Floating candles are just as beautiful as they are simple to use. By reflecting their light in water, they create a lovely, relaxing ambiance in homes, as centerpieces, or as eye-catching displays when you’re entertaining. You can even put them in an outdoor water feature to add the flickering glow of candlelight to an outdoor evening. In short, there's a plethora of ideas on how to use floating candles. The tips that follow are our favorites to create pieces reflective of your style, creativity, and goals.
Floating candles are just as beautiful as they are simple to use
By their very nature, floating candles are simple to use. All you have to do is arrange them as you see fit, light the wick, and watch as they gently float in the water. Or you can take things one step further by adding a few accessories that complement the rest of your decor. It’s easy to see why people like them so much: they’re beautiful and make for a great focal point when placed on an end table, centerpiece, or mantelpiece.
But what else do they offer?
You can use a floating candle in vases, bowls, and more
You can use a floating candle in any container, as long as the candle will fit in it. However, you will want to choose a container that is large enough to hold the candle while also leaving enough room for water around it.
For example, you can also use any combination of these containers:
- Floating candle vases are small and typically round-shaped, with openings slightly wider than the candle diameter. These versatile vessels can be used alone or grouped together as part of an arrangement; they're great for placing on tabletops or countertops.
- Floating candle bowls provide a much larger surface area than vases, and you can choose a depth that suits your needs. Floating candles can be striking in as little as ¼” of water or be used on the surface at any depth of water.
- You can also create your own container. Floating mason jars are perfect if you want something rustic yet modern-looking at once. They come in many different colors so there's no shortage here either — but remember that darker colors might cast strange shadows onto whatever surface lies beneath them during late evening hours when natural light sources recede.
A shallow container allows you to play with depth
Perhaps surprising, a shallow container gives you more opportunities to use depth to your advantage. Because the bottom of the bowl, vase, or dish is much closer to the surface, the addition of sunken accessories like glass beads or decorative pebbles are immediately visible. Bold colors can offset more neutral candle colors, and vice versa.
Accentuate your candles with decorative floating additions
In addition to elements that sink, like pebbles or glass beads, there are numerous accessories that can go on the surface of the water. Flower pedals, leaves, sprigs, and more can be used. The key is choosing the right elements for the season and event. For example, during the holiday season, a holly or fir sprig brings in sumptuous greens and reds. Summer displays could call for hydrangeas, weddings for roses, etc. If you plan to reuse the display or centerpiece again, consider faux options that can work repeatedly.
Create a striking centerpiece with multiple floating candles
Whether deep or shallow, a container with a diameter of 12” or more gives you room to get very creative and craft a floating candle centerpiece of elegance, energy, luxury, or anything else you can imagine.
When considering multiple floating candles, choose candles based on your style. If you're going for a more symmetrical, uniform feel, be sure to select candles with the same diameter. If you're creating an environment with more asymmetrical elements, mix it up with floating candles ranging from small (2 3/8") to medium (3") to large (8"–10").
Create unique ambiance and style with floating candles
As you can see from the tips above, there are many ways to use floating candles to bring unique ambiance and style to homes, events, and practically any environment. Explore the range of sizes, shades, and finishes available in our floating candle collection. Each one is hand-made in small batches through an over-dipping process that ensures a consistently high quality during the pouring process, and provides a slow burn that is smokeless and dripless.
At Creative Candles, we've been creating small-batch, artisan-made premium candles since 1961. By preserving the centuries-old art of candle making, we’re ensuring that the world has access to premium, high-quality candles that provide the perfect ambiance for any occasion.
