Six Alternatives to Your Basic Diptyque Candles
Follow enough design blogs and soon you’ll start to wonder: Why does every “tasteful” home seem to have the same Diptyque (or Le Labo or Cire Trudon) candle? In this day and age, when even our most private quarters can become public, it’s easy to fall into groupthink, but there are chic candle options out there that haven’t appeared on every blog or Instagram. Read on for a few that will make you the envy of all your followers.
The Japanese lifestyle brand was founded in 2009 and includes personal fragrance, grooming, and clothing care, but our favorite is the home fragrance selection, which includes the Evelyn candle—a fruity concoction that smells like a juicy Kasugai grape gummy. $53; hypebeast.com.
The Christmas candle (Lait d’ épices, or, spiced milk) from this French house captures the spirit of the season with a rich blend of hazelnut, cinnamon, and vanilla. It’s tasty enough to burn all year round. $66; ex-nihilo-paris.com.
These soy-based candles are made in California, achieving their shaded striations thanks to an under water process that founders Jo Strettell and Wendy Polish have honed (hence its name, which translates to “The Fire of Water”). We love the brightness of Le Feu Citron, the brand’s citrus and bergamot scent. $62; lefeudeleau.com.
With its distinctly graphic jars, Bella Freud candles are as handsome as they are fragrant—keep the jar after the candle is done as a vase or pencil holder. Founded by British fashion designer Bella Freud in collaboration with celebrity perfumer Azzi Glasser (whose clients include Jude Law and Johnny Depp), the line takes a cerebral approach to scent, as in the Gisnberg is God candle, a fig-tomato tribute to the Beat author. $60; bellafreud.com.
A cult favorite by British perfumer Roja Dove, Roja Parfums is considered one of the most expensive and luxurious brands among fragrance aficionados, using the most expensive ingredients for his dark, often woodsy scents. Try Aoud, a wood and rose smell that capitalizes on Dove’s talents. $190; rojaparfums.com.
Founded in the late nineteenth century, this artful brand creates candles that each have a singular focus—usually a natural or floral ingredient such as ginger or thyme. We’re a fan of the understated Tea Plant, which has a soothing, subtly sweet quality. $45; candledelirium.com
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