The Best Tapered Candles, According to Designers and Candle Obsessives

These tapers from Danica, hand-dipped in mid-coast Maine, got more recommendations than any other on this list. Chef and recipe developerChloe Walshsays they don’t drip too intensely and will last a whole evening. Jenny Kaplan, owner of creative agencyAn Aesthetic Pursuit, calls the range of colors in the collection really beautiful. “I love that you can mix and match them to add some dimension to your table setting,” she says. Alisha Ramos, founder and writer ofDowntime, is also a fan. “They’re incredibly decently priced given how many are in a box,” she says (this is especially true for beeswax candles, which are more expensive to produce than paraffin). “They’re my everyday candles, and less so my pretty display candles.” Food writer and recipe developerAnna Stockwellloves them, too. “The Danica website is the most old-fashioned website ever and a major pain in the butt to use,” she says, “but they ship superfast.”

If you’re looking for candles that will burn for hours, take a note from de Lisle: “I have boughtchurch candlesthrough General Wax in L.A. for years, both tapers and the ones in glass jars” he says. “The candles made for churches last longest and burn clean” — perfect for dinner parties. General Wax bills the candles as “a favorite among religious institutions for decades.”

Strategist writerErin Schwartzhas bought many beeswax candles, but theirfavorite sourceis Holy Nativity Convent in Brookline, Massachusetts. “I usually buy two dozen large lampadas at a time, and with shipping, it comes out to about $2 per candle — a lot less than you’ll pay for the same kind of candles at a home goods store,” they say. The tapers burn clean and smell amazing, too — like honey and wildflowers.

Both Sandeep Salter, owner of New York City’sSalter House, and Kalen Kaminski, founder of the glassware and textiles companyUpstate, are partial to Massachusetts-based Beverly Bees. Kaminski likes the deep-yellow natural hue of the candles and says the burn lasts all evening. Salter also says she’s “drawn to the color” and calls the smell of the melting honeybee wax “divine.” Both experts mentioned they appreciate that the company rescues bees from extermination and rehabilitates them in their hives.

Writer and cookbook authorGeorgia Freedmanalso likes twisted tapers, specifically these, hand-dipped in her hometown of Santa Barbara. She notes that the company makesstandard candlesand athin, long version, too. “Each style comes in a variety of gorgeous colors, like an icy blue and a lilaclike mauve that I haven’t seen in other brands,” she says.

For an easy Amazon option, Stockwell’s go-tos are these Bluecorn beeswax candles. She buys them in bulk to always have on hand. Strategist senior editorHilary Reidlikes the color options: “They’re vibrant, and a few — like the eggplant, red, and burgundy — feel especially wintery,” she says. “They come to a nice point at the top that stays in shape as they burn, which I think gives them a dressier and more elegant feel.”

Greentree Candles’ colorful tapers are Salter’s “number one go-to” for their natural beeswax scent and the range of available shades and sizes, including that shorter six inches. “Color is important to me when selecting candles — I love naturally dyed beeswax, and I am very into darker colored wax, like black and burgundy,” she says. “I also cannot resist a robin’s-egg blue candle. It’s so regal.” Recipe developer and cookbook authorMelina Hammerhas these tapers out “on repeat, front and center, when guests are over,” she says. “They look substantial and classic.” And recipe developer and cookbook authorAlexis deBoschnekloves them so much, she always has them on hand and even used them at her wedding last summer. “The candles have just the right amount of drippiness to feel romantic, without leaving you with a mess on your table,” she says.

Prop and interiors stylistKira Corbinsets out Big Dipper Wax Works’ candles on her dinner table. They sell them at her local grocer, so she can buy them in a pinch — but more than the convenience, she likes that they are natural. “If you’re burning something, you’re ultimately breathing it in,” she says. “Also, the scent is very subtle and works well with dining.” The color options here are great, too, with some even more vivid options than the Greentree candles above.

“I’ve never smelled a better beeswax candle,” says Strategist senior editorSimone Kitchens. She likens the scent to sweet natural honey — but not in an overpowering way. They’re made by monks in New York State and “burn very clean,” she says.

Here’s another simple natural beeswax option, this one recommended by recipe developer and expert hostIsabelle Heikens. While she likes the classic golden hue, she also appreciates the array of other color options from Mo & Co, which are especially matte and muted. She’ll often create a monochrome look by choosing shades to match herAddison Ross candlesticks.

Editor and cookbook authorAran Goyoagaloves these stubby beeswax candles from Toast (almost like the opposite of the tiny, thin ones below). “I have a candle holder that I bought specifically for them, but I also simply stand them on a small flat plate as they are so sturdy and wide,” she says. And even though they’re shorter than many more traditional tapers, the burn time is a notable 12 hours.

Recipe developer and cookbook authorKristina Chorecently bought aduo of carrot-shaped tapersfor her brother and sister-in-law(those are sold out, but you can sign up to be notified when they come back in stock). “They’re the perfect combination of whimsy and chic,” she says, and “actually function as a talking point for guests when they come over.”Happy Organicsmakes other produce candles, too, likeceleryandpurple asparagus.

