Why are we all so obsessed with candles? Candles might not change our surroundings, but they do change our experience of them
Here's my take on why I think we love them so much...
Home decorator Ammarah Hasham is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts infusing her rental house with plenty of personality. See the rest of her articles here.
One of my favourite school run rituals, whenever I have a bit of time to spare, is leaving a little early for pick up and spending those extra few minutes wandering around TK Maxx (which is dangerously close to the school). Yes, I consider myself very lucky.
That little pocket of me time, blissful in itself, is usually spent in one of the two places: the skincare section mooching around and discovering products I absolutely don’t need, or the candle aisle, sniffing my way through rows of scented candles and falling for the names long before I even have a chance to smell them.
Those few moments feel wonderfully indulgent in the middle of a busy day…
I have always been a bit of a skincare junkie, but candles? Candles are a funny little thing. At one point they were simply a source of light. Now we buy them because they smell like fig leaves, library books, cashmere jumpers and things that don't actually have a smell.
It reminds me of a quote that is often attributed to Thomas Edison: “We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles”.
Now, electricity may have missed that particular memo, but he may have had a point about candles. Not because candles remained a source of luxury, but somewhere along the way they became tied up with the idea of comfort, cosiness and a slightly admirable version of ourselves. And that is what I want to talk about today.
Why are we so obsessed with scented candles?
The visual appeal
Candles are incredibly easy on the eye. Before I even pick a candle, it's usually the colour, shape or packaging that draws me in.
I have always considered candles as tiny decorative objects that happen to smell nice. If one doubles up as decor and works with the rest of the room, chances are it is heading straight for the basket.
Oh, and don’t you agree that some candles feel too pretty to burn? Buying them purely for aesthetics, you know? Do you ever do that? If a candle looks more like a sculpture, I end up using it as a display piece rather than burning it.
But even unlit, they bring me joy.
The element of nostalgia
Perhaps one of the reasons we love scented candles so much is that fragrance has a remarkable way of stirring up memories when we least expect it.
Have you ever caught a particular scent and suddenly found yourself thinking about a moment tucked away in your memory? Unlike photographs, scent doesn’t just remind us of those moments. It reminds us of how those moments felt.
That is why, for many candle lovers, a scented candle is more than just wax in a jar. It is a journey back to a particular place, person or chapter in time. The candle itself may slowly disappear as it burns, but the memories and emotions it evokes tend to linger much longer.
It may also explain why candle descriptions are so wildly specific. On paper, names like Sunday Morning, Grandma’s Kitchen, Beach Walk and Velvet Rose make very little sense. Yet we’re drawn to them anyway.
We are buying nostalgia, beautifully packaged in a glass jar, carrying memories our brains aren’t ready to let go of.
The act of self care
As a child, I still remember the chunky pillar candles we owned. I would sit in front of them making animal shadows with my hands, watching my creations dance across the walls. I can still picture that soft, ethereal glow filling the room and remember being totally mesmerised by the flickering flame. There was something almost magical about it.
As cliché as it may sound, lighting a scented candle has become one of the simplest acts of self-care. It is a small investment in our wellbeing, a wholehearted acknowledgement that it’s time to slow down and let our minds and bodies relax. Perhaps that’s why I still find it all so comforting today. There is something about striking a match, seeing the flame flicker to life and sensing the room slowly become wrapped in our favourite fragrance.
In a world that constantly encourages us to do more, go faster and stay connected, candles invite us to pause. To breathe deeply. To drop our shoulders and watch the shadows dance across the walls.
The power of ambiance
Ever noticed how a harsh room seems to soften the moment a candle is lit? That’s what they do so effortlessly. They create ambiance.
A quick bath suddenly feels spa-like. A simple dinner for two feels more intimate. Even an ordinary evening spent reading a book on the sofa somehow feels more special.
Come to think of it, the room stays exactly the same. The laundry pile that needs folding is probably still sitting in the corner. Yet somehow, everything feels softer, cosier, more inviting, and, a little bit more put together.
Ambiance is one of those things that I’ve always found difficult to put into words. It’s hard to explain but impossible to ignore. You may not be able to put your finger on exactly what’s changed, but you can most certainly feel it.
Candles don’t change our surroundings, but they do change our experience of them.
Now do you see the real magic of candles? That’s why we keep coming back to them. They somehow convince us that our lives are just a little bit more put together when, in reality, we’re wearing old pyjamas and wondering what to cook for dinner.
And honestly, I’m happy to play along.
