Astier de Villatte
Handmade Parisian ceramics with poetic compositions
Milky white handmade ceramic vessels from a Parisian studio that has been throwing pots since 1996. The scents are named after places, and the vessels are the closest thing to a small sculpture on this list.
The Astier de Villatte review
Ivan Pericoli and Benoît Astier de Villatte founded their studio in 1996, working in black terracotta finished with a distinctive milky white glaze. Every piece is made by hand in Paris, and the slight warping, the visible glaze pooling and the uneven rim are the point rather than a defect. No two vessels are the same.
The fragrances read like a travel diary. Grand Chalet evokes an alpine wooden house, Delhi is smoky and spiced, Nara is cedar and incense. Compositions are developed in collaboration with perfumers and are considerably more atmospheric and less commercial than the mainstream houses attempt.
The burn is the weakest technical aspect here: the wide, shallow ceramic form does not always produce a full melt pool on a short burn, so these need patience and long sessions. And the price is high for the wax volume. What you are actually buying is a handmade Parisian ceramic that happens to arrive full of scented wax, and on those terms it is excellent value.
Signature scents
- Grand Chalet
- Delhi
- Nara
- Aoyama
- Colette
The verdict
What we like
- Genuinely handmade ceramics, each one unique
- Atmospheric, travel-inspired compositions
- The vessel is a keepsake object in its own right
- Made in Paris in a small studio
- Refill candles are available separately
Worth knowing
- Wide shallow form can tunnel on short burns
- High price for the wax volume supplied
- Fragile glaze chips if knocked