Studio Practice: Home Fragrances

Raniya Mansoor, Co-Founder of Oevaali Art Shop, began developing the Home Fragrance collection in 2018 through hands-on studio experimentation and slow making.

This article records Mansoor’s journey into home fragrance, tracing its formation from early testing and lived use. Written as a personal recollection, it explains how the collection emerged through process, trial, and an ongoing engagement with scent as a way of shaping mood and space.

On Studio Beginnings

“I started working with home fragrances in 2018 as a personal studio project. I had always loved candles and burned them often, but I found myself wanting a cleaner burn and a more distinctive atmosphere in my spaces. What started as a small experiment in the studio has grown into a full collection through many trials and refinements.

Working with creamy coconut soy wax and carefully selected fragrance oils, I began shaping a collection of scented candles that ranged from spa-like and fresh to delicate, rich, and sensual. Choosing scents became one of the most absorbing parts of the process. I thought about different moods and moments in the day: painting, working, reading, baths, lounging, gathering, resting, intimacy - because of this, I always preferred the idea of having a range, where each fragrance had its own place.

That approach has remained consistent. The Home Fragrance collection has continued to evolve, with some scents becoming seasonal, others moving in and out of production, but always with the intention that there would be choice rather than hierarchy.”

On Material Testing & Methods

“My workspace was in my home studio in Singapore, where I lived and worked from 2009 until my relocation back home in 2021. When I began working with candles, I had a very small setup: two thermometers, two jugs for melting and mixing wax, an electric single-burner induction stove, and a few beakers for measuring fragrance oils. I sourced cotton and wood wicks of various thicknesses, blocks of different waxes, and assorted vessels,  from the same apothecary that still supports our Home Fragrance raw materials today."

"During the initial testing phase, I explored three clean-burning waxes: beeswax, soy wax, and coconut soy wax. I chose coconut soy wax for its slow, even burn, its strong cold and hot scent throw across both simple and complex fragrances, and its milky, creamy finish in glass containers. Its plant-based, biodegradable nature was also an important consideration.

I sourced for fragrance oils that were phthalate-free, professionally blended by trained perfumers, and engineered for thermal stability. It was important that fragrances were formulated by experts, specifically for heat, time, and controlled release. Working with professionally blended fragrance oils, rather than creating custom blends from scratch, became best practice for us in ensuring clean, safe burns.

As testing progressed, it was clear that the induction stove was not suitable for regulating wax temperature, especially for a wax as gentle as coconut soy. I researched a range of wax melting tools and found many larger, more elaborate melters that were either far too expensive or far too large for the scale of my work at the time. I eventually settled on a converted 6-quart Presto Pot sourced on Etsy, fitted with a small tap and came with a temperature control dial. This tool proved essential in the studio during those early days. Even now, when I see the upgraded professional melters in our studio today, I often think back to that first Presto Pot."

"The testing period was slow. I worked in small batches, adjusting one variable at a time; wick size, jar size, pouring temperature, fragrance load; and observing how each change affected burn, scent throw, and overall performance. Some things worked; many did not. There were fragrances I loved cold but eventually abandoned because of how their note profiles behaved once burned. These early failures were invaluable, and built an intrinsic understanding of how certain notes transform when blended and released through wax and flame.

I recorded my tests through loose sheets and memory. Structure emerged gradually over time. It was only later, when I began training a studio staff, that I formalized these notes into clear instructions and specifications that could be followed and repeated.

Testing was expensive: comparable to paying for a formal course in the craft; but it felt necessary and, in many ways, more rewarding. Learning through hands-on trial and error allowed me to understand the process holistically, from material behavior to environmental conditions.

There was a day sometime in mid-2018 when I burned one of my test candles and watched the flame melt the wax cleanly to the edge of the container without tunneling. Within minutes, the scent filled the room in its full expression. That was actually the first time, after many months of testing, that I allowed myself to think: this is working!

This period became the blueprint for the Home Fragrance line. It still is.”

On Continuity & Change

“In the early days, the Home Fragrance collection was quite rustic. I worked with mason jars and lightweight tins in various sizes, focusing more on making and testing than on uniformity.

"While the formulations have stayed the same, today the candles sit in a line of standardized vessels, including classic, petite, and décor sizes. The practice has also naturally expanded to include room sprays, reed diffusers, and curated gift sets."

"What has not changed is the way the work is made. In the early days, it was a solitary practice. As demand grew, the Partners of Oevaali Art Shop worked together in the studio to support and scale production. Today, supported by a small team, the process remains hands-on, slow, and grounded in detail and care. The principle I began with: curating scents for life and living across moments, spaces, and moods, continues to sit at the core of the Home Fragrance practice.”

Editorial Note

This article is written as a personal studio account by Raniya Mansoor, co-Founder of Oevaali Art Shop. It documents the formation and development of the Home Fragrance Collection. The text is presented as part of the Archive, reflecting process, material decisions, and studio practice over time.

Archival Context: Recorded in 2026 from personal studio recollection, documenting the Home Fragrance practice beginning in 2018.