White candles bring life to any space

By Lisa Martin

When dressing up your home for festive evenings, consider the white or ivory candle the little black dress of your decorating arsenal.

“Shades of white candles illuminate beautifully at night,” says Gregg Corzine, owner of Los Angeles-based Archipelago Botanicals, which creates upscale candles for consumers and corporations like The Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts. “I use them everywhere.”

Here are a few of Corzine’s top tips for decorating with neutral candles:

• On the dinner table: “I use six to eight white candles of different sizes in glass containers. For extra illumination, I might tuck a few tea lights around the table, too.” Near food, he opts for unscented candles.
• Above the dinner table: Corzine removes the bulbs from his chandelier and retrofits the openings with colorless votives in glass holders. He does the same with wall sconces. Sometimes he’ll use a bit of tape to secure the holder to the fixture.
• Living room: Corzine adorns his mantels with candles — from a trio to many multiples! During the holidays, he interlaces white candles with greenery and berry garlands.
• Bookshelves: “People don’t expect them there. I use a small candle or a tea light alone on a shelf.” (Savvy placement is key around anything flammable!)
• Bathrooms: “I group three candles — usually small, medium, and large.”
• Outside: “Around the porte cochère, I use one scented candle for every two unscented, spaced about a foot apart.” (And he never leaves candles unsupervised.)
• Anywhere inside: “Put candles in unexpected places like champagne buckets.”
• Holders: “White and ivory candles look great in all kinds of vessels. Search around your house and use what you already have.” Corzine likes using dishes, bowls, trays, mercury glass, and wedding silver. “The light really sparkles against sterling.” Just make sure that all containers and displays are nonflammable.
• Scent sense: For fall and winter, Corzine’s favorite aromas are pomegranate, pine, Fraser fir, and musk. “Don’t be afraid to mix fragrances. Make it work!”