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Candle Scents by Room

by Magnolia
Published on June 10, 2024

A plant, candle, lamp, and painting above a dresser

Candles have a way of filling rooms with familiarity and a sense of home. Although a scent doesn’t make a space, it can help emphasize the best of what’s there and give a room an identity all its own.

Winding down for bed with freshly washed linens layered beneath you. Trimming fresh herbs in the kitchen. Or steeping green tea at day's end. A candle can be the finishing flicker, the scent that brings a scene together…at last. When it comes to candles, there are no rules. A variety of scents can suit any space, but, to help get you started, we’re offering a few suggestions on where to place our signature candles (and others) at home.

Why Magnolia Candles?

Each of our Magnolia-exclusive candles are crafted in the USA using a combination of phthalate-free fragrances and a proprietary blend of cosmetic and food-grade waxes. This, along with their natural cotton wicks, helps ensure a safe, clean burn.

The frosted glass vessels come in two sizes, 9oz and 26oz. The smaller size features one wick and is ideal for a shelf, side table, or desk—while the larger candle features three wicks and is great for a dining table, coffee table, or larger spaces.

Candle and decor on marble tabletop

Living Room

A living room is meant to be just that: lived in. Before guests pour through the door and circle around your coffee table, consider a candle. Lighting a wick about 30 minutes to an hour before hosting allows ample time for fragrance notes to release and disperse through the air, filling your home with an intentional welcome.

Our Stay a While Candle has elements that invite company to settle in and linger, like refreshing green tea and calming lavender. We recommend choosing the larger size (32oz) to help scent a larger space faster.

Ribbed wood nightstand with floral vase, picture frame, and candle

Bedroom

There’s hardly a better feeling than climbing into bed with fresh, clean sheets right out of the dryer. Our Linen Candle was the first Magnolia fragrance and nods to this simple moment of complete relaxation. It features light notes of lemon lime, cotton, and jasmine coming together for an aroma that smells akin to air-dried laundry on a sunny day.

Lighting a candle in your bedroom before making breakfast or shortly after dinner can create a soothing backdrop to your day, helping you ease in or out of your routines with comfort and familiarity.

Candle, lamp, books, and plant on table

Entryway

The outside, in. With scents that transition seamlessly into your home—like cucumber, thyme, and melon—our Greenhouse Candle inspires a warm welcome and lasting first impression. Choosing light, bright fragrance notes for an entryway or smaller utilitarian rooms, like a mudroom or laundry room, can make even pass-through spaces feel like a purposeful place.

Fully set dining table with large vase of flowers

Dining Room

Taper candles can add occasion-worthy ambience to time spent around the table, turning even a weeknight meal into a memory. The eye is naturally drawn to trios, so try centering a table with a cluster of three holders in a variety of shapes and sizes—or line the table with holders of varying heights. We like pairing candlesticks and holders with our hand-dipped tapers due to their linen-like, textured finish and smokeless, dripless burn.

Tip: If the taper is too small for your holder of choice, try warming the bottom of the candle with a lighter or match, then gently pressing into the base of the holder. Or, consider purchasing a wax or adhesive to help keep the taper in place.

Magnolia candle and matches on wooden stand

Kitchen

Each poured in a vintage-inspired mini crock, these exclusive candles were developed by Jo and the team with this scene in mind: You’ve just cleaned the kitchen after a delicious meal and light a candle to usher in the rest of a slow day at home.

The three candles in this collection are inspired by scents you might find in a flourishing backyard: honeycomb, citrus grove, and herb garden. Once the candle is finished, the vessel can also be repurposed to hold dish brushes, pens, pencils, and more around the house.

Three magnolia signature candles

How to Make Your Candle Last

We recommend trimming wicks ¼ inch before lighting for the first time. This helps ensure a safe, even burn and keeps your vessel free of soot. When trimming, it’s helpful to hold the candle upside down over a trash can so the wick pieces don’t stick to the wax.

It’s best not to burn your candle for more than two to three hours at a time. When you’re ready to blow out the candle, you can use a snuffer to extinguish the flame with minimal smoke output.

Vintage-looking candle snuffer
Two brown candlesticks
Vintage looking candlewick cutter
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Seasonal Scents, At Your Door

Our signature candles are year-round favorites, but we also have a lineup of scents that capture the best of every season. To ready your home all year long, consider signing up for our Seasonal Candle Subscriptions. One 9oz candle will be delivered to your door at the beginning of each season to help you welcome the time at hand.

Psst! If you have a scent you love, double (or triple) up on it with our corresponding diffusers and room sprays.

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