When refreshing a space, don’t forget the often overlooked but incredibly important sense: smell. Our pick of the best scented candles includes chic single-molecule fragrances and heady blends of citrus and pine that evoke summer holidays by the sea. A beautifully designed vessel can also serve as a distinctive object in its own right, making a scented candle the ideal gift and a simple but impactful way to transform a room.
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1‘Lustre’ candle, Bethan Gray x 1882 Ltd.
Bethan Gray
Generous swipes of 22 carat gold make this bone china bowl gleam. It’s designed by Bethan Gray to house 1882 Ltd.’s first scented candle – a heady blend of sandalwood and amber.£225, libertylondon.com
2‘Callippus Aromatique’ candle, Aesop
Aesop
Trust the masters of everyday minimalism to come up with a beautifully spare vessel to hold their scented candle. Fresh, green top notes of Shiso are grounded by earthy, woody guaiacwood and frankincense. £80, aesop.com
3‘Organic Ylang Ylang’ candle, Skär Organics
Skar Organics
Certified organic wax and essential oils of lemongrass, ylang ylang and vetiver make for a clean, fresh scent that will fill a room with a subtle fragrance. We love the simple, understated vessel and recyclable packaging too. £40, skarorganics.com
4‘Underground’ candle, Tom Dixon
Tom Dixon
If ever there was a candle destined for a second life as a work of art, it’s Tom Dixon’s hand-spun brass design. Hand poured in the UK with 100% natural materials, its intense scent is shot through with ginger andcardamom. From £80, tomdixon.net
5‘The Alabasters ABD El Kader’ candle, Cire Trudon
Cire Trudon
The milky alabaster stone that contains this candle is the perfect substance to naturally filter light. The vessels are sculpted in Spain out of a single block, making each one unique. £170, trudon.co.uk
6‘Monk’ scented candle, Cyre
Glassette
Palo Santo and Frankincense Freana blend to create a calming, woody scent in this candle which sits in a ‘crumpled’ hand-blown glass vessel that will make a quiet statement on a table or mantlepiece.£69, glassette.com
7‘Road to Port Harcourt’ candle, Our Lovely Goods
Our Lovely Goods
Finding inspiration in the Our Lovely Goods founders’ Nigerian heritage, this candle contains a zingy blend of bergamot, vetiver and black pepper that’s guaranteed to liven up your living room. £50, ourlovelygoods.com
8‘Cubism’ candle, L’Objet
L'Objet
L’Objet’s sculptural design would look equally at home in a gallery as on a console table. The fine earthenware vessel holds a black wax candle with a vetiver, citrus and moss fragrance developed with perfumer Yann Vasnier. £203, l-objet.com
9‘Il Seguace’ candle, Ginori 1735
Ginori
This expressive face will bring a sense of character to a space, while the candle within fills the air with a floral, citrus fragrance of mandarin, bergamot, lavender and white flowers. £230, ginori1735.com
10‘Star Eye Inventum’ candle, Gucci
Matches Fashion
A room with this candle in it needs no other adornment. Made from Richard Ginori porcelain and decorated with a mystical Star Eye motif, it’s filled with a rose-scented wax that’s timelessly chic. £420, matchesfashion.com
11‘Augustine’ candle, Moro Dabron
The Conran Shop
When is a candle not just a candle? When it looks like Moro Dabron’s earthenware vessel, which is crafted in an English pottery and intended to be used as a vase or decorative piece once its life as a candleholder is over. £175, theconranshop.com
12‘Laura’ candle, Reflections Copenhagen
Reflections Copenhagen
Like a precious gem, this beautifully faceted amber crystal object will glow when the candle inside is lit, catching the sun and casting dynamic patterns where the light hits it. The tuberose scent enhances the feeling of Art Deco-style glamour. £281, reflections-copenhagen.com
13‘L’Oeuf’ candle, Maison Balzac
Maison Balzac
There’s something reassuring about Maison Balzac’s porcelain egg which holds their favourite rose-scented candle, Sainte T.Simplicity and elegance personified and the perfect receptacle for treasures once the wax burns down. £203, maisonbalzac.com
14‘Striped’ scented candle, Hay
Liberty
We love this stripy design from Danish design stalwarts Hay so much, it would hardly matter what the candle inside was like. Luckily it has a refreshing scent of mint leaf which will lift a room in an instant. £59, libertylondon.com
15‘Circe’ candle, Polkra x Katie Scott
Polkra
Botanical artist Katie Scott’s fantastical illustrations make her ceramic pots perfect for holding pens, pencils and make-up brushes, long after the candle wax has melted away. The scent evokes English summers with notes of black pepper, basil and cedar wood. £55, polkra.com
16‘Not a Candle’ candle, Juliette has a Gun
John Lewis
Think you don’t like scented candles? This one is for you. The fragrance is based around a single scent molecule – Cetalox – which gives a clean, minimalist scent. Ideal for making a space smell really good in an intriguingly understated way. £41.50, johnlewis.com
17‘Queen Idia’ candle, Liha
Crouchers
Liha founders Liha Okunniwa and Abi Oyepitan create clean, green products such as this candle which is handmade in small batches from vegan and ethically sourced ingredients. A sustainable coconut wax blend carries a soft, exotic floral scent with notes of geranium, frankincense, lavender and hibiscus.£32, crouchers.com
18‘Shimmer’ scented candle, Zaha Hadid
Matches Fashion
As bold and uncompromising as the visionary Iraqi architect herself, this crystal piece has a fluidity to it that will make it a striking centrepiece on any table. Notes of galbanum and moss create an intense green fragrance blend. £140, matchesfashion.com
19‘Tree House’ candle, Byredo
Cult Beauty
Known for the cult following that each of their fragrances inspires, Byredo has done it again with this scent, which captures the essence of a walk in the woods. £31, cultbeauty.co.uk
20‘Leather’ candle, Malin + Goetz
Malin & Goetz
Accentuate the atmosphere of a snug or library with this musky, woody blend that sits in a simple transparent glass holder. £46, malinandgoetz.co.uk
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