How To Light A Home With Candles (8 Bright Tips)
Don’t you just feel like candles in a home are so relaxing and romantic? After a stressful day, I love to just light up my home with candles, brew a hot cup of chamomile tea and read a book to relax. Wow, I just realized that I am a walking-talking cliché. It got me thinking that I should probably share some of the ideas I have on how to light up a home with candles.
Recently, I was talking to a friend of mine from across the globe, and she was explaining to me how they experience intermittent electricity shortages on a daily basis.
Imagine being without electricity every single day for hours at a time!
That has to be incredibly inconvenient and difficult to deal with, especially at night when you want to enjoy yourself at home.
Sitting in darkness isn’t really a good option, and buying expensive solar power systems isn’t an ideal solution for many.
The problem with most battery-operated lights is the fact that they run out of juice and the LED lights aren’t very inviting or warm.
It just so happens that candles provide warm, inviting, relaxing and cost-effective lighting in your home.
I feel like it makes sense to have candles in a home for aesthetic and practical reasons.
They’re affordable, they provide natural lighting that doesn’t mess with your body’s circadian rhythm and they can add a beautiful scent if you indulge in specific types of candles.
Table of Contents
Are Candles Toxic For Your Home?
Yes and no.
Unfortunately, the debate is still out on whether candles are toxic for our health.
What you need to know is that traditional candles are made of paraffin. This is a byproduct of crude oil refining which is obviously known to be unhealthy. It is true that paraffin-based candles have the potential to release toxins as they burn.
But, the good news is that the reason why it’s still up in the air is because the emissions from candles are tiny and there are ways to mitigate the negative effects of candles.
A simple and effective way to reduce the possibility of inhaling anything toxic from candles is to place them at a distance from you, preferably in well-ventilated rooms or with an air purifier.
Using an air purifier is a great solution to this problem, especially in smaller homes.
It protects you from the toxins and chemicals possibly emitted from candles with an air purifier.
Another way in which you can minimize any harmful effects of lighting a home with candles is to opt for more natural-based candles.
This is a popular list of alternative natural-based candles:
- Coconut wax
- Beeswax
- Palm wax
- Vegetable wax
- Soy wax
You can find a ton of these candles online and off, especially in home and decor stores. Also, health alternative stores are known to stock a variety of candles that are made from these natural wax alternatives with the added benefit of essential oils.
See also: 22 Best DIY candles you can make and sell
8 Tips On Lighting A Home With Candles
1. Use Scented Candles
Scented candles made with a good percentage of essential oils can light up your home and provide therapeutic scented benefits at the same time.
If you’re not too fussy about this stuff, then you can opt for scented candles that are fragranced with perfumes.
Get this delicious cinnamon apple-scented candle on Amazon
But, for people who are more inclined towards eco-friendly or natural alternatives, essential oil candles are amazing.
A home’s mood is set by decor, color, lighting and scent.
Keep this in mind when choosing candles to light a home.
See also: Types of Candle Scents (8 Most Popular Scented Candles)
2. Use Colored Glass Containers For A Variety Of Light Colors
Pair candles with colored glasses against walls to create a variety of tones and moods of light in your home.
This form of candle lighting can even be viewed as a feature piece in a room.
Imagine tones of red, green, lilac, orange, purple, pink and blue.
It’s a beautiful and creative addition to your home without costing you an arm or a leg.
3. Use Concrete Vessels Or Lanterns To Store Candles
I love concrete ornaments and vessels in a home.
Ever since minimalism entered the home decor space, we’ve seen an incredible rise in the usage of plain concrete decorations.
Concrete containers are not only incredibly strong and useful for storing candles, but they also have a simple, organic appearance.
Unlike glass, they’re a bit more resilient, especially in an environment with alternating temperatures.
Additionally, concrete doesn’t heat up to the touch like glass does, making it easier to handle and move around your home.
If you are looking for something more popular and more stylized, then metal lanterns look great and are incredibly durable while being safe for lighting a home with candles.
See also: What can I use instead of a candle holder? (10 alternatives)
4. Use Multi-Wicked Candles In Your Home
It is estimated that the average candle can burn for between 5 and 7 hours per ounce. That’s not bad at all, especially for single use.
If you’d like to extend the lifespan of a candle, it would follow that you could just buy a bigger or longer candle.
But, there are other ways to preserve the lifespan of a single candle while also increasing the amount of light in your home per candle.
For example, a 3-wick candle burns slower, brighter, and longer than a single-wick candle because the flame is distributed across the base of the candle. Thus, it melts more evenly rather than down the center, which usually pools and burns through most of the candle.
This is a great way to save money while lighting a home with candles.
5. Burn Candles Away From Drafts
To avoid a fire hazard, it is preferable to place candles away from windows or areas that have breezes or drafts in your home.
A breeze or draft has the potential to direct the flame towards something that could catch alight.
A strong enough draft may topple a container holding your candle, causing a fire.
6. Place Candles In Front Of Mirrors
It is an excellent idea to place candles next to mirrors or glass containers because the light will be reflected or refracted across your home.
Essentially, the flames from each candle will light up a greater surface area in your home simply because they’re placed near or in these items.
I’ve also found that you can direct the light from a candle to a specific angle across a room by actually using a mirror.
7. Keep Candles Away From Anything Flammable
Don’t place candles near carpeted or material-based surfaces to avoid the risk of causing a fire or even damaging these items.
It’s better to be safe than sorry, which is why it’s a good idea to place candles above, below, or on surfaces that are usually not flammable.
Also, don’t allow candles to burn when you are planning to sleep.
8. Keep A Fire Hydrant In Your Home
While we are on the topic of lighting a home with candles, it would be foolish of me not to advise you to have a fire hydrant available for immediate use.
As much as we can take precautions, there’s always the chance of something possibly happening, even if it seems completely improbable.
In the event that something could happen, it’s best to be prepared, which is why a fire alarm and a fire extinguisher are highly recommended.
Conclusion
I hope that from reading this article on how to light a home with candles, you end up designing a candlelight setup that adds a brand new level of natural warm lighting that is relaxing and easy on your eyes.
I’m sure that there are other benefits to reducing the use of blue light exposure, such as falling asleep faster and getting better quality sleep at night.
I’ll be sure to look into those things in the future and I will share my results with you.
Check out these articles if you’d like to see more lighting ideas like this:
