18-inch pillar candles have become a popular decor choice for creating an ambient atmosphere. With their impressive height and long burn time, these oversized candles make a dramatic statement wherever they are placed. From dining tables, to fireplace mantels, to ceremony altars, the decorating possibilities are endless. This comprehensive guide will walk through how to integrate 18-inch pillars into your home or event decor.
We’ll be covering everything from selecting the perfect pillars for your needs, to displaying them properly, to pairing them with complementary accents. By the end, you’ll be ready to decorate with confidence using these eye-catching focal points.
Determining Where to Use 18-Inch Pillar Candles
When deciding where to display pillar candles, first consider their purpose. Are they being used to anchor a tablescape? To line a staircase balustrade? To flank a fireplace? Once you determine their decorative role, consider placement.
Foyers, dining spaces, living rooms, and ceremonies are ideal locations to take advantage of their impressive verticality. For small groupings, mantels, console tables, sideboards and dressers offer prime real estate. Larger installations can be dotted along stair railings or placed at regular intervals to guide guests.
Key Placement Tips
- On dining tables as a bold focal point
- Flanking fireplaces to amplify coziness
- Lining staircases to define the path
- In entryways to create a welcoming glow
Once you’ve settled on a purposeful place to display your 18-inch pillars, use the following criteria when making your selections.
Selecting 18-Inch Pillar Candles
Color
When selecting pillar candles, color is key. Do you want them to disappear into the surroundings with a neutral hue? Or make a vibrant splash? For subtlety, choose creamy whites, ivories, and beiges. Feeling bold? Metallic colors like gold, silver and copper make flashy statements. Deep gem tones like ruby red and sapphire blue are equally stunning.
You’ll also want to consider how color factors into seasonal decorating. Creamy tapers suit Christmas palettes, while starfish coral and sea glass pillars sing of summer. No matter your color choice, scale it proportionately to the candle’s impressive size.
Scent
Another major pillar candle consideration is fragrance. Scented or unscented? The former infuses spaces in atmosphere-enhancing aromas. When selecting a fragrance, let location guide you. For open floor plans and entryways, light and fresh scents like bamboo, cucumber melon, and rain shower disperse easily. Smaller rooms can handle more potent fruity, spicy, and floral blends without overpowering.
Additionally, beeswax and soy wax pillars often have subtly sweet honeyed scents sans any added perfumes. Just take care to match fragrance strength to the room size. You want visitors remarks focused on ambiance, not aroma assault!
Other Factors
Don’t overlook other details like wax type, texture, and flame options. Do you prefer clean-burning soy wax or traditional paraffin? Smooth or textured exterior? Want to incorporate flameless into your decor? Address all these points when sourcing your 18-inch pillars. Once selected, it’s time to focus on presentation.
Arranging and Displaying 18-Inch Pillars
When it comes to pillar candle arrangement, creativity rules. Feel free to explore a variety of materials and methods for showstopping displays. From repurposed everyday items, to candle-specific stands, options abound.
Using Candle Stands
For quick and classic statement arrangements, pillar candle stands can’t be beat. Sophisticated metal stands in finishes like antique brass, oil-rubbed bronze and polished nickel make ideal partners to dressy dining tables, ceremony altars, and reception entryways. For more casual decorative schemes, carved wood, geo-patterned ceramic, or art glass bases infuse personality.
To achieve drama through quantity, multi-arm candelabras enable clustering numerous pillars together. Just take care to assess total weight and stability. Safety comes first when dealing with open flames. If desired, flameless pillar candles remove this concern for seamless worry-free ambiance.
Creative and DIY Displays
Those favoring distinctive DIY style need only look around the home for display solutions. Anchor pillars in hefty glass vases, terra cotta pots, galvanized buckets, and wide-mouth urns. Nestle them amidst ringed books, framed photos, and decor objects for an intentionally collected look.
For gatherings, cluster various sized pillars down table centers. Intersperse them with textural greens such as palms, ferns, and protea for organic appeal. You can also line multiple down stair balustrades to direct guests. Just take safety precautions like securing buckets of sand or water nearby in case of emergency.
Candle Safety Tips
While pillar candles hold less risk of tipping than taper varieties, open flames warrant caution. Follow these best practices for safe and responsible candle burning.
- Always trim wicks to 1/4 inch before lighting to prevent smoking
- Choose non-flammable candle holders made of metal, glass, ceramic etc.
- Place sufficiently out of reach from pets, children or combustible materials
- Never leave burning candles unattended
Extinguish candles whenever exiting a room or before retiring for bed. For added precaution, have fire suppression items like an extinguisher, sand bucket, or heavy throw blanket nearby. While open flames intrinsically bear a degree of risk, reasonable care minimizes any concerns.
Achieving an Ambient Glow
Properly placed pillars should bathe spaces in a warm, ambient glow. But to maximize their light effect, avoid competing illumination. Dim overhead lighting, particularly directional like sconces or chandeliers. Rely more on localized lamps, which can be adjusted accordingly. Intersperse multiple pillar points at calculated intervals to evenly fill darker corners and stretch flickering light.
This strategic placement transforms rooms by not overpowering their impressive presence. Allow their dancing flames to work some magic and note the transformed mood. Soon you’ll be searching for new locations eager to showcase their scene-enhancing charm even further.
Seasonal 18-Inch Candle Ideas
Another benefit of decorative pillars is their ability to completely change personalities with the seasons. Simply swap colors and scents to match shifting palettes and moods.
Warm autumn hues like amber, fig and cinnamon suit fall decor. Transition to festive creams, burgundies, and forest greens in winter. Welcome spring with pillars scented of jasmine, lilac and honeydew. Summer calls for relaxation, so try seaside inspired colors and fragrances like starfish coral, sun-drenched linen and coconut. With a simple seasonal switch-out, rooms reinvent themselves!
Hopefully this guide has illuminated the many possibilities and advantages of decorating with dramatic 18-inch pillar candles. From determining optimal placement, to selecting complementary accents, to using them safely, you now have all the tips for stunning success. So embrace their impressive versatility and make a habit of working oversized pillars into your decor all year long. Your spaces will thank you for the instant transformational magic.
