The Candle Guide

— 22 May 2012

The Candle Guide

From choosing the perfect candle to caring for it afterwards, follow our ultimate candle guide to bring some light and luxury to your home.

Which candle is best for you?

Scented candles

Whether it is for the bedroom, the living room or outside, scented candles are the perfect mood-setter to invigorate, relax or even inspire the senses. Legendary French perfumer Diptique is an ever-stylish choice; opt for the brand's best-selling Mimosa candle to infuse your home with its sweet, floral scent.

The Candle Guide

DECORATIVE candles

For those looking to add artistic flair to their home, our selection - from Cire Trudon's busts to the famous Fornasetti range featuring the iconic artworks of Piero Fornasetti - make unique additions to any mantelpiece, display cabinet or table. A candle stand or lantern can turn the simplest of candles into an eye-catching feature.

DIFFUSERS AND ROOM FRAGRANCE

Look to our range of room sprays and diffusers for flame-free fragrances. Choose natural, fresh scents from Jo Malone for an instant burst or artful incense from Fornasetti for a long-burning aroma. A classic diffuser, like these from Archipelago can go the distance by adding or removing the reeds to change levels of usage and potency.

The Candle Guide

CANDLE WITH CARE

Trim the wick!
The wick of your candle should never be more than one to three quarters of an inch long. When the wick is too long, it cannot draw the wax up to fuel the flame; therefore it starts to burn itself causing smoking, soot deposits and uneven heating. A wick trimmer like this one from Diptyque is a simple and effective way of maintaining the wick of your candle.

Burn time
The best way to burn a candle most efficiently is to allow enough time for the melt pool to reach the edges of the candle. If this isn’t done the candle will begin to ‘tunnel’ down, wasting the outside wax. A good rule of thumb is to allow the candle to burn for one hour for every inch of diameter.

In the case of pillar candles, burn as close to the edge as possible before it breaks through. As the candle begins to tunnel down you can ‘hug’ the wax edge inwards towards the flame.

The Candle Guide

Storage
When not in use, be sure to store your candles in a cool, dry place or cover up to avoid contamination or a build up of dirt and dust while not being burned.

Snuffers
Snuffers are simple and safe, preventing soot being distributed around the candle. With quirky choices like this Silver plated bee hive candle snuffer from Kenneth Turner, they can be an additional ornamental piece to your candle displays.

Shop candles now >