It's a guarantee when I'm entertaining friends in my garden and the sun starts to set, I'll break out the 'traveling lantern', bringing it out to my outdoor coffee table like some sort of Victorian groundskeeper doing his rounds.
I call it a traveling lantern, because that's what Diptyque calls it, and the brand's take on an outdoor candle holder is one of my favorite things I own. Before I found myself in possession of this lantern, I, like everyone else, played the dangerous game of trying to light tea candles and awkwardly drop them into a votive, or try awkwardly light it when it was already placed inside. On the flip side, I never really took my scented candle collection outdoors, fighting against every errant gust of wind that sought to extinguish its flame.
That's what I love about the traveling lantern concept. It holds a standard-size candle (you could even opt for a citronella candle to keep pests at bay), and it's easy to load it in as the holder and hurricane lantern are separate. It's my garden decor must-have, and now it's yours, too.
However, while my Diptyque one is a thing of beauty, it's also a thing of expense. But, as it turns out, there are lots of cool designs around this summer, some even bringing interesting pattern, shape, and color to proceedings. Here are six others to buy now, at a more approachable price point.
This is one of the only candle lanterns I found with an on-trend organic shape to it, and the ridge glass will look beautiful light by gentle candle light.
M&S is killing it with the candle lanterns this year, and this one's got that super trendy striped glass finish we're seeing everywhere in glassware right now.
Not just for your candle votives, this lantern by Scandinavian design brand Design House Stockholm can hold a dinner candle in place.
This confetti pattern lantern has got to be one of the coolest around this year. Yes, it's got maximalist pattern, but that neutral color palette makes it work for all kinds of gardens.
This John Lewis glass lantern is classic design, and I can just tell it's going to illuminate beautifully in your garden's entertaining area after dark.
As a lover of beige, I honed straight in on this candle holder, though its designed for tealight candles, rather than larger votives. Still, it'll make an atmospheric addition.
So, what to put inside your traveling lantern? I often do use scented candles inside mine, and in a small enough space you can smell them — if you've got a particular fragrant garden though, it might not be worth your time.
In which case, unscented candles are generally cheaper, and you could switch out classic votive candles for pillar candles if you're happy to do the clean-up after.
Of course, if your lantern has a wide enough opening, citronella candles are a great choice for outdoors, especially if you get a lot of wasps visit your garden.
