Inspired by the Places We Call Home
Some places stay with you long after you've left. It's the smell of crisp verdant fog rolling over the Golden Gate Bridge into the Marin Headlands. The quiet beneath towering redwoods and the perfume of the forest floor. Salt, rock and vegetation carried inland on Pacific breezes from San Francisco and Marin’s best beaches. Those landscapes became the inspiration for three new candles from Poet and/the Bench.
We wanted to capture something enduring– a sense of place. Each candle is inspired by a landscape that surrounds us every day: the forests of Mill Valley and Mount Tamalpais; the rugged Pacific coastline where the scents of Baker Beach and the Point Reyes National Shoreline are held; and the iconic marine layer called Karl the Fog that drifts through San Francisco and Marin.
We live here.
Our art and design gallery is here.
We have experienced these locales meaningfully.
Together, this trio of candles celebrates the beauty of Northern California and invites you to bring a small piece of it home.
We spent weeks scent blending to conjure the smells: driving through the fog, hiking the forest canopy covered trails and watching the waves hit the rocky shore.
Forest Bath / Mill Valley
There is a reason people travel from around the world to experience the forests surrounding Mill Valley.
Towering Redwoods.
Moss-covered sun-baked trails.
Morning mist.
Where footsteps stir the earthy perfume of the forest floor.
The musky sweet tang wandering slowly through the meditative canopy.
The quiet that only exists beneath old trees.
Our Forest Bath Mill Valley candle layers cedar, Douglas fir, wild fennel, moss, bay laurel, earthy mushroom, amber and oud into a fragrance that feels restorative and grounding.
It's our interpretation of a walk through Mount Tamalpais, along the trails of Muir Woods or a visit to Old Mill Park where groves of redwoods, bay laurel and the crunch of eucalyptus create a meditation of forest bathing.
Perfect for anyone seeking a warm, woody luxury candle inspired by Northern California's forests.
Ethereal Fog / Golden Gate
Few natural phenomena define the Bay Area like the marine layer.
The fog is cinematic, moody, iconic.
It has a human personality and name, Karl the Fog.
The San Francisco fog softens the skyline.
Quiets the city.
Transforms familiar landscapes into something almost dreamlike.
Fog envelopes us in a blanket of not quite rain.
It absorbs the verdant, floral and woody notes it floats within.
Our Ethereal Fog Golden Gate candle blends marine ozone, eucalyptus, cedar, sage, ylang ylang and tomato leaf into a fragrance that feels crisp, airy and contemplative.
It's inspired by mornings when fog drifts through the Golden Gate before revealing the city beyond.
Ocean Wander / Pacific Coast
Northern California's coastline never feels still. Our Ocean Wander Pacific Coast candle captures the moment where cool Pacific air meets sun-warmed coastal hillsides.
The lingering Pacific Ocean breeze.
Sun-warmed vegetation.
Sea salt alchemizes with the perfumed petrichor of rocky headlands.
It carries memories of the refreshing caress of water.
The glittering waves.
Sea gulls crying overhead.
Bugling elk.
Notes of Pacific sea breeze, petrichor, sea salt, juniper, mint, bay laurel, tonka and oud create an aquatic fragrance that is clean without feeling overly marine. Earthy and musky notes recall long afternoons exploring Ocean Beach, Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, the Point Reyes National Seashore and the dramatic coastline stretching north toward Mendocino.
This is California's coastline in fragrance form.
More Than Candles
At Poet and/the Bench, we've always believed objects should tell stories. For over a decade we've curated independent artists, fierce and feminine jewelry, beautifully hand thrown and hand built ceramics, fine art and uncommon gifts from makers whose work reflects craftsmanship over mass production. Atmosphere continues that philosophy.
Every fragrance was developed to evoke a landscape. Every candle is hand blended and hand poured in small batches.
Visiting Mill Valley?
If you're planning a visit to Mill Valley, Muir Woods, Mount Tamalpais, Sausalito, Stinson Beach, or the Point Reyes National Seashore, we'd love to welcome you. Our shop is located in the heart of downtown Mill Valley, next to Equator Coffee and across from The Depot plaza, where you'll discover a thoughtfully curated collection of independent jewelry designers, fine art, artisan home goods and our exclusive Atmosphere candle collection.
Whether you're searching for a meaningful, deeply local souvenir, an artist-designed in California gift, or simply something beautiful to bring home, we believe the best objects carry a sense of place. Our Northern California Atmosphere Candle collection was created to do exactly that.
Bring Northern California Home
We crafted the Northern California candle collection to become part of your daily ritual. Light one of these candles, and the forests, coastline and fog of Northern California return– one quiet moment at a time.
Visit our Northern California Atmosphere Collection.
We hope you'll visit us soon. We'll happily gift you a cute map we created which is our curated guide to some of our favorite places... Because the coastal views, forest surfing, rolling dairy lands, stunning beaches and slow curving routes are lovely places to wander and roam.
~ Bonnie & Jeffrey
Poet and/the Bench
6 Miller Ave
Downtown Mill Valley, California