The Glossy Nest

Seasonal & Home Decor Blog

9 Attractive Ways To Display Candles In A Living Room

/ by / Leave a Comment

Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means this website receives a commission if you make a purchase. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to Amazon Associates. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

How to display candles in a living room bookcases using a tray & candle holders

So how do you display candles in a living room without making things look tacky or fake? Or worse – creating a fire hazard for yourself and your family. Where do you put a candle in a living room so that everything is safe and but still looks beautiful?

In today’s post, I’m going to share 9 proven ways that have worked for me over the years. I’m sure these ways will work for you too!

How Do You Display Candles In a Living Room?

Decorating a living room can be challenging enough. But if you’ve gotten your furniture setup, the curtain hung, a rug laid down, etc. then it’s time to add the finishing touches.

Finishing touches include things like candles, flowers & plants, decorative objects, etc. You know, the stuff you see at all the decor stores that you just gotta have.

These items help set the mood in your space and make it feel more put together.

Candles in the living room offer several great benefits:

  • They make the room feel cozy & inviting.
  • They make your space smell great!

But how do I arrange my living room candles? Let’s find out with these living room candle ideas.

Table Of Contents
show

Coffee Table Centerpieces

How to display candles in a living room using a tray & candle holders

One of the best places to put candles in your living room is on a coffee table. Coffee table centerpieces using candles, trays and other decorative objects really pull a space together and can be a great focal point for a room.

The look above uses a few Luminara flameless candles, a candle stand, a tray and some dried eucalyptus with flowers. Super simple to do and can easily be moved out of the way if needed.

Here’s another look for a coffee table centerpiece using candles and other decor items. Note that your coffee table doesn’t have to be a true coffee table! In these pictures, an old trunk and a large ottoman do the trick.

Side Tables

Another place to put candles in the living room is on a side table or end table. Living room candle decor here can add a soft touch of light to your space and can be relaxing to watch as they burn.

Of course, if you’re afraid of knocking over a candle on a side table, then make sure to use flameless candles or LED candles. They’re a safer alternative to using real wax candles.

But if your end table is out of the way, then use a wax candle or two. Many wax candles come in beautiful jars that can really complement your decor style. Scented candles will make your space smell amazing too!

Scented Jar Candles

I love the extra large jar candle in this picture stacked on top of a few books. Flowers in a vase and a framed picture complete the look.

Fireplaces

If your living room has a fireplace and you don’t use it to burn a fire, then consider placing candles in it to give the appearance of a real fire.

Wondering how many candles should be in a living room or how do I display a lot of candles? Honestly, for some decor situations, the more candles, the better. If you need a bunch of candles, consider purchasing a flameless candle set. Most sets are reasonably priced and you’ll get quite a few candles to use in your decor.

Flameless Pillar Candle Sets
Batteries for Flameless Candles

Large groupings of candles in a fireplace will have the same effect as burning real wood logs or electric logs. You can use real candles or flameless candles depending on your needs.

One of the things I like about flameless candles is that many brands come with a timer feature. So the candles will turn on and off at the same time each day. You can set the timer and see a warm glow in your fireplace night after night.

Fireplace Candelabras

There are so many ways to decorate a fireplace with candles for a beautiful living room candle display. Using mirrors, grates, lanterns and more all enhance the look of your candles. I talk more about how to decorate a living room with candles in a fireplace in this post: 20 Simple Ways to Decorate a Fireplace & Mantle with Flameless Candles

Mantles

Regardless of your decor style, using candles on a mantel is a timeless look. If you have small children or pets at home, mantels are a great place to use real candles as they are high enough off the ground to not be disturbed easily.

LED Votive Candles

Consider decorating with a large grouping of candles on your mantel. Or choose a few candles grouped together in the center or near one of the sides. Lanterns and candles stands can also work well on a mantel.

If you have a mirror on your mantle, the light from the candle will be reflected back into the room, making it look like you have double the candles!

One of my all time favorite decor looks for a mantel is using greenery with candles. Real greenery during the holidays smells wonderful and adds a beautiful touch to your living room.

Greenery garland also provide a balanced look across the entire width of the mantel. If your mantel decor feels cluttered or scattered, consider decorating it straight across with decor objects that are all around the same height.

Greenery can be used throughout the year on a mantel. Look to greenery used in wedding tablescapes for inspiration. A strand of faux eucalyptus greens along with candles and candle holders can be used on your mantel from spring all the way into summer.

Shelves

How to display candles in a living room bookcase

Can you light up real candles on bookcase shelves? It’s a good question. I’ve always tended to play it safe by keeping any real candle flames away from the tops and sides of shelves. I suppose if you have very tall shelves though, it probably wouldn’t be an issue for a living room candle display. Just remember to never leave a burning candle unattended.

Flameless Pillar Candles

Real candles also need air in circulation to help the flame stay lit. But real candles can be stored on shelves without a problem. Just remove them when you’re ready to light the flame.

How to display candles in a living room bookcase

Flameless candles look amazing on shelves and bookcases. The warm glow adds interest and dimension to your shelf styling and helps catch the eye.

I love the small Luminara LED votive candles in this shelf cubby for living room candle decorations. Extra large flameless candles work well too and can help fill the same vertically if you have tall shelves. Consider using candles in lanterns, on top of candle stands or on trays in shelves displays as well.

Sideboard & TV Stand Vignettes

How to decorate a living room with candles? Look to various flat surfaces such as sideboards. Sideboard vignettes are a great way to show off your decorating skills and change things up season by season. Regardless of what the decor may be on my sideboard at any given moment, you can be assured I almost always have a few candles displayed there as well.

LED Tea Light Candles

Sideboards or buffet tables are the perfect place to light real wax candles. They are high enough off the floor from small kids and pets. Plus they are usually against a wall and away from traffic in the room. If you don’t have a mantel or fireplace in your living room, sideboards can be a great place to burn real wax candles without the worry.

When decorating a sideboard, play around with lanterns and candles some added height and style to your living room candle decorations. Candles in clear glass candles holders work well too.

Have a TV stand or piano in your living room? Consider decorating them the same way you would a sideboard. I love to place real wax candles on my tv stand – that way I can keep a watch on them as they burn.

The top of the piano in this photo has been decorated with a small lamp as well as battery operated candles in a glass cloche. What a cozy look in the evenings and a beautiful candle decor ideas for living room!

Windows

How to display candles in a living room on a window sill

A candle in the window is a traditional look around the holidays. But have you considered doing it through the year as well? Depending on the style of your house, candles in the window may add the perfect touch to how your house appears from the street in the evening hours.

LED Window Candles

Flameless window candles are common, including both battery and plug in styles. I like that they add a bit of glow to the room inside as well.

If your windows are more modern looking, consider using living room candle decor as a way to soften the space. Just be mindful of any drapes, blinds and shades when using real flames. This is another candle decor ideas for living rooms where flameless votive candles might be the safer options that using real wax candles.

Walls

How to display candles in a living room using candle holders

How do I arrange my living room candles? Try placing them on your walls! Using candles in wall sconces was a traditional way to light a home before the days of indoor electricity.

Now, you don’t see wall sconces with candles as much anymore as most wall sconces are electric. But you can still find candle holders that mount to walls.

Candle Wall Sconces

I love the look of sconces paired on a mantel & fireplace. They also look nice on either side of a doorway into your living room. Flameless candles set to a timer feature will help ensure that your candle sconces are lit every evening.

How to display candles in a living room using gold candle holders

If you have shelves mounted to your walls, then consider adding candles there as well. The candle holders shown above can be mounted to a wall or set against a flat surface.

Another fun thing about sconces is that you can change them out on occasion. Just remove them from the wall and replace them with another set of sconces or wall decor. This is an easy way to change the look in your living room from time to time.

Floor

You may not have thought of it, but candles can be displayed on the floor of your living room as well. This is often done near a fireplace using tall candle holders or large lanterns.

