Maitland Smith Tessellated Marble Candlestick

The eclectic furnishings of Maitland-Smith celebrate artisan skills in an age of machines. Hand-carved woodwork, inlaid marquetry, painted detailing, gilding and lost wax casting lend the company’s decorative accents an artistic flair. Focused on pieces that add a dynamic flourish to an interior by incorporating tactile materials like leather, seashell inlays and crushed eggshell, the manufacturer draws inspiration across centuries, from the curvy forms of the Louis XV period to the geometric angles of mid-century modernism.

Paul Maitland-Smith established the company in Hong Kong in 1979, after getting his start in London in the 1950s as an antique dealer who also sold reproduction furniture, something that would become a Maitland-Smith specialty. The manufacturer’s early reproductions of 17th- and 18th-century furniture included Chippendale dining chairs, and soon afterward, Maitland-Smith expanded into a range of decorative designs that often exuded a whimsical spirit, whether a coffee table shaped like a stack of books or a pair of decorative obelisks. Maitland-Smith’s signature sculptural table lamps in particular show off this playful sensibility, with one balancing a pen-shell shade on a monkey’s tail and another taking on the form of a miniature hot-air balloon.

Since its founding, Maitland-Smith’s sourcing has been based in Asia, and although Paul Maitland-Smith later sold the company that still bears his name and is now headquartered in North Carolina, the brand’s furnishings are still largely made in Cebu, Philippines.

Today, Maitland-Smith continues to innovate on its finely crafted offerings by collaborating with contemporary designers and studios such as Tony Duquette Studios (founded by set and costume designer Tony Duquette in 1941), Celerie Kemble and painter and textile designer Susan Hable Smith.

Find a wide range of Maitland-Smith furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Vintage, new and antique candlesticks and candleholders do not simply infuse a dining room with a soft, warm glow. They also add dimension, conjure drama and draw attention to a table or mantel. Despite their practical origins, today, decorative candlesticks and their holders elevate spaces by matching interiors or adding color and bold shapes.

For those who enjoy the rich pageantry of the Old Masters, candlesticks in the Baroque and Rococo styles offer intricacy and opulence. The design of Baroque candlesticks — thanks to the influence of the Catholic Church — often boasted complex shapes and featured biblical figures. While bronze candlestick holders have a long history dating back to the ancient world, many 17th-century candlesticks were made of luxurious silver. Armed with a disposable income and a desire to show off their status, the newly emerging middle class acquired candlestick holders as intricate art pieces, beautiful and opulent in their own right.

The Art Deco movement of the early 20th century saw candlesticks designed with simplicity and symmetry in mind. Art Deco candlesticks boast all manner of forms, ranging from sleek curves to bodies of ribbed crystal or bronze that take the shape of animals.

While some 20th-century-era candlesticks are akin to statues in their grandeur, these decorative items became especially fashionable in the mid-20th century for atmospherically illuminating dinner tables. Mid-century modern candlesticks frequently epitomize the streamlined functionality that we’ve come to associate with the era.

Find a comprehensive collection of vintage, new and antique candlesticks on 1stDibs.