I have always been a bit wary of scented candles. Primarily the idea of covering up pre-existing odors, Febreze style, is horrific to me. Slowly though I came to realize that scent can be used to enhance a (clean) room much the way accent pillows or a selection of photographs can personalize a space. Candles and diffusers have since become an aspect of my apartment that I am quite thoughtful with.

A few months ago I came across the collection of POP candles at Jonathan Adler. These candles come in sleek modern glasses, in colors representative of their scents. The selection of flavors (they are much like flavors) is well edited and sophisticated – clean and crisp; watercress, pepper, grapefruit and fig to name a few. I LOVE them. My three favorites happen to be Earl Grey, Pepper and Sugar. I like to have Early Grey in my bedroom. Bergamot is the scent in Early Grey, most commonly associated with tea. It’s a sweet and soothing scent, clean and soft. I find it feels like an updated and sophisticated lavender or chamomile but equally evocative of rest and calm. Pepper on the other hand is a strong bold scent. It still has a sweet undertone but also a woody spiciness. A winter smell for cold evenings snuggled up on the sofa with a good book and a blanket. Sugar is just plain sweet, as it should be. There is a touch of vanilla in it which creates that wonderful cake batter smell without being too literal.

I am very curious about the watercress and tomato candles. Sounds like I could be writing a shopping list for tomorrow’s salad but I suspect that they will perfectly balanced and be just this side of fresh without smelling too much like a farm stand.

I highly recommend giving these candles a try. You can find them here: Candle Delirium