Candles can dramatically alter the mood and feeling of a room. Here's some tips on achieving great ambiance using scented candles in your space.

Imagine sitting outside on a warm summer night. You’re surrounded by friends, enjoying a brisk glass of golden sauvignon blanc, feeling the pine scented breeze flowing gently across your skin. Or maybe you’re cozied up inside on a gloomy day. Cool gray light softly filters in through the window, with that distinct smell of rain dancing across your nose. Smells are a big part of how we experience these moments, and you can recreate a similar ambiance with scented candles. Candles are symbols of celebration; we use them on top of cakes when celebrating a milestone, in spiritual ceremonies or vigils, for soothing and for healing. Candles produce a relaxing ambiance that is hard to replicate. Occupations like massage therapy and acupuncturists often use candles to create a more soothing and relaxing experience for their clients. Candles expand a space, they can help to create a wide variety of lovely ambiances to suit the mood and occasion. 

Scented candles are a great way to create a positive and calming atmosphere in your home or work space, and there are scents for every season and every type of weather. Some may enjoy a crisp balsam and cedar aroma during the months of December and January, creating the ambiance of a dewey forest. Spicy scents like cinnamon spice can bring warmth to a cold day in October. Refreshing and sweet scents like grapefruit, lemon or mint can bring the warmth and bright sunshine of summer inside your home. 

Massage therapists, beauticians and physiotherapists often utilize candles to help with relaxation. Candles containing essential oils such as lavender, eucalyptus, and lemon are especially beneficial when used in the practice. The scents of eucalyptus and lemon energize and relax the mind, and studies have shown that eucalyptus has properties which help sharpen focus, and are also great at improving air quality in a given space. Scents like lavender have been shown to help reduce feelings of anxiety and depression through aromatherapy. The scent is also beneficial for relieving headaches, and trouble falling asleep. Citrus scents like orange, lemon, and grapefruit can boost serotonin levels, and have been shown to increase positive feelings and moods. 

There are several factors to consider when using candles to enhance the ambiance of a space  First, determine how many candles you’ll need. Consider using 3 or 4 smaller candles gathered into clusters around the room. This will produce more light and make the room feel more inviting and comfortable. Next, think about which scents fit your mood and the vibe you want to achieve. Scents produce feelings of emotion as your brain recognizes a smell, and can trigger certain past memories to come up where that same scent was present. For example, the earthy, crisp smell of a cedar balsam candle may remind you of a rainy, Christmas morning as a child, surrounded by family as you laugh with one another. A fresh linen scent candle may remind you of damp, newly clean sheets being strung outside on the line to dry, as the summer sun shines on your face, and the breeze blows through your hair. Because of humans ability to associate smells with memories, It’s important to choose a scent that creates pleasant feelings for you and your guests.

As a last tip for creating ambiance with candles, don’t forget to change it up. Choosing candles based on how you’re feeling or your current mood is a great form of self care. Another good tip is to choose candles that compliment your living space. Elegant candles make a room look and feel more extravagant. While creating a beautiful and calming ambiance with candles is a pretty easy task, the way others feel in your home and the scents that are present are an important factor to keep in mind, too. Candles are a great accessory to add to any living space or home to create a calming and warm atmosphere.