Setting a mood takes careful planning, from the lighting in the room to the colors you have chosen and the accessories you use.
Scented candles can make all the difference in the world when it comes to transforming your living space into an exotic escape.
From tapers to tea lights and gels to jars, scented candles come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes to match any room and any mood.
Here are just a few examples of what scented candles can do.
The Warmth of Home The smells of home-baked goodness can transport anyone back in time to the days of their childhood, when mom had a hot apple pie in the oven or a batch of fresh cookies waiting.
Somehow these smells invoke a sense of safety and security.
Place candles around your house scented like French vanilla, warm cinnamon, brown sugar, and candied apples to inspire those same feelings of home.
An Ocean Escape Allow your imagination to carry you off to a tropical destination by scenting your rooms with the aromas of coconut, pineapple, mango, watermelon, and citrus.
Before you can help it, you will be humming Bob Marley tunes in your head.
A Garden Getaway The elegance of scented candles not only can fill your home with the sweet smells of nature, but your garden escape can be enhanced by them as well.
Whether you want to bathe your patio in decadent candlelight or prefer to bring the smells of your favorite garden escape into the indoors, you can find scented candles that will perfectly mimic your favorite flora and fauna.
Immerse yourself in rich fern scents, or wild jasmine.
Take a walk through the woods surrounded by the smell of oak, pine, wild moss, and clover leaves.
Or sit in a sunny garden filled with honeysuckle, hydrangea, freesia, orchid, and lilac.
Combine the scents with those of fresh fruit such as citrus, and you will have a melody of invigorating scents to ignite your senses.
The Romantic Interlude The soft glow of candles enhanced by bewitching aromas sets the stage for your most intimate moments.
Bask in the glow of rich musk and patchouli, cloves, rose petals, and the more understated yet equally intriguing sandalwood.
The indulgence of such sensual aromas is intoxicating.
Freshen the Nursery There are a variety of candles designed specifically to eliminate odors.
A strategically placed candle near the changing table or diaper disposal may just do the trick to keep the baby's room smelling fresh and new.
You can even enhance the wondrous scent of baby powder with candles that smell just like the real thing.
Aromatherapy Some scents are just good for your physical and mental well-being.
Eucalyptus, mint, and sage are not only refreshing for your mind, but can help cleanse your sinuses as well.
Use these scented candles to help rid yourself of allergy symptoms or to clear your head when you have a cold.
Candle Sense When deciding where to place your candles, or how many to use, take into consideration the other design elements you are using.
If you already have soft lamp light or are placing the candles in a bright room, you may only need one or two to punch up the scent.
If, however, you are going for total romance or are using the candles in a dark location, you may choose to place many candles around the room - perhaps a dozen or more.
Always remember to place the candles in areas where they will not accidentally get knocked over.
Sturdy holders designed specifically for the candles you are using, placed on a flat, solid surface or securely anchored to the wall are your best bets.
Do not place them where the flame could ignite fabrics or curtains, and never leave burning candles unattended.
Ensure there is enough air flow surrounding the candle, but do not burn the candle in a draft.
Doing so will cause the candle to flicker and produce soot.
Trim your candle wick to ¼-inch each time you burn the candle.
When you light the candle for the first time, burn it for one hour for each inch of diameter of the candle.
For example, your first burn with a 4" candle would be four hours.
Do not re-light the candle until it has completely cooled.
This initial burn will ensure your scented candle burns evenly and continues to give off the most potent scent.
If you do not follow this procedure, the candle may burn down the center, inhibiting its ability to provide scent to your room.
Always use a wick dipper to extinguish your candle.
Simply blowing it out can cause the wick to smoke, disrupting the scent you were trying to achieve in your room.
A great alternative to burning candles is to use a scent burner.
Chips of scented wax or small, pre-formed shapes of scented wax can be placed in the burner.
They melt into a pool and provide luscious scent for hours of enjoyment.
Burners throw off a great deal of scent, making it easy to create your mood with minimal effort.
Whatever mood you wish to create, try one of these tantalizing ways to punch up the power of scent in your home.
