future Library project. A remarkable idea that spans 100+ years.

Since 2014, a celebrated author has donated an original unread manuscript every year. Each manuscript is placed into one of 100 handcrafted drawers (cast glass hand-etched with the author’s name and the year of the text) within the room’s timber walls (built in 100 layers, one drawer per layer).

No one will read them. Not until 2114.

That’s when the 1,000 trees planted specifically for the project will be harvested to produce the paper needed to publish the manuscripts as books for the very first time. 🌲📖

As someone fascinated by how form influences behaviour, I love what this space represents. It invites you to slow down. To reflect. To think beyond your own lifetime.

💡 Fun fact: The room is crafted from around 16,000 individual pieces of timber, and every detail, from the lighting to the handcrafted keys, was designed to endure time.

It’s a beautiful reminder that architecture doesn’t just shape space. It can shape time, patience, and the way we imagine the future. 🤍

Address

Point Turton, SA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Messy Formist posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category