All Candlelight & Home Fragrance

The Right Candle for Every Space

Candles are a popular home decorating accessory, with various shapes and sizes to choose from. Once lit, they give off a warm amber glow that creates a welcoming ambiance while also adding extra light to the room. Though they can look beautiful on their own, you can also add extra flair with a coordinating candle holder in styles ranging from modern to traditional. There are six main candle types to choose from.

1. Tea Candles

Tea candles, also known as tea lights, are just over half an inch in height and will generally burn out within about two to four hours. Tea lights derive their name from their traditional use as a teapot warmer. Today, these lights are still used to keep food and beverages warm through fondue pots and chafing dishes.

In modern decorating, tea lights are a top lighting choice for dinner parties. A small light at each place setting won't be in the way but will create a cozy, intimate ambiance. Place these lights on a heat-safe plate or tray that matches the rest of your table setting.

2. Votive Candles

Votive candles are similar in diameter to tea lights but are generally around three times as high. This allows them to burn for about triple the amount of time. Votives are traditionally burned in clear or colored glass candle holders. These gorgeous holders look great when grouped on a coffee table or bookshelf in the living room.

3. Pillar Candles

Pillar candles are cylindrical wax lights with a wide diameter. Though they vary in height, most are between four and eight inches tall. Pillars are a great all-purpose lighting option for three main reasons. First, many of these lights can be burned with or without a holder. This allows them to be used in a variety of decorative displays. Secondly, these thick wax cylinders will burn for many hours, allowing them to be used multiple times. Thirdly, they give off more light than smaller tea lights and votives.

Because of these features, pillars can be used in decorating throughout the house. Keep decorative pillar candles on every flat surface in the home, like desks, side tables, and countertops.

4. Taper Candles

Elegant taper candles are generally between eight and twelve inches in length and thin all around. These long, slender lights cannot stand on their own and must be paired with a taper candle holder. Depending on your style, choose from classic silver holders, modern black holders, stylish gold holders and more.

Tapers make a gorgeous centerpiece for a fancy dinner party. Because they are so long, they'll easily last throughout the entire meal once lit. Tapers also look beautiful when set onto the mantel above the fireplace. You can place one or two at each end or space several out evenly across the entire length of the mantel.

5. Floating Candles

Floating candles are usually about the same size as tea lights or votives but are used very differently. Instead of being placed on heat-safe plates or in holders, these light and buoyant floating wax novelties are paired with water to create one-of-a-kind displays. Simply fill a vase or any clear container with water then let the lights float on the surface. When lit, the flames bounce off the water to create an eye-catching centerpiece for your dining room table.

6. Flameless Candles

Flameless candles come in all shapes and sizes but have one key characteristic in common: a battery-powered flame. Rather than lighting with a match or lighter, simply flip the hidden switch to fill your space with a warm wash of candlelight. Flameless candles flicker slightly to mimic the effect of a real flickering wick. Many even come with wax exteriors and faux wicks to mimic the look and feel of real tea lights, votives, tapers or pillars.

Because they do not use real flames, they are perfect for use in any high-traffic area or any space with young children. Use these battery-powered lights to perfect your holiday displays, create a faux fireplace or add them to modern lanterns to enhance your outdoor living spaces.

Whether you're looking to add extra light to a room or just need a decorative accent piece, candles are the perfect option. Using the right wax lights and candle holders, you can fill the room with a beautiful glow that's sure to make you feel at home. With everything from small tea lights to elegant tapers and child-friendly flameless options to choose from, you can enhance your indoor and outdoor living spaces with lovely amber light.