With so many options available, choosing a candle can be overwhelming.  Which fragrance do you want?  Which size or style vessel?  Sometimes it is difficult to know where to even begin!

Here is a basic step-by-step guide to picking the best candle for your space:

1) First, decide for which room in your home you are selecting the candle.  

Put simply--size matters!  Generally speaking, smaller rooms such as bathrooms do well with small, single wick options while larger rooms will require a larger, multi-wick candles to really fill the space with scent.  You may also want to take into account ceiling height and drafts, as these factors will affect how the scent fills your space and may help you to decide where you may want to place your candle for best enjoyment.  

2) Then decide what fragrance will work best for this room. 

Typically, you would want the scent to compliment the space.  For example, fresh fruity or warm vanilla based fragrances will work well in a kitchen...

while calming lavender or other restful herbal scents will be best for the bedroom.  

It is also fun to take the seasons into account then choosing a candle.  While you may not typically reach for light and refreshing floral scents, for example, it may be just want you want on a spring evening while curled up on the couch reading a gardening book!  

3) Take your personal preferences into account.  

The truth is, what works for one person may not work for the next.  Scent is a very personal thing.  Some people prefer subtle "barely there" fragrances while others really want their candles to fill their entire home with strong scent.  You may need to play around and find what works best for you and your home.  In general, though, it is important to keep in mind that larger candles will give off more scent than smaller ones.  In cases where you have large rooms with high ceilings and you really want strong fragrance, I would suggest trying large multi-wick candles or burning several candles at the same time.  You may even enjoy experimenting with "scent layering".  This is when you select several candle scents that compliment each other to burn together.    This will result in stronger, more complex scents.  I would recommend starting out with pairing two scents and maybe work your way up to three...but too many will be overwhelming and unnecessary.

One thing to keep in mind is "scent blindness".  You may become so accustomed to a scent that you no longer smell it, but a person just walking into your home could be overwhelmed.  This can happen in as little as 15 minutes!  Try leaving the room for a short period of time and see how the scent hits you when you return.  Switching up your candle fragrances on a regular basis can help alleviate this phenomenon as well. 

4)  Most importantly, have fun and try new things!

I always say, candles are truly one of life's little luxuries.  They are meant to be enjoyed!  I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this same refrain in regards to fragrance preferences  "I'm a _____ type of person".  Meaning, you always go for the same type of scent as though it is part of your identity.  I will always urge exploration as tastes change and evolve and you just may discover something new to love!