Maison Balzac’s candles, recommended by writer and cookEthaney Lee, are actually made from plant-based stearin, an alternative natural material to beeswax. Lee says they burn beautifully and likes that they come in an array of more whimsical shapes, if that’s your preference. I personally think thisnonobvious celery set(as opposed to the more realistic version above) is fantastic.

Chef and writerJen Kimlives in Vermont, where the winter nights are long. One of her antidotesis lighting theseshell-white candles for every dinner, whether she’s hosting guests or not. She keeps several boxes around at all times. “Each candle burns for eight hours and is scentless and dripless,” she says. “They have a great selection of colors online, and sometimes when I feel festive, I’ll put out some colorful ones.”

While beeswax has the benefit of being all-natural and smelling great, paraffin wax is known for being clean-burning (meaning it won’t leave behind soot) and not creating smoke. “I burn a lot of candles — normally I have ten or more going per night — so I like to buy in bulk,” says real-estate agent and candle obsessive Robert Khederian, who has written aboutthe wax he uses to keep his tapered candles in placefor the Strategist. If you, too, want to stock up on candlesticks, Khederian suggests this pack of 11-inch Bolsius tapers, which come in a pack of 50. Khederian says that each candle lasts for about ten hours, and should you invest, the cost works out to be less than $1 a candle.

Three of the interior designers I spoke to recommended the Floral Society’s taper paraffin-wax candles, which are linked here in the middle 12-inch height. They also come in a shorternine-inchversion and taller18-inchversion. (The company also just released apure beeswax version.)

EyeSwoon’s Athena Calderone is partial to the tallest ones. “These are my favorite tapers for their elongated elegance,” she says. “They’re perfect for elevating your tablescape or adding verticality to a vignette. They are available in a wide range of colors and burn slowly, at about an inch per hour. I always have extras on hand!” Interior designerDane Pressneris particularly drawn to tapers that actually taper toward the top.“I love them to look like they were made by hand,” he says. Never one to shy away from drama, he also“always buys ones that are at least 18 inches in height.” Pressner goes for the candles in darker colors, and says that lately he’s been burning lots of black and dark-blue tapers at hiscountry house. Interior designerElizabeth Roberts, who also recommended tapers from the brand, prefers the 12-inch height in a lighter shade. “All of the colors are beautiful but greige is a particularly perfect noncolor,” she says. “It looksvery natural, so that you really see the beautiful shape of thecandleand the flame — and they burn slowly and do not drip, to boot.” The fact that the pair comes together on one braided wick adds to the appeal, too.

This set from West Elm is super simple and a solid price. “I love the muted colors, but the natural beeswax color is always my favorite,” says Goyoaga. They burn for about six hours — perfect for an evening of hosting.

Though I haven’t used either of the West Elm candles myself, this set from Pottery Barn I bought earlier this year looks similar to me and costs about the same as the clearance ones — but has a much wider range of colors currently available. There are some bolder shades, though I especially love the neutrals (rosewood, dove, ivory, and honey), which I think look sophisticated. They last quite a while, too; a pair will generally get me through two dinner parties, or one especially long one.

DeVita’s other favorite candles come from Northern Lights. “These guys are scentless, smokeless, and dripless,” she says. “Sometimes you want the more rustic aesthetic of the candle wax dripping down, but for a clean look, dripless candles are key. They also have a burn time of 13 hours so your party can truly go all night long with out any risk of burnout.”

Barberich also has her eye on these from Maison Flâneur. “That brighter and bolder shade of tomato plays against moody lighting really well (i.e.., it doesn’t get flat or disappear),” she says. “It commands your attention and almost makes you feel a little energized when it catches your eye.”

Rebekah Peppler, author ofÀ Table, burns these dripless and smokeless candles on the regular. “Like most writers, I have a few rituals that get me to my desk/dining room table,” she says. “One of my favorites is setting up a few candles the night before. Something about lighting them before sitting down and getting straight into it often makes for my best work.” She mixes and matches ones in differing heights for a bit of visual drama.

Strategist senior editorHilary Reidrecently bought some, too, at Trudon’s store in Soho. There, you’re able to mix and match to build your own set (though you can choose from various colors online, too). Either way, Reid was taken with the range of vibrant colors. “I was really impressed by the quality of the candles too,” she says. “The two I lit for the dinner table lasted all night and burned cleanly, so there wasn’t a ton of dripping wax to clean up.”

Interior designerJamie Bushrecommended these Royal Design candles, which are made in Denmark “through repeated hand-dippings, upwards of 30 times,” he tells us. Thanks to that repetition, the candles have a particularly tapered tip. Plus, they’ll last through even yourlonger dinners, without making a mess. “The candles burn without any drip and have a slower, cleaner burn with less smoke emitted than other candles,” says Bush.