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Listen, there’s nothing wrong with classic taper candles. These tall, slender-silhouetted stacks of wax are maestros of ambiance—so skilled at creating a mood that they can make the experience of eating takeout straight from the container on the couch feel like an intimate living room picnic. There’s a reason, after all, that you so often see the word candlelit between “romantic” and “dinner.”
But, as elegant as plain tapers are, they can feel a little, well, old. And I mean that literally. The way they’re made—by repeatedly dipping a length of string in and out of hot wax, building layer upon layer until a thick enough candle emerges—has remained largely the same for thousands of years. Luckily, we’re living through the taper renaissance. Over the past few years, so many exciting taper styles, styles that take advantage of what I can only imagine to be cutting edge candle technology, have come on the scene.
These days you’ll find tapers available in hues across the visible spectrum; tapers with intricately fluted edges; sculptural stacks of chunky wax that look like postmodern skyscrapers more than they look like candles; tapers that are impossibly tall and thin, such that they lift light out of diners faces and over their heads for unobstructed conversation. Classic taper candles are beautiful, sure, but why deprive yourself of an opportunity to add a touch of whimsy™ to your table? The best part about sculptural taper candles is that you don’t even have to light them; they function as objet d’art on the mantel or kitchen table. The taper candle of today is eye-catching, ostentatious, and conversation-starting. Here’s how to get your hands on a few choice models:
