Candles

Candles are one of life’s indispensable luxuries. Just as we all need bread and roses, we all need candles to guide us from moment to moment. From the humble, plain tea light to a 5 wick scented pillar candle, there is an option to suit every person. Every budget can stretch to one of these instant ways to promote a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere in the home. They are versatile and perfect for any season or time of day. Either as lighting or as a decorative accent.

Candles are always a sign of something special. A valentine's day, birthday, anniversary or special moment of reflection is incomplete without the flickering flame of a candle. The hard edges are smoothed off and we can look at our homes through new eyes.

Tea lights are the perfect option if you’re looking for variety and the epitome of convenience. You can put them on a clear surface to create an instant spa in your bathroom with a fragrant floral scent like jasmine or ylang-ylang or choose a clean, linen smell for your bedroom then change it the moment your mood changes. If you want a deep herbal scent you can have your room, warmly filling with patchouli in a heartbeat.

Floating candles are a brilliant choice for an extra level of decorative interest or to be used in a tranquil bath and come in scents and colours across the spectrum.

If you’re looking for a mood but not necessarily a single scent, then a votive with a specially formulated blend of scents could be the right answer for you. With candles scented to remind you of the summer or the delicate scent of a rose garden, you can choose the place and the moment you want to be transported to and be there with the strike of a match.

If you would love the smell of cinnamon cookies to fill your home but you only know how to use your oven as extra storage space, then you are in luck. With a scented candle, you can fill your kitchen with the scent of home cooking without lifting a finger. Vanilla scented candles, crisp passionfruit candles and festive spice candles can all bring back vivid memories.

The appearance of candles is as much a pleasure as their smell. A comfortingly hefty pillar candle will look perfect on your coffee table and enrich a period decor scheme. If you would like the look of a fireplace but you have no working chimney then use your hearth as a staging area for rows of tiny candle flames and benefit from the cosy aesthetic without the disruptive DIY work.

You can look for a candle that perfectly matches your room with a pillar candle, taper candle, round candle or traditional cylinder. You can even go for a more contemporary look with a square-edged candle that will gradually turn abstract with use. Part of the charm of a candle is the unique way they change as they become more well-loved.

Candles can also serve an important function, a citronella candle can help deter insects from buzzing around your patio or deck and looks gorgeous in a decorative terracotta casing. If you like a natural feel, then you could follow the theme and buy some beeswax candles for indoor use. Likewise, you could build a soothing lavender-scented candle into your evening wind down.

If you are looking for a high quality, longer burning option then you could look at a large multi-wick candle, allowing you to burn it over many hours and luxuriate in your choice over time. They make excellent ornaments and they perfume the room in between uses, so you can skip the air freshener.