From October, candlelight will become the most important light source in an interior. It is lower than a lamp, it moves, and it gives a warm colour that no single LED can fully imitate.
A candle holder determines how that light lands in the room. In this article, you will read how to create an arrangement, what each material does, and where candlelight delivers the most.
Start with the height
Three heights next to each other is the quickest way to make an arrangement work. High, medium, and low give your eye something to follow. The flames are thus placed at different levels.
A set of three takes that choice out of your hands. The marble candle holders from J-Line come in sets of three in increasing height, in white and in black with light grey. The same applies to the Malines candle holders from PTMD, which you get in pairs in gold and can stack in small and large.
We previously wrote about the number and placement when styling the coffee table: odd numbers, arranged in a triangle. The same rule applies here.
Read about the three-layer rule
What each material does to the flame
Glass lets the light through. You look right through the candle holder, so it provides height while the space remains open. The champagne-coloured glass candle holders from J-Line have been among our bestsellers for a while. That is precisely because of this: they fill the table while the view remains open.
Marble does the opposite. It is solid and cool, so it holds the flame in one place. On a dining table or a sideboard, that provides calm.
Metal reflects. Gold and copper catch the flame and throw it back into the room, making one candle seem to give more than it is.
Wood absorbs. A mango wood base makes the light softer and suits an interior with many natural materials.
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Where candlelight delivers the most
On the dining table, you keep everything under approximately forty centimetres. This way, you look at each other over the flames.
On a sideboard or side table, it can be high. There, the arrangement stands at eye level when you are sitting. A tall candle holder then fills the space between the furniture and the wall.
In the windowsill, candlelight does double duty. During the day, the candle holder stands as an object against the daylight, in the evening the flame reflects in the window.
Along the stairs or in the hall, one candle holder on a narrow table makes the difference between a passage and a place.
In the bathroom, candlelight works surprisingly well, especially in a room with many hard surfaces. Choose a holder in glass or stone here.
A candle in every shape with wax pearls
One of our favourite items is also one of the least known: the Pearl Candle Wax from PTMD. You get a bag with five hundred grams of wax pearls plus a box of wicks.
You pour the pearls into a holder of your choice, place a wick in the middle, and you have a candle in exactly the shape of that glass, that bowl, or that dish. When it is finished, you refill it.
The wax is available in beige, off-white, warm grey, dark brown, pink, sage green, and dark green. This way, you match the colour of your candles to your own interior.
For wide glass holders and dishes, this is the most beautiful solution we know, because a candle of that size is barely available on its own.
A hurricane lamp for drafty places
If there is movement in the air, by an open window, in the hall, or outside on the terrace, a hurricane lamp does the job. The glass keeps the flame upright and prevents the candle from burning crookedly.
The Belinsu hurricane lamps from PTMD in copper and glass and the Qez series in mango wood with smoke glass are both staples for us. The smoke glass softens the flame to a soft glow, which works beautifully in a dark corner.
In places where a real flame is difficult, such as by a void or on a high shelf, the LED candles from J-Line give the same image.
Burning safely
A few habits keep it pleasant.
- Keep at least a hand's breadth of distance between the flame and anything that can catch fire: curtains, napkins, dry branches, pine greenery.
- Place a candle holder on a flat, heat-resistant surface. Marble, stone, and glass are advantageous here.
- Trim the wick short before lighting it, so the flame remains small and calm.
- Stay in the room as long as the candle burns and extinguish it before you leave.
- Extinguish with a candle snuffer or by covering the flame. Blowing it out spreads soot over your holder.
Start yourself
Take one material and three heights. Place them in the spot where you sit most often in the evening and light them every evening for a week. After that, you will know exactly if the arrangement works.
View all candle holders at Living Lovely
Unsure which size fits your table or which holder belongs with your interior? Feel free to send us a message with a photo, and we will think along with you.