Play around with various combinations until you find the perfect scent to carry you away like smoke on the night air.
Scented candles can make all the difference in the world when it comes to transforming your living space into an exotic escape.
From tapers to tea lights and gels to jars, scented candles come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes to match any room and any mood.
Here are just a few examples of what scented candles can do.
The Warmth of Home The smells of home-baked goodness can transport anyone back in time to the days of their childhood, when mom had a hot apple pie in the oven or a batch of fresh cookies waiting.
Somehow these smells invoke a sense of safety and security.
Place candles around your house scented like French vanilla, warm cinnamon, brown sugar, and candied apples to inspire those same feelings of home.
An Ocean Escape Allow your imagination to carry you off to a tropical destination by scenting your rooms with the aromas of coconut, pineapple, mango, watermelon, and citrus.
Before you can help it, you will be humming Bob Marley tunes in your head.
A Garden Getaway The elegance of scented candles not only can fill your home with the sweet smells of nature, but your garden escape can be enhanced by them as well.
Whether you want to bathe your patio in decadent candlelight or prefer to bring the smells of your favorite garden escape into the indoors, you can find scented candles that will perfectly mimic your favorite flora and fauna.
Immerse yourself in rich fern scents, or wild jasmine.
Take a walk through the woods surrounded by the smell of oak, pine, wild moss, and clover leaves.
Or sit in a sunny garden filled with honeysuckle, hydrangea, freesia, orchid, and lilac.
Combine the scents with those of fresh fruit such as citrus, and you will have a melody of invigorating scents to ignite your senses.
The Romantic Interlude The soft glow of candles enhanced by bewitching aromas sets the stage for your most intimate moments.
Bask in the glow of rich musk and patchouli, cloves, rose petals, and the more understated yet equally intriguing sandalwood.
The indulgence of such sensual aromas is intoxicating.
Freshen the Nursery There are a variety of candles designed specifically to eliminate odors.
A strategically placed candle near the changing table or diaper disposal may just do the trick to keep the baby's room smelling fresh and new.
You can even enhance the wondrous scent of baby powder with candles that smell just like the real thing.
Aromatherapy Some scents are just good for your physical and mental well-being.
Eucalyptus, mint, and sage are not only refreshing for your mind, but can help cleanse your sinuses as well.
Use these scented candles to help rid yourself of allergy symptoms or to clear your head when you have a cold.
Candle Sense When deciding where to place your candles, or how many to use, take into consideration the other design elements you are using.
If you already have soft lamp light or are placing the candles in a bright room, you may only need one or two to punch up the scent.
If, however, you are going for total romance or are using the candles in a dark location, you may choose to place many candles around the room - perhaps a dozen or more.
Always remember to place the candles in areas where they will not accidentally get knocked over.
Sturdy holders designed specifically for the candles you are using, placed on a flat, solid surface or securely anchored to the wall are your best bets.
Do not place them where the flame could ignite fabrics or curtains, and never leave burning candles unattended.
Ensure there is enough air flow surrounding the candle, but do not burn the candle in a draft.
Doing so will cause the candle to flicker and produce soot.
Trim your candle wick to ¼-inch each time you burn the candle.
When you light the candle for the first time, burn it for one hour for each inch of diameter of the candle.
For example, your first burn with a 4" candle would be four hours.
Do not re-light the candle until it has completely cooled.
This initial burn will ensure your scented candle burns evenly and continues to give off the most potent scent.
If you do not follow this procedure, the candle may burn down the center, inhibiting its ability to provide scent to your room.
Always use a wick dipper to extinguish your candle.
Simply blowing it out can cause the wick to smoke, disrupting the scent you were trying to achieve in your room.
A great alternative to burning candles is to use a scent burner.
Chips of scented wax or small, pre-formed shapes of scented wax can be placed in the burner.
They melt into a pool and provide luscious scent for hours of enjoyment.
Burners throw off a great deal of scent, making it easy to create your mood with minimal effort.
Whatever mood you wish to create, try one of these tantalizing ways to punch up the power of scent in your home.
Play around with various combinations until you find the perfect scent to carry you away like smoke on the night air.