Simple Ways to Decorate: Candles
There’s something about candlelight that settles a room, creating a level of calm that almost instantly washes over you, like a big sigh of relief. Or is it just me?! A small flame, a soft glow on a wall, that gentle moment of pause as you strike a match… it’s the simplest form of decoration, yet it transforms a space more than almost anything else.
And for me, natural wax candles, my absolute favourite being beeswax, are the heart of it.
Beeswax is one of those materials that feels inherently honest. Nothing synthetic, nothing overly processed — just a natural, renewable material made by bees, with that beautiful soft honeyed scent. Unlike paraffin, beeswax doesn’t pollute the air; it actually improves your indoor air quality as it burns, releasing negative ions that help clear impurities. So the ritual isn’t only cosy, it’s good for you and your home too.
But what I love most is how adaptable candles are. They’re not just for Christmas, or for autumn, or for dinner parties. They work in every season, every corner. You don’t need to overhaul your home to mark a shift, just add a little flame.
Here are some of the ways I style candles throughout the year, keeping everything simple, slow and very easy to recreate.
1. Use what you have
A jam jar, a wonky ceramic dish, a vintage mould picked up from a fleamarket — you don’t need special accessories. Wax is forgiving (in the most part), it can be cleaned off most hard surfaces once finished and candles can be a great way to create beauty in unexpected ways. Here I've used some lovely old metal pudding and madeleine cake moulds as candleholders/ accessories; the patina and imperfections make the light even softer and rather magical. I have a real thing for chrome details at the moment.
Taper candles work perfectly here, thin, elegant and subtle. Further below I've used our bestselling tealights.
2. Create a moment on a branch
This is one of my favourite little ideas: a single found branch, weighted or simply laid across a table, with clip-on candle holders and slim beeswax chime candles. It immediately feels sculptural and seasonal without shouting seasonal.
How perfect is this one I found in a neighbour's garden? It's little supporting foot is the exact height it needed to be, without even knowing what it was destined to be used for!
Our Antiqued Tree Clip Candle Holders are made exactly for this type of styling, with their adjustable candle bowl, you can pivet and straighten out your candle, even if the suurface you're clipping onto is uneven. I've paired them with the Beeswax Tree Chime Candles here.
Using a branch works for long supper tables, mantel styling, or even down the centre of a coffee table. I've now got this one on the back table in the shop, so if you're visiting soon, come admire that perfect, natural shape.
3. Let candles guide the light, not dominate the room
You don’t need lots. A cluster of three in different heights on a shelf is enough to shift the whole mood of a room. A tiny tealight on a bedside table. A single taper next to the bath. Keep the rest simple.
Beeswax in particular has a warm, rich glow that feels grounded — not overdone.
The quiet simplicity of this Wall Candle Holder means it fits in all interior styles and looks at home in so many rooms of the house. No wonder it's one of our most popular products.
4. Embrace the handmade
All the beeswax candles we stock are handmade in the UK using 100% British beeswax. The slight variations in colour, the natural bloom that appears over time, the way each one burns a little differently — that’s part of the charm.
They’re completely clean-burning, long-lasting, and they leave that soft golden scent in the air. Once you’ve used beeswax, you genuinely feel the difference.
These beautiful Cornish Beeswax Tree Candles are hand poured especially for us, just a few miles from the shop here in Cornwall.
Shop our full beeswax collection here.
5. Let candles become part of your daily rhythm
Light one while you make your morning coffee. Light one as you tidy the house at the end of the day. Light one before guests arrive, or just for yourself on a quiet evening.
Candles shouldn’t be saved for “special.” They make the everyday feel special.
A quiet kind of decoration
This whole blog series, Simple Ways to Decorate, is about keeping things simple — small changes, slow moments, pieces that adapt with the seasons rather than fight against them.
Candles are one of the easiest ways to bring warmth and life into a home without cluttering it. They work with any style, any palette, any time of year. Just a flame, a little pool of wax, and a calmer room.
If you’d like to explore the beeswax range — tapers, tealights, tree-shaped, hand-dipped dinner candles and more — you’ll find them all here:
→ Alice in Scandiland Candle Collection
