SCENTS OF PLACE
These candles will take you away, even if you’re cozied up at home
If you’re eager to escape to enchanted woods
Hand-poured in Whistler, B.C., all of Hollow Tree’s coconut-wax candles take inspiration from the fairy-tale forests of the Pacific Northwest. The notes of Douglas fir, fern and cedar in this one are a nod to the wondrous Cathedral Grove, in MacMillan Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, where some of the ancient giant trees have stood for more than 800 years.
Hollow Tree Cathedral Grove candle, $48, hollowtree.ca
If you’d rather be on summer vacation
Maison Margiela’s Replica collection is all about conjuring memories of specific destinations through scent. Beach Vibes is meant to evoke Calvi, France, on a balmy day in 1972, with “sun-kissed salty skin” (or less fancifully: bergamot, ylang-ylang, coconut milk accord and white musk).
Maison Margiela Replica Beach Vibes scented candle, $75, sephora.com
If you want to wake up in Italy
Virtually anything from Acqua di Parma, the Milan-based creator of elegant, sunshine-in-a-bottle scents since 1916, will fit the bill. Take, for instance, the fresh, citrusy Buongiorno, meant to be reminiscent of daybreak in the Italian countryside.
Acqua di Parma Buongiorno candle, $98, sephora.com
If you can’t wait to check into a fancy hotel
Light a Le Labo bougie and it’s easy to pretend you’re staying in a swanky suite somewhere. The NYC-based brand is a popular maker of luxe hotel toiletries (Rose 31, for instance, is the Fairmont’s signature scent), and also developed Cade 26 specifically for the Gramercy Park Hotel. Described as a close cousin of Santal 26, the company’s most famous fragrance, it’s smokier and deeper for an haute-boho atmosphere.
Le Labo Cade 26 candle, $112, lelabofragrances.ca
If you’re dreaming of sipping tea in India
Ben Gorham, founder of Byredo, grew up in Toronto, New York and Stockholm, but the scent of his nostalgia-steeped Chai candle is a nod to another time and place: his Grandma’s home in India, where sipping spiced tea was a ritual. Notes of cardamom, clove buds, incense, guaic woods and warm latte help set the scene.
Byredo Chai candle, $115, holtrenfrew.com
If you feel London calling
A Georgian townhouse in the Marylebone neighbourhood — the creative headquarters of Jo Malone London — served as homey inspiration for the company’s Townhouse collection, with Fresh Fig & Cassis taking notes from the courtyard’s just-ripened fruits. Bonus: the candle comes in a textured bisque ceramic vessel that deserves to be on display.
Jo Malone Fresh Fig & Cassis townhouse candle, $165, jomalone.ca