5 Fall Candles That Aren’t Pumpkin Spice
The design element that’s most often overlooked might be the most powerful one. Scent is the layer that almost never makes it onto the mood board, and it’s the one doing the most work. It’s the difference between a house that looks finished and one that actually feels finished when you walk into a room.
We burn candles year-round, but we switch scents with the seasons, and every fall we hit the same problem: most of what’s on the shelf in September smells like dessert. We’re after something closer to the feeling of the season itself than to what’s on the dessert menu. Woodsmoke, cracked pepper, dried leaves, a little plum. The kind of warmth that makes you want to sit down and stay awhile.
These are the five that have earned a spot on our list this fall:
Simmered Cider Copper Pot Candle
This is probably the most beautiful candle we’ve ever seen, and it looks right at home among our copper collection in the kitchen. The simmered cider scent has the right balance of spice to sweetness — more orchard than bakery, which is exactly the distinction we were after.
Anti-Pumpkin Candle
A gift from one of our sisters, and the name alone earned it a spot on the counter. It smells like pine needles and wet leaves and cold morning air — the closest thing we’ve found to opening a window in October.
Sappho Fig Candle
Fig is one of our all-time favorite scents, and the sandalwood underneath is what ushers it into fall. It opens green and a little fruity, then warms into something soft and woody as it burns
Texas Candle
Leather, amber, and cedar have nothing to do with the calendar. They’re the notes of things that have been around a while and gotten better for it, which is what fall actually feels like.
Noir Bibliothèque Candle
A silver bowl of ripe plums is our version of a pumpkin on the counter, and this is the candle equivalent. It smells like a room with the lamps on and a book open, which is our idea of a perfect fall evening.
