Photography by Casey Zhang, courtesy of The Primary Essentials.
Back in January, I made a resolution for the year: “More candles. More candles at the breakfast table, more light in winter, more settling in, more slow mornings, more romance in design, more making more of small moments.”
I’ve found myself taking comfort in simple moments and in tiny tasks to care for my space: making the bed up with clean sheets, taking a shower, putting on (sort of) real clothes in the morning and softer ones at the end of the workday, sitting down for dinner at night.
“The first burn should be long enough to let the wax burn across the entire candle. This will ensure an even burn for the duration of the candle’s life.”
1. Ensure evenness
2. Trim wicks
“Before each burn, trim your wick and remove any debris left in the wax pool. Trimming wicks to 1/4″ avoids unnecessary soot and controls the size of your flame so that you get the most out of your candle.”
“Check the manufacturer’s label for how long your candle should burn at a time (generally two to four hours). This will help to avoid the candle ‘mushrooming’ and making a large flame that will create soot.”
3. Use sparingly
“Never burn a candle when there is less than 1/4″ of wax at the base. This will avoid the vessel overheating.” To see Lauren’s own place in Brooklyn, see In Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, a Renovated Brownstone with Inspired Solutions.
4. Don’t burn too low