Scented Candles

Luxury scented candles inspired by the world's libraries and its most storied destinations.

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A Candle for Every Room: How to Choose and How to Style

Choosing a luxury candle for the home begins with the room and the mood you want it to hold. For the living room, a warm, enveloping fragrance such as the Cigar Library candle, with allspice, rose, cedarwood and tonka, or the amber and cedar of a wood-paneled library, sets the tone for conversation. For the bedroom, choose softer notes: atlas cedar and clove settling into bourbon vanilla, or the wild fig and tonka of Mykonos. In the kitchen or dining room, the basil, tomato leaf and amber of Tuscany sits naturally beside the table, while eucalyptus and sage from Tulum bring a spa-like calm to the bathroom. For an entrance or a larger open space, the large 3-wick Ibiza candle carries bergamot, lemon and green apple further. Placed on a stack of books, a console or a nightstand, the amber glass vessel and the ceramic vessel become part of the room's styling, and the fragrance becomes part of its memory. If you are undecided, choose by place with our Travel Candles: a city you love, or one you plan to visit.

 

What Do They Smell Like: The Anatomy of the Scent

Assouline's home fragrance collection captures the essence of libraries and destinations, composed with expert perfumers from notes of leather-bound books, antique wood, crisp paper and smoky tobacco, and from the atmosphere of breathtaking destinations. Every candle unfolds in three layers. The top notes are the first impression: bright and light, such as the yuzu and clementine of Marrakech or the spiced rum and cypress of the paper-scented library candle. The heart notes emerge as the top notes fade and define the fragrance's true character, from leather and cashmere to jasmine and cedarwood. The base notes are the lasting presence: warm and deep, such as sandalwood, vanilla, patchouli, palo santo or black amber, lingering long after the flame is out. This layered structure is what separates luxury scented candles from a simple single-note scent.

 

Care, Use and Materials

Each candle is poured in a fine wax blend: soy, coconut and paraffin wax in the signature amber glass vessels, and vegetable rapeseed oil and paraffin wax in the glass vessel of Morocco Kingdom of Light. Both offer approximately 50 hours of burn time. On the first lighting, let the wax melt to the edge of the glass so the candle burns evenly. Trim the wick to about a quarter of an inch before each use, keep the flame away from drafts and burn for no more than a few hours at a time. When not in use, store the candle in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and moisture, with the lid or box protecting the fragrance. Cared for this way, a luxury candle keeps its scent from the first burn to the last.

Frequently Asked Questions

Look at the fragrance structure, the wax and the vessel. A quality candle lists distinct top, heart and base notes, uses a clean-burning wax blend and comes in a vessel you would be happy to keep on display. Then choose the scent by room and mood: warmer notes for living spaces, softer notes for the bedroom, fresh green notes for kitchens and bathrooms.

Give each room its own fragrance rather than one scent throughout, and light candles where people gather: the coffee table, the dining table, the bedside table. Pair a candle with the books beside it, keep flames low and steady, and choose a larger 3-wick candle for open-plan spaces.

Each candle offers approximately 50 hours of burn time. Trimming the wick and allowing a full melt pool on the first burn helps the candle last its full life.

For the bedroom, softer notes such as cedar and bourbon vanilla or wild fig and tonka. For the living room, warmer and more enveloping fragrances such as the Havana lounge candle or the amber and cedar of a wood-panelled library.

Trim the wick before each use, burn for a few hours at a time, keep the flame away from draughts and store the candle in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

The best candles for home decor are the ones that hold their place when unlit. Look for a vessel that reads as an object in its own right: the amber glass of the Assouline candles, or the ceramic vessel, sits naturally on a stack of books, a console or a mantel and stays part of the room between burns. Then match the fragrance to the space it will occupy, warmer woods and amber for living rooms, softer notes for the bedroom, so the candle decorates the room by scent as much as by form.

For a cozy atmosphere, a single-wick candle is the natural choice: at around 3.3 inches wide, it suits a night stand, a side table or a desk and fills a smaller room without overwhelming it. Choose warm, enveloping notes, such as cedar and bourbon vanilla, leather and tobacco, or the allspice, cedarwood and tonka of the Cigar Library candle, and light it where you settle in for the evening, beside a book or a favorite chair.

For the culture connoisseur