Product Story - The Meander Collection

PRODUCT STORY

A candleholder inspired by a river's search for the sea

The Superfolk Meander Candleholder is a simple, flowing line — a form that is both stable and elegant, able to stand alone or be combined into longer combinations.

Designed by Gearóid Muldowney the meander is made in-house at our Superfolk workshop. The design of the Meander was first developed as a prototype in 2018 and has since evolved into a growing family of pieces.

The design process started with reduction. We focused on minimal forms, stability and proportion, and on creating a candleholder that would sit low to the table — steady and grounded, never blocking the view or flow of conversation across a shared meal. Influenced by the work of Alvar Aalto and time studying design in Finland, Gearóid sketched, prototyped and developed a form that would feel organic and inevitable.

Every prototype was developed in-house, with the curve adjusted again and again to find the simplest gesture capable of holding multiple candles upright.

“I kept refining the curve — removing, adjusting, simplifying — until it felt just right - restrained but also expressive. I wanted it to feel like something shaped by a searching movement - like a river searching for the sea.”

– Gearóid Muldowney

“I was thinking about the slow bends of the Owenmore River in north Mayo — the movement and searching of the river as it seeks the sea. I was searching for simplicity and balance. I am an angler so I know what it means to search for something — calmly and persistently.”

In our studio, we often return to the idea of clarity found in pared-back tools and techniques. As Yvon Chouinard observes, “The more you know, the less you need.” That sentiment shaped the design process of the Meander — a quiet object refined to its essential line. Its simplicity emerges through the process of refining: moving through complexity and returning to clarity.

“I wanted the composition to always feel complete and flexible in how it is used. We use this candleholder everyday in our own house, sometimes we add only one candle, other times five, and sometimes none. I love that unlike other candleholders, it never feels empty or unbalanced.”

– Gearóid Muldowney

Whether displayed alone, joined in sequence or simply resting as a sculptural line during the brighter months, the Meander Candleholder carries the quiet story of water shaping land — a reminder of patience, flow and mindful attention.