Tea light holders are the cheapest way to make a room feel like autumn after dark. Three small flames on a tray do more for a living room at six o'clock than a lamp, and a pumpkin-shaped holder does it without looking like you tried.
We make eight sets of ceramic pumpkin tea light holders, from plain white to autumn orange, all the same size and all sold in threes. This guide covers which set suits your room, how many to group, where to put them, what to mix them with, whether to use real tea lights or LED, and how to get the wax out afterwards.
Why tea light holders are the easiest autumn light
A tea light holder needs no fixing, no cable and no commitment. You can put three on the coffee table tonight and move them to the dining table on Sunday. They are small enough to sit on a windowsill and cheap enough to buy two sets.
They also solve the problem most autumn decorating has, which is that it looks fine in daylight and disappears at night. Pumpkins, trays and dried stems need light to be seen. Tea light holders are the light.
Our candle holders explained guide compares tea light holders with candlestick and glass holders if you are deciding which type to buy first.
The pumpkin tea light holders
Every set is three ceramic pumpkins, each 6.5cm across and 4cm high, with a well in the top for a standard tea light. The difference is the finish.
Neutrals
The Set of 3 Ceramic Pumpkin Tea Light Holders – White is the one that goes with everything, and the one to buy if your autumn decor is already colourful. The Set of 3 Pumpkin Tea Light Holders – White Floral adds a small painted flower, and the Set of 3 Ceramic Pumpkin Tea Light Holders – Speckled has the speckled, striped finish that matches our speckled pumpkin mugs.
Autumn tones
The Set of 3 Ceramic Pumpkin Tea Light Holders – Autumn is finished in soft autumn colours and is the set to start with if you want the classic look. The Set of 3 Pumpkin Tea Light Holders – Autumnal Orange is the classic pumpkin colour, and the Set of 3 Pumpkin Tea Light Holders – Autumn Floral adds a painted flower to the autumn colours for a softer look.
Greens
The Set of 3 Pumpkin Tea Light Holders – Light Green and the Set of 3 Pumpkin Tea Light Holders – Autumnal Green are for sage, olive and wooden kitchens, where orange would fight the room. Green pumpkins also last past autumn without looking like Halloween.
How many tea light holders should you use?
Three. The sets come in threes for a reason: one looks lost, two look like a pair of eyes, three looks like a display. Put them in a loose triangle rather than a row, with the gaps slightly uneven.
For a dining table, use two sets along the middle and leave the centre clear for food. For a mantel, one set at one end and something tall at the other. If you want more than three on one surface, keep them to one colour, or one neutral set and one coloured set, not three different finishes.
Where to put tea light holders in autumn
On a tray
A tray is the safest and best-looking place. It contains the group, catches any wax and lets you move all three at once. The Raised Wooden Tray Round Feet – Natural is 38cm long, which fits three holders with room for a small pumpkin at one end. The Scalloped Natural Display Board is a 28cm round that takes a triangle of three perfectly. More ideas in our candle tray ideas post.
Dining table
Tea light candle holders are the right height for a table because nobody has to talk around them. Two sets down the centre on a runner, lit twenty minutes before people sit down, is a table setting on its own.
Windowsill
A row of three on a windowsill shows from the street as well as the room. Use LED tea lights here: curtains, blinds and draughts are not a good mix with a flame.
Mantel and shelves
One set at one end of the mantel, with a rattan pumpkin or a tall candle holder at the other, balances the fireplace without filling it. Our autumn fireplace ideas post has the full mantel.
What to mix them with
A tea light holder is small, so it needs company that is either smaller or taller.
- Smaller: the Ceramic Pumpkin White/Silver Stalk – Tiny 4Pc Set scattered between the holders on a tray.
- Taller: the Rattan Pumpkin – Natural, which is 20cm high and gives the group something to sit against.
- Another light: the Set of 3 Medium LED Ceramic Pumpkins glow from the inside, so a tray of lit holders and LED pumpkins has two kinds of light at two heights.
Keep the whole group in one or two colours. White holders with white pumpkins and one rattan piece is calm; orange holders with the LED pumpkins is the full autumn look.
Real tea lights or LED?
Both have a place. A real tea light burns for about four hours and gives the flicker that makes a room feel warm. An LED tea light is for windowsills, shelves above a sofa, anywhere children or pets can reach, and any evening you might fall asleep.
With real tea lights, three rules: sit the holders on a tray or a plate rather than straight on a wooden table, keep them at least 15cm from dried stems and faux foliage, and never leave the room with them lit. A ceramic candle holder warms but does not get too hot to handle, so the pumpkins are fine to pick up once the flame is out.
Getting the wax out
Let the holder cool fully, then press the spent tea light cup out with a thumb. If wax has spilled into the well, put the holder in the freezer for twenty minutes and the wax lifts out in one piece. Wipe with a damp cloth. Do not pour boiling water into a cold ceramic holder, as the shock can crack the glaze.
After autumn
The white, white floral and green sets carry on through winter without changing anything; add a sprig of eucalyptus and they are ready for Christmas. Pack the orange and autumn sets away with the pumpkins at the end of November. For the winter version of the mantel, see our Christmas mantel decor guide, and for the other autumn candle holders we make, the 5 Autumn Candle Holders post covers the leaf and glass pumpkin designs.
Final thoughts
Three pumpkin tea light holders on a tray, lit at dusk, is the whole autumn evening. Pick the finish that matches your room, group them in threes, keep them on a tray, and use LED on the windowsill. Everything else is extra.
Show us your autumn trays on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or TikTok. We share our favourites.
FAQs
What is a tea light holder?
A tea light holder, also written tealight holder, is a small cup or dish that holds a tea light candle, a short candle in a metal or plastic case that burns for around four hours. Ceramic tea light holders like our pumpkins decorate the flame and keep it stable on a surface.
What size tea light fits a pumpkin tea light holder?
A standard tea light, which is about 3.8cm across. Our pumpkin tea light holders are 6.5cm wide and 4cm high with a well in the top sized for one standard tea light.
How many tea light holders should you group together?
Three is the minimum that reads as a display, which is why our sets come in threes. Use two sets along a dining table and one set on a tray, shelf or windowsill.
Are ceramic tea light holders safe to use?
Yes, with normal care. Put them on a tray or plate, keep them away from foliage and curtains, and do not leave them lit in an empty room. The ceramic warms but does not get too hot to handle once the flame is out.
Can I use LED tea lights in a tea light holder?
Yes. A standard LED tea light is the same size as a wax one and sits in the same well. Use LED on windowsills, high shelves and anywhere children or pets can reach.
How do I get wax out of a tealight holder?
Let it cool, press the used cup out, and if wax has spilled, freeze the holder for twenty minutes so the wax lifts out. Wipe with a damp cloth rather than soaking it.
Where should I put tea light holders in autumn?
On a tray on the coffee table, down the middle of the dining table, on the windowsill with LED lights, or at one end of the mantel with a taller pumpkin at the other.
Can tea light holders be used all year?
Yes. The white, speckled and green pumpkin sets suit winter and spring as well as autumn. Change what sits next to them, such as eucalyptus in December or blossom in March, rather than the holders themselves.
What goes with pumpkin tea light candle holders?
Small ceramic pumpkins to scatter between them, a rattan pumpkin for height and LED pumpkins for a second light. Keep the group to one or two colours.
