Caring for Candles — scented and tapered

The wax rules are simple. Most of what ruins a candle happens in the first few minutes, or in storage, not while it's burning.

Scented candles. Trim the wick before every burn, to the length printed on the base if there is one, roughly the width of a fingernail otherwise. Let the first burn run until the melted wax reaches the edge of the container, an hour or so, or the candle will tunnel down the middle for the rest of its life. After that, don't burn any one candle for more than about four hours at a stretch, and keep it out of a draught so the flame stays steady and the glass doesn't blacken unevenly.

Tapered and lacquered candles, ours from Graziani and Summerill & Bishop, are wax through and through, which means heat is the enemy long before they're ever lit. Keep them somewhere cool and out of direct sun, Dubai's midday heat will soften and bend a taper left on a windowsill faster than you'd expect. Store them flat rather than leaning, and if a base doesn't quite fit your holder, trim it rather than forcing it in.

That's most of it. Wax is patient. Give it a trimmed wick, a cool shelf and a bit of shade, keep out of draughts and it looks after itself.

Pair them with Jess Wheeler's brass candle holders. If it's cordless light rather than a flame you're after, we've written a guide for that too, and if you'd rather read about where else candles belong in the house besides the table, we've written about that as well.