Pillar candles are a classic candle variety used to add warm lighting, decorative style, and sweet scent to any space. As one of the most versatile candle forms, pillar candles have a narrower width than their height and come in an array of colors, sizes, and materials to complement both traditional and modern decors.

Read on to learn all about the different types of pillar candles, their many benefits and uses, how to incorporate them into home decorating and events, and tips for buying these candles in bulk.

Types of Pillar Candles

Pillar candles come in a spectrum of colors like white, red, blue, black, natural wax, and more to align with any palette. Popular colored pillars include:

White Pillar Candles

White pillar candles are popularly used to add a clean, bright elegance to any space. Their classic white color provides versatility to fit into traditional or contemporary decors seamlessly. White candles also give off the brightest glow of any color candle, allowing their geometric pillar form to stand out strikingly and illuminate spaces beautifully.

Purpose & Occasions:

• Weddings – White pillars are hugely popular for wedding ceremonies and receptions to add classic romance with their bright glow and sleek elegance. They fit into any wedding theme cleanly.
• Minimalist Homes – Those decorating with a black/white, modern, or Scandinavian aesthetic often accent with white candles to enhance the bright, light ambience.
• Religious Ceremonies – White symbolizing purity and grace makes white pillar candles fitting for religious celebrations like baptisms, Christmas Eve services, etc.

Red Pillar Candles

Available in various shades from light pink to deep burgundy red, red pillar candles encapsulate romance, warmth, and festivity. Their instantly eye-catching crimson hue adds bold pops of color, makes a lively accent, and complements darker tones like red, burgundy, maroon, gold, black, and brown beautifully.

Purpose & Occasions:

• Valentine’s Day – Red candles are almost synonymous with Valentine’s day romance, used everywhere from restaurants to bedrooms on February 14th.
• Christmas – Red pillars lend festive flair alongside green and gold tones during the holidays.
• Movie Nights – Flickering red candlelight creates alluring ambience for couples’ movie nights.
• Italian Restaurants – Red candles on checkered tablecloths provide quintessential Italian bistro vibes.

Blue Pillar Candles

With colors ranging from pale sky blue to navy and indigo, blue pillar candles take on a cool, calming essence. The serene aquatic hue has a tranquility effect, evoking relaxation in spaces. Blue perfectly complements beachy, nautical, frozen wonderland, and night sky/galaxy themes.

Purpose & Occasions

• Spa Rooms and Bedrooms – Light blue pillar candles help set the tone for rest and rejuvenation spaces via soothing aromatherapy.
• Beach Themed Events – Nestle blue pillars in seashells down reception tables or entryways to embellish a coastal motif.
• Winter Wonderlands – Associate the blue glow with ice, snowflakes, and tinsel to conjure up magical frozen domains.

Black Pillar Candles

On the opposite end of the color spectrum, black pillar candles make distinctly bold, mysterious accents. Their gothic edge enhances moody, romantic, or supernatural ambiences. The thin black pillar form appearing out of darkness provides intriguing depth and dimension.

Purpose & Occasions

• Halloween/Gothic Events – Nothing says vampire lair, haunted mansion, or eerie woods like clusters of black pillar candles.
• Evening Garden Paths – Lining pathways with miniature black pillar luminaries makes for an artfully sinister stroll on Halloween night.
• Romantic Dinners – For an extra sensual intimacy, black tie restaurants often use black taper candles on patrons’ tables.

Benefits of Pillar Candles

Beyond merely serving as light sources, today’s pillar candles offer many advantages that elevate their usefulness in home decor and celebrations:

Aesthetic Appeal

Pillar candles today go far beyond basic wax cylinders. They now offer every color from metallic gold, to ombre green-to-blue, to tie-dye patterns. Sizes also range from miniature 2-inch pillars to giant show-stopping 3-foot columns.

Some pillars have straight edges while others flute into elegant tapered ridges. This incredible design variety allows for stunning creativity no matter one’s decor style. Mini chalk-white pillar trios potted in mercury glass vases create effortless modern elegance on end tables.

Staggering extra large diameter velvety crimson pillars down a dark mahogany staircase makes a bold glam statement. Dripping extra skinny pastel rainbow pillars different heights gives whimsical character anywhere. The slim vertical pillar form fits spaces conventional wide candles cannot, opening limitless possibilities.

Cost-Effective

Among all candle forms like taper, votive and container, pillar candles involve the most basic straight-walled construction allowing extreme affordability even retail. Wholesale pillar production skips expensive container molding or hand-rolling tapers, passing bulk savings directly to customers.

This advantage makes luxury pillars competitively priced against generic containers. Intricately sculpted or ornately metallic artisan pillar varieties still cost mere dollars. For the price of one mid-grade container candle, multiple premium pillars can be purchased because simplicity keeps overhead low. Their cost-effectiveness expands decorating freedom.

IKEA Innovation

The famous Swedish superstore IKEA importantly revolutionized home goods pricing, but pillar candles notably sparked ingenious affordable style. IKEA introduced decorative high-design potential of mass-produced blank white pillars alone or bundled by the dozen for nearly pocket change.

This base neutral wax “canvas” invites DIYing embellishment like painting, ornament hanging, flower crowning, label adorning—whatever suits personal flair. IKEA catalog spreads subsequently spotlighted pillars as the simplest stage for do-it-yourself ambition and self-expression without skill, just imagination.

