Candles... not just for the dinner table

There's a photo I keep coming back to on interior designer Carlos Garcia's Instagram. A small-print wallpaper, an old wooden dresser, a lamp with a beautiful shade, two acid green tapered candles either side of it. No dinner party, no place settings, just candles lit on an ordinary weekday.

That's really all it takes to make a moment feel like an occasion.

I've previously talked about how a table setting needs candles, always candles, the light they cast is magical, but confining them to the dinner table sells them short. I'm rather fond of the idea of scattering them around the house instead. On a shelf between stacked plates. In the kitchen, next to a jug of water or flowers. Anywhere a room needs a pop of colour. It's an easy way to freshen up a space, and it doesn't need an occasion to justify it.

I stock two candle makers at TVD. Graziani has been making candles in Tuscany since 1805, their tapered and twist lacquered candles come in a full range of colour, including coral, fuchsia and aubergine. Alongside them sit Summerill & Bishop's, also made in Italy and sold as a pair in S&B gift boxes.

Candles are also a great thing to bring as a guest. A couple of tapered candles in a colour you know they love, tied with a beautiful bow or ribbon, make a wonderful host gift and can feel a lot more personal than a bottle of wine. Pair them with our brass candle holders by Jess Wheeler if you want to spend a little more.

So here's my challenge: light some candles somewhere that isn't the table this week, and see what happens to the room.