In the spirit of load shedding I have found myself buying a lot of new candles and using them in interesting ways that needed to be shared.
Here are my top 8 tips and stylist tricks to make your candles truly come to life.
Modern monotone
With black & white and shades of grey being all the rage you want the style of your candle holders to reflect the mood. Try these cubic black and white candle holders with their geometric shape to add a sculptural element to a modern space.
Stylist cheat
Round off tea lights with a strip of washi tape or a piece of left over ribbon. Remember to display them in a small glass so that you don’t get wax dripping everywhere and it also helps with reflecting more of the candle light. Perfect party decor!
Glass is good
When load shedding started I ran for a few empty glass containers and scrambled around the house for candles to place in them. Now after some time they have a rustic look with the wax drippings all along the sides. I love it as I am a firm believer that beauty is in the imperfections.
Use what you have around the house. Unused glass vases, cut glass tumblers and even old wine bottles with the labels removed to add a reflective element that candle light loves. You can then group them together as a center piece on a table or even add plants and single stem branches to make the grouping more interesting.
TIP: Remember to not stack different shaped glass containers in a soldier-like row but rather to scatter them, with some slightly overlapping others to make the arrangement work together in a friendlier way.
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Knock on wood
Combine candles with wooden disks to keep them together as a unit and catch runaway wax. I simply love the arrangement on the left using the same tone of wood in different ways. The legs of the wood, wooden disk and dipped candle holders echo each other beautifully.
The little tea lights on the right take on a more dramatic look against a dark textured wall and marble surface. It truly makes the copper pop!
Cool copper
So it’s no secret that I am a copper groupie. I hope I can convert you too with this gorgeous pipe candle holder that is just the right amount of industrial. For a quick fix you can spray paint any container – like these unused spray can caps – to create copper tea lights.
The pipe candle holder is so pretty, it needs to live on its own to come to its full right. Give it center stage on a coffee or side table and keep the rest of the styling super minimal (if at all).
The guild
To create a more rustic and romantic feel try using candle holders with a gilded metallic finish. Combined with soft pastel colors and succulents the mood is surely set for romance.
What works really nice here is the different textures of the gilded glasses with different heights.
Set in stone
Concrete molding is a huge trend that’s still going strong. Just look at these quirky candle holders cast from tins and plastic bottles. It’s a great ode to upcycling.
Use concrete elements like these in a sleek modern setting combined with strong black and white pattern and light wood furniture.
The plastic bottle shaped candles at the bottom right of the picture illustrate the styling principle of working in threes beautifully. The rule is to work in an uneven number of elements grouped together, with threes being the most effective. Display them on different heights using vintage books with the central candle being at the lowest level. Again two of the candle holders are slightly overlapping each other with the third moved to the side for ‘breathing space’ in the composition.
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Prickly pairs
I think the barbed wire chandelier is simply stunning. It’s a great way of incorporating upcycling and design. Just be sure to wear gloves when hanging up this rustic monster.
As much as soft light plays on the senses so does smell. Why not combine the two by scattering mason jars filled with water, rosemary and lemon and a floating candle. Simple but very effective as it also keeps the bugs at bay.
I hope these styling tips will put a more positive spin on our current load shedding situation and inspire you to embrace your inner stylist. There’s one in all of us!
Happy styling,