You can also display candles in a corner of your living room that might look a little empty. There are a few creative people out there that have made very tall candle holders out of old staircase parts. This is definitely a way to get creative with your living room decor and see what you can come up with.

Where Do You Put a Candle In a Living Room?

Now you’ve got a sense of all of the places in your living room where you can display candles. But what exactly can you put a candle in or should it be displayed by itself?

Candles can be used by themselves in your living room decor. Or you can use other decor objects when displaying your candles. Things like trays, lanterns, hurricanes and candle stands all enhance the look of candles displayed in your living room.

Trays

How to display candles in a living room using a tray, lanterns & plants

Trays work well with lots of decor objects and candles are no exception. If you’ve ever wanted to create a candle garden, then you know that a tray or some sort of vessel to hold your candles is a must.

Candle Trays

Candles can be place in trays on their own or placed within a lantern, candle holder or hurricane for a more layered look.

A candle garden style would involve using a tray and lots of decor filler objects, such as glass or ceramic orbs, vase filler, beads, etc. Greenery is also great to use within a candle garden. You can tuck the candles in between the leaves and flowers. This is an easy thing to change as the seasons progress throughout the year.

How to display candles in a living room using a tray & decorative orbs

I like the idea of using push flame candles for a candle garden. These are flameless candles that can be turned on and off by pushing on the flame piece. No need to pick up the candle to access the power buttons or use a remote control. So your candle garden will stay intact until you need to change the batteries.

Lanterns

How to display candles in a living room using lanterns on a sideboard

There’s lots of ways you can decorate with lanterns, but personally, I think LED pillar candles paired with lanterns are a timeless style. The thing about lanterns is that they come in some many different shapes, styles and colors, you’re sure to find something that works with your decor.

Candle Lanterns

I love how the candle light reflects off the glass of a lantern – it seems to make the room sparkle a bit and glow.

How to display candles in a living room using lanterns on a coffee table

Lanterns are any easy way to change up your decor from time to time. You can purchase a nice set of moving flame flameless candles, several different styles of lanterns and rotate them through the year. Move them to different places in your home or consider using them outside throughout the year. Lanterns paired with candles are very versatile.

Candle Hurricanes

How to display candles in a living room using candle hurricanes

Candle hurricanes are similar to lanterns, but are often used to somewhat hide a candle while still letting the light shine through. Most candle hurricanes have a wide open top, which lets you use them with real wax candles or LED candles.

How to display candles in a living room using candle hurricanes

Another benefit to candle hurricanes is that they can hide jar candles quiet well. I love to burn a nice jar candle with a good scent (buttered maple syrup anyone?). But the color of the wax and the jar don’t often look nice with my decor.

Candle Hurricanes

A solution? Hide the jar candle in a nice candle hurricane. You’ll still get all the benefits of the scent and be able to see the soft glow without having to look at the jar.

Candle Holders & Candle Stands

How to display candles in a living room using gold candle holders

There are so many gorgeous candle holders and candles stands on the market today. It can be hard to choose one that is just right for your living room, but consider your living room’s overall decor style when deciding. For example, the candle holder above is using Liown votive candles and would work best with a more modern decor theme.

Candle Holders

Also, consider the size of your candle as well. Some candle holders are for larger candles while others will work best with LED tealights or LED taper candles. The main benefit of using candles holders – they provide height and dimension to your decor.

How to display candles in a living room using a tiered plant stand

It may sounds unconventional for living room candle ideas, but consider using a plant stand for displaying candles! I love the look of using large flameless candles with candle rings on the shelves of a plant stand. It’s the perfect way to fill an empty corner of the room and add a little bit of light at the same time.

Got any other ideas on how do you display candles in a living room? Share them below in the comments.

More Candle Decor Ideas

For more candle decor inspiration, tips and styles, check out these posts:

Pin It For Later!

How to display candles in a living room using lanterns on a coffee table
How to display candles in a living room bookcases using lanterns
How to display candles in a living room using a tray & candle holders
How to display candles in a living room bookcases using a tray & candle holders
How to display candles in a living room using lanterns on a sideboard

Related posts:

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *