Over the years, I’ve been heavily influenced by my husband’s appreciation of small beautiful home goods, specifically candles. Whenever we are home, there is usually a candle burning away in a corner of our living room or bedroom. When we have friends over, we have an extra candle burning in the bathroom to bring in a special touch. Candles not only make the home smell nice, but they bring in so much coziness. Whether the candle is lit or unlit, we think of candles as home decor objects, so we buy candles that are aesthetically minimalist that fit into our quiet home aesthetic. After many years of buying different candle brands, we have our favorites that we go back to again and again for different reasons.
Brooklyn Escapist by Brooklyn Candle Studio
My heart has a big soft spot for BCS because I’ve freelanced for this company over the years. You can say that could mean I’m biased, but they truly are one of my favorite candle brands. The candles are eco-friendly and soy wax-based, and the minimalist packaging fits right within our home. BCS has a few candle collections, but my favorite will always be their Escapist collection because of the minimalist look of the candle label screen printed directly onto glass. My favorite fragrances are Brooklyn and Catskills. I especially love Brooklyn because … I live here! I love the scent of leather mixed with orange and cassis. Takes me back to romantic nights out at small, cozy restaurants with a bar in Brooklyn. After the candles are completely burned, I love repurposing the vessels to be reused as serving glasses for iced drinks like coffee and matcha.
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No.4 by Maison Marie Louie
No.4 by Maison Marie Louie was, at one point, a candle that we got as a monthly subscription. Our friends considered this scent to be our signature home fragrance for a while. It’s such a warm, cozy and woody scent spiced with fragrances of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Tubereuse by Diptyque
Diptyque makes candles that have a strong throw, and who wouldn’t love the unique designs of their candle labels? We typically do not have strong floral candles at home, but this is one exception because it smells fresh and green, yet floral all at the same time.
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Laurier 62 by Le Labo
Laurier 62 by Le Labo is not a scent that I normally think we would like, but in smelling the fragrance for the first time, I could immediately detect rosemary, one of my favorite scents. Alongside rosemary, Laurier 62 also has spices like clove and cumin, bringing an exotic earthiness that invokes coziness in our home when lit.
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Ptolemy by Aesop
Who doesn’t know Aesop at this point? We have purchased a lot of Aesop products over the years, and we got so excited when Aesop started making candles. I love the vessels that the candles are poured into. They make great drinking cups to serve lattes once you’re done burning the candle. Aesop candles are not the cheapest, so we’ve only gotten a few Aesop candles over the years. We burn them occasionally which makes them much more special to us. Ptolemy is a candle that reminds me almost of burnt wood, a bit like incense. It’s a woody scent that feels meditative and cleansing.
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Sculptural candles by Andrej Urem
Andrej Urem makes striking, sculptural unscented candles. We don’t even burn these at home because we consider them as home decor objects to leave out. I’ve gotten a few of these to hand out as gifts, and they’re always well received by friends. I have put out these candles in display far more than I would like to admit especially when it comes to styling a photo for fun. My favorites are Lace and Milk!
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