Candle Chandelier inside Mohammed Ali Mosque in Egypt

Interesting and Unique Candle Holders

Once you have discovered the joy of having flickering firelight and pleasant aromas filling your home through the use of candles, you will need to find creative ways to display them.

Candle holders come in a variety of shapes, sizes, materials, and colors. Some add whimsical touches to your home, while others are major items of décor. You may even have a lantern or chandelier that not only serves as a candle holder, but also works as your sole source of illumination for a room.

For the more spiritual, a candle holder may help you set the mood to pay homage to a lost one or send prayers to heaven on the smoke of a ritual candle.

You may prefer to display your candles discreetly, or highlight them as the centerpiece of a room. Whatever your preference, there is an abundance of beautiful, unique, or even quirky candle holders for you to use.

Candelabra

Some may immediately associate the multiple taper-holding candelabra with the Jewish Menorah seen so prevalently at Hanukkah. Others may associate the candelabra with ghost stories and haunted houses, lighting the way down cobweb-filled corridors.

The candelabra can also be a very elegant centerpiece or buffet piece, providing warm light to accompany a fine dinner. Another popular use for the candelabra is as a replacement insert for a fireplace. Rather than burn wood or gas logs, a warm and cheerful candelabra fills the void and lights up the room.

The candelabra is characterized by its ability to hold several candles at one time, usually long tapers. There is usually a smaller base or foot, then a raised pedestal holding the candles. Candelabra can be made from any material, but are most often seen cast in bronze or brass.

Pedestals

The pedestal is most often seen displaying one or many pillar candles. A pedestal can be as simple as a metal, wooden, or ceramic ring with the candle standing atop it. You may also see large, intricately carved pedestals holding enormous, multi-wick candles. The larger pedestals more closely resemble a piece of furniture than a candle holder, and can stand several feet high, or be small enough to sit on a bookshelf. Pedestals may be cast in metal, intricately carved wood, sculpted ceramic, or any combination. Using a pedestal is a dramatic manner of displaying candles.

Chandeliers

Not many people use candle chandeliers to light a room, but they can be found. More unusual chandelier candle holders are those formed of entwined antlers, and may be used in southwestern or log cabin style design.

Wall Hangings

A popular method of displaying tea lights or votives is by using a wall hanging designed as such. These are most commonly cast in metal and contain intricate designs. A votive or tea light wall hanging may hold only two or three candles, or allow for a blazing display of a dozen or more.

Fireplace Screens

Many beautiful fireplace screens can be found that hold votives or tea lights. You may see designs such as trees with intricate branches, dolphins swimming in a forest of kelp, birds nesting in a delicate tree, or any number of other artistic scenes. Fireplace screens normally hold half-dozen candles or so – just enough to add a little light to the room.

Lanterns

Most people associate lanterns with camping, but they originally were designed as candle holders. The lantern began as a utilitarian device to help people find their way down darkened paths and dim hallways.

Today, an old fashioned metal lantern with a candle rather than a bulb lends a sense of time gone by to entries, hallways, and windows. The flickering light encased in metal and glass can conjure vivid imaginings of the past.

Candle Holders

Artistic Holders

Some candle holders can be a work of art on their own. A brass tree splaying branches that hold candles rather than leaves, a brass palm tree and verdigris fronds cradling a votive at its center, or a spidery branch with candles rather than flowers, used as an intricate centerpiece all add an artistic quality to their surroundings.

Sculpted candle holders may take the shape of frogs or fish, birds or bears, moose or maidens. A well made sculpted candle holder more closely resembles a piece of fine art than an accessory.

Whimsical Holders

If you would rather your candles make a statement than blend with their surroundings, there are hundreds of bright candle holders you can buy.

Glass holders may be shaped like hearts or stars, colored or clear, or may be made by forming bits of colored glass into brilliant mosaics.

Metal candle holders can be nickel, tin, brass, bronze, and may come in all shapes and sizes.
Carved wooden holders may bring a touch of the woods into your house, shaped like trees, pine cones, or forest animals.

Holidays have themed candle holders. Hearts, bunnies, pumpkins, ghosts and goblins, jolly Santa’s and prancing reindeer are all waiting to light your home for the holiday seasons.

You can use candle holders to announce your favorite sports team, your favorite television character, or even your favorite beer. Whatever your mood or your fancy, there is a candle holder to fill the bill.

Pairing the right candle holder that fits your attitude, mood, décor and spirit with an appropriately matched and scented candle can create a design element that pulls the entire room together. Experiment with candles and candle holders in your house or on your patio and see how much they can improve the appearance of any living space.