The Art of Staying Home

I don't know when staying home became my favorite thing to do, but it did.

Don't get me wrong, I live in LA- I love a good dinner out and a cocktail that costs an offensive amount of money. But there's something about being home, with absolutely nowhere to be, that just hits differently these days. No reservations. No parking situation. Not having to turbo wash the makeup off my face.

Magical.

First, Turn Off the Big Light.

I feel very strongly about this.

Nothing ruins a perfectly good room faster than aggressive overhead lighting. If your living room looks like a dentist's office at 8PM, you really need to keep reading.

Turn on a lamp. Light a candle (or 3). Put some music on.

It's actually unbelievable how much better everything feels when the lighting is right.

And yes, I own a candle company, so obviously I'm going to tell you to light a candle. But I was doing this long before I had anything to sell you. Cozy is my middle name.

Not really, it’s Marie like every Italian Millennial ever.

Use Your Good Stuff.

You know those nice glasses you bought and never use? Use them.

The fancy olive oil? Pour it.

The expensive candle you've been saving for a special occasion? For the love of God, light it.

I think we're all guilty of saving the good stuff for some imaginary future version of our lives where everything is a little more worthy of celebration.

I'm not suggesting you set a five-course dinner table every time you make a grilled cheese. I'm just saying there's something really nice about treating an ordinary evening like it deserves a little effort.

Because it does.

Have People Over. Or Don’t.

I love a dinner party. Especially the kind where nobody really knows what time dinner is happening, everyone's hanging around the kitchen helping themselves, and someone opens another bottle of wine when they absolutely should be heading home.

Those are the best nights.

But I also think we've made entertaining way too complicated.

Your house doesn't need to be spotless. You don't need matching dishes. You definitely don't need to spend $400 at the grocery store pretending you're Ina Garten.

A relaxed hostess is such a flex. Don’t turn the magic of being at home with your people into a headache.

Make Your Home Feel Like You.

I love homes that feel like actual people live in them.

The books displayed are ones you have actually read. Weird things collected on trips. A moisture ring on the table because you forgot to use a coaster. Something vintage next to something new.

One of the things I love most about making candles is knowing they're not just sitting on someone's shelf looking pretty. They're becoming part of people's everyday lives. They’re cementing a memory for all future guests.

You can spend thousands of dollars decorating a room, but sometimes it's the smell of it that makes you feel most at home.

I love knowing that our candles are burning somewhere in the background while people are having dinner, catching up with friends, or sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing.

It is nostalgia in the making.

Anyway, Stay Home.

I guess the point of all this is that you don't need to have plans to have a good night.

You don't need an occasion to use the nice things. You don't need company to make the best meal. And you don’t need to make the best meal to have company.

Make your space somewhere you genuinely love spending time.

Put on the music. Pour the drink. Light the damn candle.

And if anyone asks what you're doing tonight, feel free to tell them you're busy.

xx,

Jade

Founder, DEHV Candle Co.