The two questions that matter are in the middle columns. The candle decides the holder, and the flame decides where it can stand.
What types of candle holder are there?
Six common types, sorted by the candle they take and whether the flame is shielded.
| Type | Candle | Flame | Where it works | Ours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taper holder (candlestick) | Slim dinner candle | Open | Dining table, hall, fireplace | Vera, on the floor |
| Hurricane (lantern) | Pillar | In glass | Table, sill, near a door or window | Tom, on the table |
| Floor lantern | Pillar | In glass | Beside a sofa, an empty corner | Thomas |
| Pillar plate or stand | Pillar | Open | Tray, sideboard | Not made |
| Tealight or votive holder | Tealight, votive | Small, often in glass | Shelf, table | Not made |
| Candelabra | Several tapers | Open | Middle of a long table | Not made |
Floor or table candle holder?
Floor if you want light at the height of a lamp without a cable: beside a sofa, in a hall, by a fireplace. Ours stand 29.5 to 45.3 in. Table if the light belongs on a surface: a dining table, a windowsill, a sideboard. Tom stands 6.7, 8 or 9.4 in (6.7, 8 or 9.4 in).
On a dining table, keep the flame below eye level so people see each other. Height above the table comes from the floor, not from a taller table holder. The floor candle holder guide has the heights and where they go.
Glass or open flame?
Glass where people pass or air moves: near a sofa, a doorway, an open window. The cylinder shields the flame and catches the drips. Thomas and Tom work this way.
An open flame where it is quiet: a hall, a fireplace corner, beside the dinner table. You get the slim line of a tall dinner candle, and the flame needs space around it. Vera works this way, on a heavy stone base. More in the hurricane candle holder guide.
Which candle goes in which holder?
A taper holder takes a slim dinner candle. A hurricane or a floor lantern takes a pillar candle. A tealight holder takes a tealight. They do not swap: a pillar on a candlestick has nothing to grip, and a taper in a wide glass looks lost.
In ours: Thomas takes a pillar up to ø3.5 in and 6 in tall, Tom a pillar up to ø3.5 in and 4.3 in tall, Vera a slim dinner candle in a crown. Candles are not included. Sizes, LED and the gap to the glass are in which candle for which holder.
One, two or three?
One holder is a point of light. Two or three in stepped heights read as one piece, and give light at several levels from one spot.
Every model comes as a single in three heights, a set of two or a set of three. A set of two is always the Large and the Small: Thomas 45.3 and 37.4 in, Vera 37.4 and 29.5 in, Tom 9.4 and 6.7 in. A set of three adds the Medium. Three in one corner give more atmosphere than three spread around the room.
How do you choose a candle holder?
Three questions, in this order.
Where will the light stand? On the floor, Thomas or Vera. On a table, Tom.
Glass or open flame? Near people and draughts, glass: Thomas or Tom. In a quiet corner, open: Vera, or see the taper candle holder guide.
How many? One, a pair or three. Then the color: Thomas and Tom in black, beige, white or taupe, Vera in black or beige with a Turbin Gray or Moorland Fog stone base.
Choose the candle and the place first
- Thomas
- floor, in glass
- Vera
- floor, open flame
- Tom
- table, in glass
