If a candle is burning in a dark room, we don\u2019t see the darkness, we see the light. Perhaps that\u2019s why candles have become such a popular decor element over the course of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Little lights you can place anywhere, candles can make a room feel cozy and welcoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DECORATING WITH CANDLES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New York designer\u00a0Glenn Gissler\u00a0says candles have been in his personal and professional styling wheelhouse for years. He\u2019s got dozens of votive holders and a stockpile of candle refills, and sets out the diminutive flames for quiet evenings at home these days, and larger gatherings in non-pandemic times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve used candles on every stair tread in my duplex apartment, and in windows to provide illumination where we don\u2019t normally see it,\u201d he says. \u201cI set the candles as singles, triples and long lines across a fireplace mantle. And for a wedding party some years ago, I ran 300 votives to direct party-goers to where the party was, setting an immediate festive tone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gissler has a home in rural Connecticut where he spent the holidays. \u201cI used no lights, only candles,\u201d he says. He set them up along the top of mullioned windows, where their reflection added seasonal sparkle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A little trick he shares: \u201cI love using hurricanes to surround tapered candles on a tabletop; they help keep circulating air from disrupting the calm burning of the candle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve only got a few candles but want to make a statement,\u00a0Laura Bohn,\u00a0a Manhattan-based interior designer, has this tip:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGroup what you have in one spot using interesting containers or candlesticks. They\u2019ll be a real focal point and instantly add mood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CANDLE HOLDERS: STICKS, PILLARS AND VESSELS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The size and shape of your candle usually determines where you put it. A chunky pillar candle needs a sturdy broad base.\u00a0Karen Konzuk\u00a0of Garden Bay, British Columbia, crafts charcoal-hued concrete vessels that look like stone eggs or planetary shards.\u00a0CB2\u2019s\u00a0new spring line has chunky aluminum and travertine holders, also in earthy hues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slender holders showcase a taper\u2019s silhouette. Brooklyn\u2019s\u00a0FS Object\u2019s\u00a0brass Spindle holders, for instance, are a lofty 18 inches tall; set with slim ebony candles, they\u2019d bring drama to any surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Designer\u00a0Jonathan Adler\u00a0pays homage to Paris\u2019 Pompidou Center with a playful holder that evokes the center\u2019s iconic curvy tubes in clear or multicolored Lucite. Lucite is also the material for his Monte Carlo collection of block holders that look like candy cubes. And as part of his Muse collection, Adler\u2019s done a candelabra he calls Eve; a ringlet of white porcelain hands stands ready to grip tapers, like a circle of dancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Virginia Valentini and Francesco Breganze of the Italian studio\u00a0LatoxLato\u00a0have designed a clever candelabrum; they use a water jet to precisely cut small slabs of marble. Closed, the pieces look like a solid slab. But with a few light pushes, a series of candleholders accordions outward, creating an objet d\u2019art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can get creative by using just about any heat-resistant holder \u2014 glasses, jelly jars, wine bottles, \u201ceven muffin tins,\u201d says Gissler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider making the candle too by filling one of these vessels with liquid wax. The studio\u00a0Sibling\u00a0sells an eco-friendly pouch that can be microwaved or stove-heated, and then poured into a heat-safe container; wicks are included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
COLOR PLAY<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mineral hues like marine blue, rust and black are trending this spring for candles; CB2 has a deep mauve taper, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toma Clark Haines, who lives in Venice, Italy, and runs an international antiques-sourcing business, sets her Gustavian-style table with white candlesticks and black candles. \u201cWhat I like about black candles is that they feel modern. And with all my antiques, they kind of shake things up a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SHAPE SHIFTERS<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSculptural and uniquely shaped candles are increasingly popular,\u201d says\u00a0Etsy\u2019s\u00a0trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson. \u201cOver the past several months, we\u2019ve noticed torso-shaped and goddess candles \u2014 as well as the molds to make them yourself \u2013 emerging as a new trend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Etsy reports that shell, bubble and geometric shapes are also selling well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the\u00a0Museum of Modern Art\u2019s design store,\u00a0you can find HAY\u2019s neat squiggle-shaped candles in several soothing hues. Ester & Erik\u2019s colorful cone-shaped candles don\u2019t need holders; when they get down to about an inch, they just snuff out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SCENTS SET THE SCENE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not everyone likes or can tolerate a candle with fragrance, but for those who enjoy them, there are loads of options. Vanilla, citrus, pine, sage and rose are on the leader board of popular scents, say Etsy\u2019s trend experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aerangis\u2019\u00a0signature collection is anchored by a candle that founder Alicia Tsai calls \u201cIn the Beginning,\u201d which was inspired by her grandfather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs I child, I spent every afternoon in his greenhouse as he tended his orchids,\u201d she says. \u201cHe presented me one to tend as my very own \u2013 an aerangis orchid, a delicate, star-shaped flower known to emit its soft and comforting scent in the evenings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seattle-based\u00a0Good & Well Supply\u00a0helps support the National Parks Foundation with a collection of vegan candles in reusable tin pots. The candles evoke the scents found in the parks: Grand Canyon, for instance, evinces charred pine, while Acadia evokes sea salt and driftwood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stinky Candle\u00a0offers flavor scents, from blueberry to buttered popcorn to burrito to bread. Or there\u2019s the Clean Puppy candle, with aromas of shampoo and what the company describes as \u201csubtle hints of puppy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Homesick\u2019s\u00a0collection references cities, countries, and favorite hangouts, such as Grandma\u2019s Kitchen (apple, cream, clove) and book club (nutmeg, sandalwood). Celebrate the seasons with Holiday Stroll (sugar plums, blackberries) and American Summer (peach, watermelon). India\u2019s candle melds cumin, curry and cardamom. Canada\u2019s mixes butter, maple and oak moss. Homesick gives you the option to personalize each candle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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