The Journal · Candles
Choosing a candle size for a room
A candle is part of the room before it is ever lit. Here is how the sizes we carry compare, and where each one sits best.
Start with where it will live
Think of the surface first: a bedside table, a bathroom counter, a console in the entry, a coffee table, a dining table. A small candle disappears on a large table; a large one crowds a narrow shelf. The glass, wood or concrete is on show all day, so choose a size that looks right unlit.
Baobab Collection, by height
Baobab names its candles by height in centimetres. MAX 08 Petite weighs 190 g and burns about 40 hours: a bedside, a powder room or a gift. MAX 10 Classique, 500 g and about 50 hours, suits a side table or a shelf. MAX 16 Signature, 1.1 kg and about 100 hours, holds its own on a coffee table or a console. MAX 24 Grande, 3 kg and about 340 hours, and MAX 35 Monument, 6.5 kg and about 600 hours, are centrepieces for a large living room or an entry.
Hypsoé and Apotheca
Hypsoé’s refillable candles sit in turned wood or concrete shells: the 11 cm shells hold a 200 g candle, about 40 hours, and the XL wooden shell holds 600 g, about 80 hours. When the candle is finished, the shell stays and a refill drops in. Apotheca’s amber apothecary jar holds 240 g of vegetable-based wax, about 50 hours, and is at home on a bathroom counter or a bookshelf.
Give the first light time
On every burn, let the whole surface melt, then burn no more than an hour longer. Keep the melted layer under 1 cm, trim the wick before lighting and stop when 1 cm of wax is left. A candle that melts evenly from the first evening burns evenly to the end. Never leave a lit candle unattended.
Still deciding?
Browse the candles by scent family in Shop by scent, or upload a photo of the spot and we suggest pieces that suit it.
Published 4 October 2026.
