Decorating Candle Holders Without Candles

Candleholders are meant to hold candles, but there’s no need for candles with electricity. Therefore, decorating with candle holders without candles has become a norm. It helps find an alternative use for candlesticks and switch decorations up in your living space.

You can achieve different decorative designs with candle holders without using candles; however, you need to know the types of candle holders there are and how they can influence the overall look of your living space. This means using a votive candle holder will have a different effect than using a taper candle holder.

In this article, you’ll know the types of candle holders there are and how to use them to decorate your living space. Also, you’ll have some candlestick decoration ideas, but without the candles.

Decorating With Candle Holders

Ordinarily, candle holders add some decorating elements to anywhere you place them, but their primary function is to hold candles. The warm glow that emanates from these candles illuminates their immediate surroundings. Hence, the need for a number of candles and candle stands. They are typically used to light the entire home, including outdoors and on special occasions. Usually, plain candleholders were used on regular days, and decorative candle holders on special occasions, such as romantic dinners.

However, with the invention of electricity, there’s no need for candles, leaving candle holders only to serve decorative purposes. So while some homeowners leave their candle stands empty, others add glass bowls, plants, flowers, or electric bulbs.

Plants and Flowers

Empty candle holders can hold plants and flowers, and you can place them in places such as the middle of the dining table, on walls, on dressers, or atop the entertainment center. The plants may be artificial or natural, and they can add nature to any decoration theme.

Good to Read: Macrame Decor

Flowers of different colors are suitable with any candle holder, and they easily brighten the room with little effort. They can also be the focal point of any room.

Glass Bowls

Dining table centerpieces are known to be a center of attention in the dining area. However, you can have centerpieces that add more than their decorative prowess to the mix. For example, you can add some glass bowls or other bowls to their heads with candle holders without candles.

Depending on the type of candle holder you have, you can add a simple bowl or a decorative one. Then, put some fruits, sweets, or condiments in the bowl.

Bulbs

You can have electrical bulbs, usually colored, to set the mood around your bedroom, dining area, or the hallway in place of candles. Bulbs on candle holders will provide some ambient lighting wherever they are applied. For example, you can place them on a table or a wall.

If you have a multi-strand candle holder, you can have bulbs of different colors on the same holder and in different home parts.

Types of Candle Holders

One thing that informs what you can use your candle holders for, other than holding a candle, is the type of candle holder you have. While each type can hold most of the things you’ll consider, they work best with a few of them.

The types of candle holders can be classified based on their materials and their aesthetic features or effect. Therefore, the types of candle holders include:

Based on Their Materials

Wooden Candle Holders

As they are made of wood, these types of candle holders may be considered unsuitable for holding candles. However, they can hold bulbs and serve as stands for bowls and plants.

They can be made of distressed wood, reclaimed wood, or polished wood. Wooden candle holders are available in different shapes and sizes, but you’ll readily find them as robust short vases that can easily hold small bowls and flowers. In addition, they can be used to make other aesthetic candle holders.

Glass Candle Holders

Glass candle holders are aesthetic in their appearance, mainly because of their material. They are usually clear, and they mostly house the candle. However, some designs hold the candle at the base, like wood candle holders.

Glass candle holders range from easy do-it-yourself ones, such as mason jars, and more sophisticated ones, such as candle chandeliers. They can also be used to make other candle holders, such as tealight holders.

Metal Candle Holders

These candleholders are the most durable of all candle holders. They can be made of steel, silver, bronze, and other metals, including gold. They are sometimes combined with glass candle holders to form candle chandeliers.

Some metal candle holders have lace patterns to introduce the candle glow to their surroundings, as in votive candle holders.

Cane Candlesticks

For farmhouse and rustic homes, wooden candle holders are commonly adopted. However, a woven cane is better for homes with bohemian design and decor. Therefore, candleholders made from cane are used in place of wooden candle holders in such homes.

Based on Aesthetic Features

Votive Candle Holders

This type of candle holder is made specifically for a type of candle – the votive candle. It can be made of glass to spread the candlelight’s glow throughout the room, or made of metal with patterns, to give a characteristic pattern to the light that falls into the room.

Votive candle holders are easily mistaken for tealight Holders. Still, they are generally about one or two inches taller than the latter if made of wood, while metallic votive candle holders are taller.

Pillar Candle Holders

Pillar candle holders are similar to the architectural pillars you’ll find on structures. However, they can come in different shapes, designs, and materials. They support candles by the base. Hence, they usually have a flat or curved top to bear the candle’s weight.

Taper Candle Holders

Taper candle holders are the most common candlesticks you’ll find today. They are slim and are used to hold taper candles for lighting and mood settings. They are common features of restaurant tables and home dining tables.

This type of candle holder is usually made of metals. They are simple and are best suited for contemporary-style homes.

Candle Candelabra

Looking to make a statement at your dinner table? A candle candelabra will be the perfect lighting feature to help you achieve that. They are usually made of glass, metal, or a combination of both.

This type of candle holder usually has dramatic designs that command attention and vary in size. They work well in pairs or as a single lighting and decor feature.

Tealight Holders

Tealights are short but wide candles, usually about 0.6 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Their holders are short, and they hold the candle so that the top of the candle flushes with the edge of the holder.

Tealight holders are usually made of thin metal, and they’re mostly used for decorative purposes.

 

Lantern

Lanterns are made from a combination of materials, usually metal and glass or wood and glass. They are perfect for outdoor lighting, and they can set some aesthetic tones in the atmosphere, especially during summers.

Lanterns are also used indoors, along the walls, to set ambient lighting. They are perfect for rustic homes.

Candle Chandelier

Just like the modern-day chandelier, you could make a classical dinner statement with a candle chandelier in those days. They have small cups that hold as many candles as the design permits. They are usually made of metal and glass.

Good to Read: Modern Chandelier for Dining Room

Candlestick Decoration Ideas Without Candles

The chances are that you do not need to use candles anymore except for a romantic dinner. However, you can use your candle holders for decoration without candles by using any of these candle holder decoration ideas without candles.

Flower and Plant Wall Hanging With Candle Holder

Do you have a contemporary or modern home? This decoration with a candle holder but without a candle may work for your home. You can hang plants and flowers on the wall with the aid of candle holders. If you have a wall hanging lantern, you can place flowers and plants in them instead of candles.

You can also find contemporary candle holder designs that are minimalist in style, allowing you to put in more flowers than having the candle stand as the focal point.

Taper Candle Holder for Decorative and Colored Bulbs

Taper candle holders are simple, but they add some elegance to your design setting. You can still have a good romantic dinner set in your dining by having some colored bulbs attached to your taper candle holders. You’ll need some length of PVC pipe, wire, a switch, and a small bulb to make this happen.

Regardless of your taper candle holder color, you can add a colored bulb, such as blue, to create a romantic mood.

Dollar Tree Candle Holder Plant Holder

Dollar tree candle holders are easy to come by, but they can be used for other practical purposes. For example, your dollar tree candle holders can hold plants when you don’t need candles. Depending on their size and design, you can place them beside your entrance door, your living room windows, or the center of your dining table.

Final Thought

Decorating with candle holders without candles has been on the rise, and it is a way to use your candle holders, saving yourself some storage space. In addition, you can use them to introduce nature to some parts of your home or transform them into some modern light holding pedestal.