The Best: Unique Candles
Scouring the Internet for unique candles and sharing my sources and findings
The selection of decorative candles reviewed below.
In this series I pick a specific home decor category, identify promising options, and do a comparison to find the best – what’s good quality, what’s worth the money and what will add a special touch to your home.
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Unique candles are a decorative item that punches above their weight. Whether used to create ambiance on a table setting or to add a decorative touch to a side table, a good candle exudes personality without costing a lot. The only downside is that they’re ephemeral and need to be replaced as often as you use them. (I suppose, technically you can preserve them forever if you don’t burn them, but that’s no way to live! Here at Sense of Spencer, we believe nice things are meant to be used.) Herein lies the challenge: finding an easy and affordable way to restock unique candles.
I am always on the hunt for good candle sources. I have found many candles I adore in my travels particularly in England and Italy, but it has been tricky to locate anything that comes close to that quality back home. I invariably find well-made candles that are outrageously expensive, or knockoffs that are affordable but low quality.
There is a real craft to candle making and decorating that is best done by hand. Over the years I have noticed various candles on Etsy, where you can buy directly from someone who put their heart and soul into making something special. So, I decided to order some candles from there and some other places and conduct my own trial. I’m sharing my results in the hopes I can shine a light (no pun intended, I swear!) on a great candle you might not otherwise have found or taken a chance on, and maybe will become your new go-to source.
Criteria for Assessing Candles
Here’s the criteria I was using to narrow down candles and eventually make my selection.
Convenience - the candle must arrive fairly quickly without a ton of hassle (ie; international shipping).
Uniqueness - it can’t just be a plain taper; there has to be something special to the design.
Value - it has to be worth the money; more unique candles are generally more expensive, but there’s a limit to how much you want to pay for something that’s going to melt away!
Unique Candle Categories
There are so many ways a candle can be unique, so I focused my search on these categories.
Hand Painted - Taper candles painted with a pretty design like a flower or fruit
Sculptural - A candle that is sculpted into a shape, perhaps inspired by nature or architecture
Marbleized - A taper candle that looks like it’s decorated with swirls of color
Spiral - A taper with a spiral built into the shape
Some favorite candles sourced in Europe include a spiral taper available in a rainbow of colors and an orange marbleized taper.
Sense of Spencer’s Candle Comparison
Hand Painted Candles
What I ordered: Yellow Floral Design Hand Painted Taper Candles (Etsy)
What drew me to them: I was attracted to the cheerful color and the floral design. I liked how the green vine with yellow flowers covers a lot of space on the candle. The store Terry’s Talents clearly puts a lot of care into what they do, and I could tell they would appreciate the business.
My review
Price: $17.00 for a pair of 10” tapers (also available in 6” for the same price). Total was $17.00 – shipping was free. This is a really good price; in comparison, I’ve seen other hand painted candles for double or triple the price.
Quality: The painting is very lovely though fairly simplistic. Truth be told, the candle itself is a generic store bought one, on the shorter side (standard is 12”). I got white, and it’s a very stark white — it’s also available in ivory, which might be a little warmer and premium feeling. The candle fits easily in a standard candles holder.
Logistics: Order went out the next day. It was sent via USPS and arrived 6 days later. I got a thank you note from Terry when I made the order, and another message confirming the order went out and assuring me that they wanted me to be totally satisfied with my purchase. The note also included a helpful reminder to keep the wick trimmed to ¼” at all times for best results. The candles arrived very securely packaged in a box with bubble wrap.
Verdict: I would definitely recommend this design. There are other options out there with a bit more painterly feel (shading, more detail) and slightly more sophisticated design, but I don’t think it’s worth the extra price for what they are (see below for examples).
Alternative Options
These are other candles I looked at but have yet to try myself.
Pink Lily of the Valley Hand Painted Taper Candles, Set of 2, $54.00
Evening Hydrangeas Hand Painted Taper Candles, Set of 2, $52.00
Set of 2 Flower Garland Hand-Painted Taper Candles, $37.50
Set of 2 Lemon Tree Hand-Painted Taper Candles, $37.50
Sculptural Candles
What I ordered: Asparagus Tapers, Yellow and Purple (Etsy)
What drew me to them: I was charmed as soon as I saw these candles. Designed to look exactly like asparagus, they could not be a more perfect candle for spring. I figured I could have a lot of fun creating a tablescape with these – for instance, using these as candles, then arranging live vegetables on the tablecloth (like this table by Kathy Graham).
My review
Price: $20 per pair. I ordered two pairs, and the total came to $54.17 including shipping. I think this was a fair price given the craftsmanship; the shipping inflated the costs, but buying more helped to offset it.
Quality: The detail is really amazing – it looks just like real asparagus. No wonder, the small studio run by a father and his two sons model the candles after real vegetables. You can smell the beeswax indicating the quality of the candle itself. The taper on the bottom is a thoughtful touch to ensure it fits in a candle holder (it did stick out above the opening of my candle holder, so I shaved the bottom of the candle, and now when it’s in the holder, I cannot see it). Both the yellow and purple colors appeared almost exactly as shown in the image.
Logistics: The candles were shipped two days after ordering and arrived three days later via FedEx. I contacted them because I made a mistake with my order, and someone replied right away and addressed it. They also sent a shot of their growing asparagus crop! The packaging was very secure, and it was a nice touch that the candles were cushioned by wood shavings, which I assume came from their studio.
Verdict: These candles delivered the uniqueness and craftsmanship as promised. As a result, it does not feel kitschy but rather like an unexpected and charming decorative element for a table or tucked into a bookshelf. Plus, I could really feel the love and care in what they do.
Alternatives Options
These are other candles I looked at but have yet to try myself.
Sculptural Candle (3 options), $32.00
Specialty Beeswax Candle, $67.00
Loewe, Luscious Pea scented candle, 330g, $120
Marbleized Candles
What I ordered: Marbled Candles, Southwestern Color (Etsy)
What drew me to them: I’ll admit, there were very few options to choose from on Etsy or elsewhere, but this Etsy store clearly specializes in marbleized candles, so that reassured me. I liked how the colors were very clear and vivid. It also seemed promising that the store says all orders are custom hand marbled to ensure the highest quality of craftsmanship.
My review
Price: $18.95 for a pair of 10” tapers ($20.95 for 12” tapers; $25.95 for 14” tapers). Total came to $25.08 with shipping. More than fair price for the candles and shipping.
Quality: I’m not sure how the marbling effect is applied, but it appears very smooth with only slight unevenness up close. The colors are quite bold so they’re good for adding a pop of color to a fun and festive table setting.
Logistics: The order shipped the next day. It was shipped via USPS and arrived four days later. They were the only candles to come in a bag, but they were wrapped well though not particularly thoughtfully.
Verdict: This is a fabulous candle for summer. You can embrace the boldness and use them to decorate a table outside or build around them to create an over the top thematic tablescape. The 10” did seem a little small, so I might recommend going with the standard 12” size.
Alternatives Options
These are other candles I looked at but have yet to try myself.
Blue Obsession Marbled 10" Taper Candles, Set of 4, $75.00
Buy at Chairish
Golden Pastel Taper Candle Set, $34.00
Spiral Candles
What I ordered: Handmade Spiral Taper Candles, Baby Pink (Amazon)
What drew me to them: Quite simply, I decided to give these a try because they were available on Amazon for a good price and easy delivery. I was skeptical about their quality, but I figured if they were even a fraction as good as the spirals I have found in Europe, then this is a good option for restocking in between visits.
My review
Price: $17.99 for a set of 4 with free shipping via Amazon Prime. At $4.50 apiece, this was by far the cheapest candle I purchased.
Quality: Despite claiming to be handmade, they did not appear to be, or at least not a high quality version (the label read Made in China). There was a very obvious seam that runs along both sides, so if you catch them at the wrong angle, they look pretty unattractive. Another big issue is that the base of the candle did not fit in standard candle holders. I had to shave it down, and even then it was not stable, and in fact one of them fell out (luckily not lit) and shattered on the ground. The candle itself felt very rigid so it was clearly not made of beeswax.
Logistics: Like most orders shipped via Prime, it arrived seamlessly and on time. The candles arrived securely wrapped in a box, but it felt like any other anonymously made good.
Verdict: You get what you pay for. The only reason I would recommend these is for the price and if you needed a large quality, say for an event, where the lights would be dimmed, and you couldn’t see the flaws up close. But then there’s the problem of how they don’t fit into candle holders. So it’s probably not worth the savings in the end.
Alternative Options
These are other candles I looked at but have yet to try myself.
