Want Your Home to Smell Like Spring? This $12 Gem Nails It

As a through-and-through homebody, I put a lot of effort into making my space feel so cozy that I hardly ever want to leave. There are several essentials that help me make that happen, like supersoft bedding and low lighting, and I firmly believe that the right choice of fragrance really anchors it all.

Room sprays and diffusers are great, but candles are my go-to. And I used to always stick with one scent over all others: Capri Blue’s Volcano. (You know, of Anthropologie fame.) I use Volcano candles during every season, but to me, the citrusy scent embodies spring and summer. There’s no better time to burn them than this time of year.

Since I’d already discovered my go-to candle, I never thought I’d love another just as much, but guess what? I found another that I just bought for a fourth time because it’s that good. APOTHEKE’s Sea Salt Grapefruit Mini Candle complements the warm weather and sunshine perfectly, and even though it comes in a tiny container, the scent fills my entire studio apartment. If you’re looking for a new fragrance to enhance the mood in your space for the next few months, I can’t recommend this one enough.

I’ve been an Apotheke fan for well over a year now, ever since I visited its storefront in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I even got a glimpse of the factory behind the store, where all of the candles are poured by hand using soy wax and perfume-grade fragrance oils. The brand started off in founder Chrissy Fichte’s kitchen back in 2011, and over a decade later, candles, diffusers, and soaps in over a dozen scents are part of the lineup. 

I’ve gotten my hands on many of them at this point — I tried out the Discovery Set — and while they’re all amazing in their own ways, I think the Sea Salt scent is next level, particularly perfect for fans of Volcano and other citrusy scents. The candle’s top layer is fruity, with grapefruit, lemon, tropical and green fruit, and mint scent notes that hit you right off of the bat. As you use it — it burns for 15 hours — you’ll start to notice middle notes of green florals, watery nuances, peach, and red berry. Finally, toward the end, musk, coconut, and amber notes round everything off.

I tend to buy the tiny tin, but you can also snag a three-wick version, 10.5-ounce size, diffuser, and more.

I love it when guests compliment my decor, but when someone tells me that my apartment smells good — that’s the best. And lately, I’ve had more friends point out this candle than any others I’ve ever burned. It’s hard to believe that a candle so tiny can be so powerful, from start to finish. At the same time, it takes up hardly any space on my coffee table. If you have a small space like I do, you know how important it is to make the most of the tabletop space you have.

There’s not a ton of upkeep involved with this candle, either. During the full 15 hours I usually get out of it, not once do I have to trim the wick. As long as I burn it long enough to evenly melt the wax — usually an hour — I haven’t noticed any tunneling. (That’s when a pit forms around the candle’s wick, making the wax’s surface uneven. It can be a pain to fix.) None of the wax goes to waste, which is exactly what I expect and want from a higher-end candle. 

Last year, I grabbed another Discovery Set from APOTHEKE to give out the mini candle tins as stocking stuffers. Like me, all of the women in my family turned out to be impressed by them, whether they received the smoky Charcoal scent or the clean Canvas one. Admittedly, I ended up keeping the Sea Salt Grapefruit one for myself because I love it that much, but it undoubtedly makes for a great gift for any candle lover, especially during the spring and summer months.

Buy: APOTHEKE Sea Salt Grapefruit Mini Candle Tin, $12 (also available at Amazon in a larger size)