There’s something quite magical about scent. One moment you can be walking past a familiar fragrance, and suddenly you’re transported back to a favourite memory, a special place, or a certain time of year. That’s because our sense of smell is closely linked to the part of our brain responsible for memories and emotions, which is why the right fragrance can completely change the feeling of a room.
Here at Melt, we’ve always believed that luxury scented candles are about so much more than just making your home smell beautiful (although that’s certainly a lovely bonus!). While choosing a candle is absolutely important, where you place it can make just as much difference. The right position lets the fragrance travel around the room, helping you get the most from every burn.
So, whether you’re lighting a candle while curling up with a good book, running a relaxing bath, or enjoying a quiet evening at home, here are some of our favourite places to position your scented candles to help you get the very most from them.
The living room
The living room is often where the cosiest moments happen. It’s where you relax after a full day out and about in the sun, and it’s finally cool enough, where the same Christmas films are watched for the hundredth time, and where conversations carry on long after the cups of tea have been polished off.
As it’s usually one of the larger rooms in the home, choosing the right spot for your candle can really help the fragrance travel. Placing your candle on a coffee table, sideboard, shelving unit, or fireplace surround gives the scent plenty of room to move around the space. If you have a larger living room, you might even find that placing two candles in different areas helps create a beautifully balanced fragrance throughout the room.
For those comforting evenings at home, we love richer scents that wrap around you like your favourite blanket. We find that sandalwood-based candles, like our Saddle and Noir, bring a beautifully deep and sophisticated atmosphere that’s just so easy to sink into. At the same time, you can’t go wrong with vanilla-based scents like Cashmere and Angel, which add a soft sweetness that instantly gives any room that “I’m home!” feeling.
There’s nothing quite like the gentle flicker of candlelight, your favourite drink in hand, and a beautiful scent filling the room.
In the bathroom
Bathrooms are always an interesting one. It might not be the first place you think of when it comes to scented candles, but they can be one of the most wonderful places to enjoy them. After all, there’s something very special about turning an everyday bath or shower into a little moment of luxury. After all, it’s often the simple pleasures that make the biggest difference to your day.
Because bathrooms are often smaller spaces, you don’t need to worry about using a particularly strong fragrance or filling every corner with candles. Instead, think about placing your candle somewhere open, such as on a bath tray, shelf, or countertop, where the fragrance can gently spread around the room (and you won’t accidentally send it clattering to the ground).
Fresh, uplifting scents work beautifully here, helping to create that clean and peaceful feeling we all love. Citrus and floral fragrances are our favourite here, Dance and Hush being perfect examples. Dance brings a bright burst of sparkling freshness if you like your power-showers with a side order of get-up-and-go (or should we say get-up-and-dance).
In contrast, but equally as beautiful, Hush is a fragrance that whispers instead of shouts. She’s a gentle, chalky floral that is as easy to get along with as your best friend. No sharp edges, nothing to make you think too much, no agenda …just comfortingly there.
The bedroom
There’s something extra special about a candle glowing softly in the bedroom. It’s the one room in your home that’s truly just yours, where you can truly slow down, switch off, and leave the day behind, making it the perfect place for a carefully chosen fragrance that you love.
For the best experience, you can try placing your candle on a bedside table, dressing table, or chest of drawers and see what works best. Our favourite part about candles in the bedroom is that not only do they fill the room with the most wonderful scent, they also create that beautiful warm glow that flickers against the walls and makes an evening feel a little more special.
When it comes to bedrooms, we firmly believe you should pick what you like regardless of the scent profile because this is your space. But if you’re asking what we love, it’s scents that are calm, relaxing and lull you softly into the sheets. If this sounds a bit like you, may we recommend delicate florals.
Still, More, Love and Neroli and Rose Geranium are our top picks, but don’t be fooled; we could easily choose another five or six to add to this list!
In the kitchen
The kitchen is already home to some of the most delicious scents the house has to offer, from freshly baked cakes and warming spices to Sunday roasts and comforting homemade meals. So, in this case, choosing the right candle and placement is all about complementing those lovely natural aromas rather than competing with them.
If your kitchen is also the place where everyone ends up, a scented candle can be the perfect finishing touch. Try placing one on a kitchen island, dining table, or open shelf where it can add to the atmosphere while you’re enjoying a meal, catching up with friends, or pottering around at home on a Sunday morning.
For the kitchen, we love Blush, with its malted vanilla notes perfect for bringing that freshly baked feeling without needing to turn the oven on, or if you prefer a crisp lemony, or even a bit spicy scent, Rich Cream does it perfectly.
A little reminder before you light up
Wherever you choose to place your candle, remember that a few small things can make a big difference. Keeping candles away from draughts helps them burn more evenly; trimming the wick keeps the flame at the perfect amount of flickeryness; and placing them somewhere open gives the fragrance the best chance to travel around your home.
And, of course, always remember candle safety. Never leave a burning candle unattended, and keep the flame away from curtains, lampshades, and any other fabrics. We’d also recommend keeping them safely away from curious little hands, wagging tails, whiskered explorers, and anything else in your home that likes to investigate things it probably shouldn’t!
Once all the safety boxes are ticked, the most important thing is to enjoy it! These are some of our favourite ways to use our luxury scented handmade candles, but fragrance is such a personal thing. The perfect scent is the one that makes you smile, brings back a memory, or simply makes your home feel a little more like you.
Whether you’re creating a cosy evening in the living room, a relaxing bathroom escape, or a peaceful bedroom retreat, you’ll find plenty of beautiful fragrances to explore right here on our website. Or, if you’d like to experience them for yourself, why not pop into our Little Shop on the Farm? We’d love to see you and help you find the scent that feels just right.
