To me, lighting is one of the keys to making a home feel welcome. I’m always the one at our house flitting from room to room, adjusting the dimmers so it’s not too bright, not too low. Ahhh, just right.
The other key to a welcoming home, as any home cook will agree, is smell. I know realtors who will bake up a log of refrigerator cookies just before an open house so the home will feel more cozy.
The common denominator: kitchen candles. A little mood lighting, a lovely scent, and all accomplished without lifting a spoon.
But when I’m cooking in the kitchen, I’m not looking for candle fragrances that are too floral-y, too perfume-y or too musky. I want the smells emanating from my kitchen to blend, to reflect the deliciousness that is created at my cutting board, my stove and my oven. Smells of citrus, spices and herbs.
And so here my friends, is a round-up of some of my favorites.
Brut Champagne, Almonds and Oak Kitchen Candle, $29
Packaged in a box with where the lid slides open from a wax embossed seal, and is enveloped in a simple but extravagant sleeve, the packaging itself says “I like wine” even before the match has been lit. With a blend of brut champagne, almond and oak, the scent is pleasing but not overpowering. It’s just the right accompaniment to a some fine pecorino with crackers and a cold glass of bubbly in hand.
Williams-Sonoma Lemongrass Ginger Essential Oils Collection Boxed Candle, $20
Earth-friendly and paraben free, this scent from the venerable Williams Sonoma blends essential oils and Asian inspired herbal essences of lemongrass and ginger with hints of cedar. Clean, simple, minimalist.
Lafco Cilantro Orange Kitchen Candle, $55
Herbal notes of cilantro combine with orange and watercress to create a more fragrant candle for the kitchen, but one that complements, rather than overwhelms, your kitchen’s aromas. Bonus props for the glass container in my favorite color: orange.
Jonathan Adler Tomato Pop Candle, $38
True to every Jonathan Adler designed product, the packaging alone is a brilliant contrast in simplicity and bold design. The Pop collection of candles features several expected kitchen scents like Fig and Citrus, but the real stars come straight from the boutique grocer with flavors emulating Tomato, Yuzu, Black Tea Leaves and Earl Gray.
Diptyque Coriandre Candle, $60
The grande dame of what every candle wishes it would grow up to be, the French-made Diptyque Coriandre candle is a slightly peppery, aromatic coriander with a lively, purely natural, scent. Called “the master of home fragrance” it has a price tag to match. But oh so lovely.
Do you have a favorite to-die-for candle that graces your home? Let your fellow foodies know and comment below.
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This list is great, thank you very much for the suggestions! Some of them are already applied in our massage salon and they work quite well. Our customers are indeed pleased!
thanks
GOOD
Wow this is great list. I am buying few of them.
As a child, I remember my mother making her amazing spaghetti sauce when our house was on the market. There was always a pot simmering on the stove before a showing. I’m not suggesting a marinara scented candle ;) but it worked for my mom!