When planning your fall and Halloween decor, it can be hard add a touch of childlike wonder without everything feeling tacky, or straight out of a Spirit Halloween. That is where floating candles come in.
Of course, we don't have the magic to actually make candles float in the air like the wizarding world, but our party planning and interior pros share a few quick and easy ways to get the magical look in your home.
Here, we’ll guide you through the steps of hanging floating candles safely to help spruce up your fall dinner parties and decorate tastefully for Halloween.
How to hang floating candles
This simple yet chic DIY project will help to spruce up any home in just a few hours – and it can be renter-friendly too. Perfect if you don’t own the space, or don’t want to use fixtures you have to look at for the rest of the year.
What you'll need
- Remote-controlled battery-operated taper lights, available at Amazon
- Batteries, according to your taper lights. This battery set from Amazon includes both AA and AAA to cover all bases
- Clear fishing line, available at Walmart
- Clear Glue Dots, also from Walmart
- Command Hooks light clips, also at Walmart
1. Power your candles
Before you can jump on this Halloween trend, you need to check your candles are working, reminds Olivia Bufalini, principal interior designer at Collaborative Design Group.
‘LED candles are the safest and most efficient option, so keep real candles away from flammable materials and fishing lines,’ she warns.
When picking your LED candles, Annemarie Schumacher, award-winning event planner and founder of Make Every Day an Event says, ‘Getting remote control candles with a timer. Since they’ll be hanging, you don’t want to have to turn them on and off each night. You also don’t want to have to replace the batteries mid-season. So a timer is essential to keep your candles shining brightly throughout the Halloween season.’
Simply slot the appropriate batteries into place and check that the remote works before you start stringing everything up.
All prices correct at time of publication.
If you want to make things easier, ‘Purchasing a floating candle set for Halloween means most of the supplies come included,’ says Olivia Bufalini, designer. This set on Amazon has a wand-shaped remote to make the effect just a little more magical.
2. Attach the fishing line using glue dots
Clear fishing line, available at Amazon, will be your best friend when it comes to this DIY Halloween decor idea. When attaching it to your candle, you have two options, says Annemarie Schumacher, award-winning event planner. Tying it around the ‘flame’, or sticking it on with glue dots.
She adds, ‘I like to avoid attaching the fishing line to the area around the wick. It seems natural to tie the fishing line around the wick. But over time, it can pull it out and cause the candle to stop working. I prefer to attach the fishing line using clear glue dots toward the top of the taper. This helps to avoid damaging the candles.’
Use removable glue dots, available on Amazon so when it's time to pack away your decor, you can peel them off without hassle, and avoid them sticking to things you don't want to.
3. Decide on a suitable location
With the candles powered and strung, you can decide on the best place for your fall decor ideas. Annemarie continues, ‘You want to carefully choose the area in which you’ll be hanging the candles, this is a project that isn’t suitable for every space. If your front porch is a relatively windy area, this may not be the best décor choice for you.
‘On that note, you also want to make sure the area is dark enough at night that the candlelight will really create an atmosphere and mood. This may require you to turn off or dim landscape lighting.’
‘If decorating outdoors, ensure your candles are waterproof, and consider factors like wind, visibility, and any hazards before hanging, adds Olivia Bufalini, interior designer.
These LED candle sticks on Amazon are suitable for outdoor use and come with dimmer and remote.
4. Clean your ceiling and attach the hooks
Before you stick your Command hooks on the ceiling, you will need to clean your ceiling and make sure it's dry – just as you would when cleaning walls. This gives the hooks a stable and dry surface to stick to and reduces the likelihood of your candles falling.
We like these smaller Command ceiling hooks that are hard to spot and easy to remove.
Annemarie Schumacher adds, ‘You need to use quality supplies and follow the manufacturer’s directions. With Command hooks, you need to clean the surface to which they’ll be affixed with alcohol and let the surface dry prior to attaching the hook. Also, you need to wait at least an hour after attaching the hook to hang the candles to ensure the adhesive has had time to stick. Following these steps will go a long way to ensuring success.'
Before cleaning your whole ceiling, check the rubbing alcohol on a small, inconspicuous area first to ensure it does not damage your paintwork. If it does, consider using a basic kitchen degreaser, such as Method's heavy-duty degreaser at Amazon, instead.
These floating candles are one of the most popular Halloween decorations year on year for a reason. Keep a hold of your supplies for next year, or even reuse the effect for some DIY Christmas decor ideas in a few months time.
