There’s nothing quite like coming home to a room that smells delicious. No, we don’t mean food because your housemate decided to actually cook a real dinner for once in his life. We mean candles. That warm hug a candle scent can give you is the bloody best.
Well, actually – you know what’s even better? A candle that not only smells fantastic, but looks so impressive it immediately ups the value of your apartment. Or at least makes your apartment seem like a rich, successful person lives in it. Here’s our pick of candles that are so visually lush, they double as sculpture. Almost.
Glasshouse Fragrances make a whole load of excellent candles, but their La Maison premium range are easily the prettiest. The modern, basically-art glass is glossy black, meaning it works in any home, and looks particularly A+ on a sideboard or hall table.
Using earth-friendly coconut wax and solid copper vessels, Cocolux candles make a pretty swish statement on your bedside table, or wherever you pop ’em. The copper vessels have specifically been designed to be reusable, so once you’re done with the candle, you can fill yours with flowers, makeup brushes… or even just keep it as decor.
Damselfly basically broke the internet with their “My love is like a candle. If you forget me, I’ll burn your fucking house down” quote candle (it got ‘grammed by none other than The Fat Jewish), and while not all their offerings are luxe, they do make some beautiful pieces – like their recent weddings range above. If you’re into positive statements (or lol ones) you absolutely need to spend your entire paycheck on their web store.
SOH Melbourne make the most minimalist candles we’ve ever come across – their copper and plain matte vessels mean they make a distinct statement without taking over your home aesthetic, and the scents were created in partnership with a French fragrance expert.
Arguably the most famous of chic candle brands, Maison Balzac absolutely nail the whole refined fragrance x beautiful vessel combination. Their signature look is opaque glass with bold text in varying colours, but they’ll also go against the grain depending on the candle – their L’Obscurite candle is housed in a matte black vessel, for example.
If your interiors style is more bohemian than minimalist, Voluspa has you covered. Their intricate glass vessels come in a range of gorgeous, jewel-toned colours that’ll look right at home amidst some crystals and all your overseas travelling treasures.
Another incredibly well-known luxe candle brand, Diptyque are famous for their painfully chic scents – seriously, they’re like nothing else, and each is as ultra cool as the next. Baies is the one people go the most nuts for – a lush mix of blackcurrant and rose.
Yes, designer Bella Freud is related to Sigmund Freud. She’s his great-granddaughter, to be specific. But she’s also a very famous London-based fashion lord who’s statement jumpers have been worn by celebs like Lily Collins and Carla Bruni. Her range of candles, which complement her fragrance collection, are all housed in art-worthy vessels you’ll absolutely want to re-use once you’re done with the actual wax.
Got a side hustle project involving candles? Maybe you’ve created an item worthy of this list. Whatever it is, you should enter our comp c/o Set for Life – you’ll win $5k to go toward your side-hustle, plus a luxe weekender in Sydney where you’ll meet ultra boss lady Eleanor Pendleton of Gritty Pretty.
Image: Instagram / @cocolux_australia.
