Making a House a Home:: One {Less} Candle at a Time

Nesting is in my nature.  I want my residence to be inviting and cozy. I want people to walk into my 900 Square Feet of Rented Real Estate and say, "wow, you've done such a great job making this a home!"  {Someone actually said that to me on Sunday!}  I need it to be my favorite place for weekend coffee lounging, and, Wednesday night wine drinking.


While many components are necessary to pull this off, I am a believer in the power of the candle. In fact, I have been going back to this shot for over a year.  It embodies the romantic, cozy, warm feel I am always craving.  But, it has taken me awhile to successfully pull off a candle collage.  You see, I used to be addicted to the pillars of wax.

When I first made my candle tray I completely over did it.  I filled my tray with 10 candles.  I thought this would ensure a full glow that rivaled any romantic Valentine's Day release.  I was SO, SO wrong.  Instead, it over melted and ended up ruining half of the candles.

The wax drowned the small, low candles.
The lower candles stripped away half of the tall siblings.
It was brutal.
Things got ugly.
Money was wasted.
Lessons were learned.

When I finally got the very last moments of light out of the remaining soldiers, I decided to approach the project differently.  Same tray.  Less candles.

I picked up this 5-pack of candles because of the varied sizes, consistent color and lack of scent.

And spaced them out.

And now, they can all melt, glow, and radiate, in harmony.

 All Photos by Meredith Davison for Martha Chartreuse