Style & Taste
Notes on a softer existence.
Style & Taste is the Soft Existence journal — slow reading on considered living in Dubai and the wider UAE. We write about scented soy candles and how fragrance behaves in air-conditioned rooms, about woven cotton baskets and the quiet work of home organisation, and about the kitchen storage that keeps a warm, humid kitchen calm. Everything here is written for homes in this climate, not imported from another one.
The pieces are practical rather than aspirational: fixing a candle that has tunnelled, storing flour and rice through summer, styling a shelf without buying anything new, preparing a majlis for guests. New stories are added most weeks — start with the latest below, or follow the tag on any story to read by theme, from candles and scent to storage, styling and care.
Latest
Small Bathroom Storage Ideas for Apartments
No cabinet, one shelf, no drilling: bathroom storage ideas for small Dubai apartments using baskets, a basin tray and rolled towels.
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The Considered Corner
How to compose a calm corner in three notes - a woven basket for function, a candle for atmosphere, and something natural to soften the lines.
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The Well-Kept Flame
Get the most from a soy candle - the patient first burn, the trimmed wick and the gentle habits that keep it burning clean, even and long.
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The Composed Shelf
Open shelves reward restraint. How a single woven cotton basket and a narrow, textural palette make a corner look composed.
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A Scent for Every Mood
A guide to the four Soft Existence candle scents - Black Coffee & Vanilla, Cinnamon & Bergamot, Lavender and Pomegranate & Pink Pepper - and how to choose one by mood and room.
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The Hour Before Evening
Why a single candle, struck at dusk, transforms a room, and how to choose a sculptural form and a scent worth living with.
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How to Clean and Reshape a Cotton Rope Basket
Cotton rope baskets should never go in the washing machine. How to clean one properly, lift a stain, and coax a slumped basket back into shape.
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Toy Storage That Doesn't Look Like Toy Storage
Open baskets first, lidded boxes second, one category per basket. Toy storage ideas for living rooms, small bedrooms and soft toys that a child will actually tidy.
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Coffee Table Decor Ideas: The Three-Object Rule
Something tall, something low, something living, all on one tray. Coffee table decor ideas for round, modern and Ramadan tables that never tip into clutter.
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How to Store Candles in a Hot Climate
A candle kept badly loses most of its scent before it is ever lit. Where to keep one in a warm home, and how to get the throw back from a jar that smells faint.
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Small Kitchen Ideas: The Three-Things-on-the-Counter Rule
Small kitchen ideas for Dubai apartments: what is allowed on the counter, canister sets that live in the open, one shelf used well, and a five-minute reset.
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How Long Does a Candle Actually Last?
Burn time on the label is a best case, not a promise. How to work out what a candle should give you, what shortens it, and how long an unburned one keeps.
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