That benchmark accessibility empowers all income levels to build beauty. No company familiarized pillars as a decorating equalizer more than IKEA. Their bold creativity sparked a pillar prominent movement still rippling through modern interior design today.

How to Use Pillar Candles

Decorate with pillars upon tablescapes, mantels, shelves, windowsills, staircases, and more. A few tips:

• Try clustering 3-5 pillar candles in staggered heights for dimension. This works beautifully down the center of tables and buffets.
• Alternate multiple colors in an uneven pillar candle display for a vibrant, celebratory feel with minimal effort.
• Line a trio of skinny mini pillar vases with floral blooms. Nestle a matching trio of dainty pillar candles in between for a sweet table or entryway accent.
• Affix red velvet bows around white pillar candles’ necks for an instant holiday arrangement.

Incorporate pillar candles into special events by:

• Using them as wedding ceremony aisles markers and altar decor instead of cut flowers to save money.
• Grouping blue and silver sparkly pillars as eye-catching centerpieces at winter formals and galas.
• Gracing each birthday cupcake with a miniature coordinating birthday candle pillar.

Scented Pillar Candles

Beyond decor, today’s scented pillar candles leverage aromatherapy benefits:

Soothing Scents – Unwind after work with a lavender-infused pillar releasing calming essence as it flickers. Jasmine and chamomile pillars also relax.

Invigorating Scents – Start your day energized when a citrus blend pillar candle fills the bathroom with motivational aroma. Peppermint and rosemary work too.

For different needs, use relaxing scents in bedrooms, uplifting scents in entryways, herbal scents in spas, floral scents in gardens, and festive bakery scents for parties. Scent possibilities are endless!

Reasons to Choose Flameless Pillars

While wax pillars optimally emit hypnotic ambience, flameless battery-operated pillars provide added advantages:

Choosing flameless battery-operated pillars over traditional wax pillars offers several compelling reasons, making them a practical and stylish choice for various settings. One of the primary advantages is enhanced safety.

While the warm glow of lit candles creates a hypnotic ambiance, it comes with inherent risks such as fire hazards and the potential for tipping due to careless handling.

Flameless LED pillars eliminate these concerns, providing a soothing glow without the presence of open flames, making them an ideal choice for households with children, pets, or safety-conscious individuals.

In addition to safety, flameless LED pillars offer both eco and budget-friendly benefits. Unlike wax pillars that require periodic replacement of wax and wicks, LED pillars operate on batteries, eliminating the need for continuous repurchasing.

This not only contributes to long-term cost savings but also aligns with sustainability goals. With just the simple annual change of batteries, users can enjoy the ambiance of these pillars without the ongoing environmental impact associated with traditional candles.

Moreover, the initial cost of flameless LED pillars competes favorably with high-end wax pillars, offering a cost-effective alternative without compromising on aesthetics.

Furthermore, flameless pillars bring a touch of modern flair to any space. Utilizing advanced technology, these pillars closely mimic the flickering flames of traditional candles to the extent that discerning guests might find it challenging to differentiate between the two.

This modern edge adds a stylish and contemporary touch to the ambiance, making flameless LED pillars a versatile choice for various settings, from home decor to event spaces. Their ability to combine safety, eco-friendliness, budget considerations, and modern aesthetics positions flameless pillars as a compelling and sophisticated lighting solution.

Pillar Candles Buying Guide

When investing in pillar candles, particularly in bulk, keep these professional buying tips in mind:

Buy in Multiples

When decorating with pillars, buying matching candles in groups of 3, 5 or more creates a unified, symmetrical statement. The repetition pulls the look together seamlessly. For example, staggering 5 identical size white pillars down a buffet table makes a cohesive elegant statement. Having just one or two looks random rather than intentional. Scale quantity based on space size.

Mind Dimensions

Pillar candles come in skinny mini sizes to giant 3-foot dramatical pillars. Choose pillar heights and widths wisely based on the furniture or room they need to fit. Measure table heights, width between a staircase banister, mantle ledges etc to determine max pillar sizes for each area before buying. Tiny pillars will get drowned out in large empty spaces. Oversized pillars also run risks like tunneling, blowing out too quickly, or simply dwarfing tables.

Seek Sales

The prime seasonal sales for pillars fall around early winter and summer. Retailers deeply discount spring/summer excess pillar inventory before holiday merchandise needs room in winter. Buy bright spring colors like light blue or pink in Nov/Dec for next year. Likewise, stock up on fall tones like burgundy, gold and evergreen pillars in summer sales. Off season pillar sales save up to 70% off!

Consider Quantity Packs

For regular household use replacing burned down stubs or large events like weddings using 100+ candles, buying jumbo packs of 30, 50 or 100 identical pillars saves hugely over singles. One 100-count white mini pillar pack could supply a lifetime versus individual boxes every few weeks.

Stores like Costco, Sam’s Club and IKEA make these bulk pillar packs surprisingly affordable. Events ordering pillar candles in bulk also receive tiered mega-savings, perfect for unified decoration schemes across every table, entryway and venue.

With endless versatility, colors, scents and designs to choose from, it’s no wonder pillar candles maintain popularity as reliable, style-defining decoration. Affordably obtained individually or in bulk, artful pillars enhance ambiance and aroma anywhere as classic or modern accents. Pillar on!