Ljus: Scandinavian Candle Culture

The days are getting shorter. Soon, we’ll be closing up the showroom when it’s dark. I love it during this time of the year. The glow from shop windows makes walking down the street feel extra cozy. In Scandinavia, candles are a regular part of daily life. But even more so during the darker months. People light them at the breakfast table, in cafés and restaurants, on windowsills, and at home in the evening.

The Swedish word ljus means both light and candle. In the United States, candles are often saved for special occasions or never burned at all. We light them for dinner parties and holidays, or buy a lovely candle and leave it untouched on a shelf. The Scandinavian approach is more practical. Candles are meant to be used.

Why candlelight feels good

Candlelight is very soft warm light, around 1,800 to 1,900 Kelvin. A standard warm white bulb sits closer to 2,700K. Candlelight is also dim and localized, so it lights a room in small pools. That combination makes a space feel calm and close.

The flame itself moves constantly. Even at the edge of your attention, the light in the room keeps shifting. That movement is why a few candles can change how a room feels while everything else in it stays the same.

Use the candles

A candle is one of the few decorative objects designed to disappear. If you buy good tapers, burn them. If you have candleholders you love, fill them. Burn those sculptural candles too, including the cool ones you bought for their unique shape. It’s such a small indulgence. 

Candles also make an easy gift. A pair of tapers or a sculptural candle, packaged with a box of well-designed matches, is simple and useful. Add a candleholder for a more substantial gift.

Here in the desert Southwest, we have plenty of sunlight, but our fall and winter evenings still come early. Candlelight works especially well with the materials we love in both Scandinavian and desert interiors: warm woods, natural stone, metal, glass and textured textiles. As the sun goes down a little earlier each day, ljus is an easy tradition to borrow for our own homes.

Shop our collection of candles and candle holders.