Why I Light Candles All Year Round, and How to Style Them at Home

People often talk about candles as if they belong to autumn and winter. I don't see it that way at all. I believe in candles all year round. A candle brings a life and a light all of its own, and it does that even when it isn't dark outside. If I'm going to be at home for more than a couple of hours, there's a candle lit. That's just how I live.

That said, I won't pretend the season doesn't help. It's suddenly dark so early, and this is the time of year when more of us reach for a match. So here's how I use candlelight at home, and a few of the pieces in the shop I'd happily take home with me.

Where I light first

When I get home, the first candles I light are the one on the mantelpiece and the ones on the dining table. Those are the two places a room gathers around, so that's where the glow matters most. If you're not sure where to start in your own home, start there: the spot your eye goes to when you walk in, and the table where people sit together.

Tapers and pillars: I'm quite classic like that

I love the glow of a tealight, but my preference is tapers and pillars. The trouble with a tealight is that the flame is often just out of view, tucked down inside its holder. With a taper you can always see the flame, and there's a bit of drama to it that I love.

So my rule of thumb at home is simple: a taper on the dining table, and a pillar on the mantelpiece or shelf.

For tapers, a set of candlesticks in a mix of heights does a lot of work on a table. The Ashraf cast iron taper candlesticks by Olsson & Jensen come as a set of three and also in black and antique gold. If you want one piece to be the centre of attention, the Bellora three-arm candelabra or the Vireo flower candlestick will do exactly that. Dress them with good tapers, like the Nordal stearin taper candles in cream or green.

For pillars, I'd put something with a bit of weight and texture on the mantelpiece or a shelf. A rustic plate like the Elia iron candle plate keeps it simple and lets the candle do the talking.

My favourite new arrival: the Indi pillars

Of everything that's just come in, the piece I keep coming back to is the Indi stone pillar candle holder from Olsson & Jensen. It comes in two heights, and I'd love to have them standing next to each other: the 36 cm beside the 46 cm, so the flames sit at different levels. They come in a light stone and a dark brown too, and the two colours look just as good together.

Candles are for lighting, not just looking at

There are two things I'd gently push back on.

The first is the idea that candles are only for the evening, or only for when it's dark outside. You can light a candle at any time of the day. A candle on the table at a weekend lunch, or on a shelf on a grey afternoon, changes how a room feels.

The second is the move towards candles as things just to look at. I see so many beautiful candles that never get lit. Light it! That's what it's for.

And if a real flame isn't right for you or your home, that's fine too. LED candles have got better and better. We have some realistic LED candles, like the Deluxe Homeart pillars, that you'd never know were battery operated.

A candle for someone

There's one more reason I light candles, and it's the one that means the most to me. When a great memory comes to the fore, one that involves someone who has passed, I like to light a candle to remember them. It's a small thing, but it gives that memory a moment of its own in the room.

I do the same on special and significant days: a birthday, an anniversary, a date that means something to me or to someone I love. Lighting a candle is a quiet way of marking the day and keeping someone close, whether they're here to share it or not. If you've never done it, I'd recommend it.

Bring some light in

You'll find everything here in our Candle Holders and Candles collections, and the new Olsson & Jensen pieces are in the showroom now if you'd like to see them in person. If you'd like a hand working out where light should go in your own home, that's exactly the kind of thing we help with in our North Home Styling sessions.

Kamil