What years ago started as a dreamy notion to make her tiny apartment more like the home where DayNa Decker grew up has turned into an internationally successful candle and home ambiance business. With her patent-pending products that include eco-friendly sculptural oil lamps, unconventional candles (dubbed “Chandels®”) that ditch the traditional yarn wick for a wood wick that crackles as it burns, and fragrance diffusers that look like art pieces, Decker’s creations are utterly modern. Yet they capture the essence and beauty in the simple act of lighting a candle.

Face it, in the twenty-first century none of us needs to light a candle for illumination or burn a flame for heat. But we do. And we always will. And with Decker’s gorgeous line, it is possible to strike a match and create what she calls a multi-sensory environment.

In anticipation of her in-store appearance and the Chandel® she designed exclusively for Amen Wardy Home, we caught up with Decker to talk about her innovative products.

AWM Tell us about your life experience and how it relates to your business.
DD It really started when I was young. I was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota. As you can relate to in Colorado, we used to have a fire place going probably nine months out of the year, so that’s where I got my love of open flames and crackling wood. My father was the type of person who would always have candles burning, and lots of fragrance—like his cologne. The lights were always dim and he was very much into creating ambiance. You could say I was really born into ambiance and atmosphere within our home.

AWM Before you started this company you were a professional model. How did modeling evolve into creating luxury candles and home fragrances?
DD When I started modeling, I began traveling and living in models’ apartments. They were sparse and didn’t have any of the comforts of home, like ambiance, that I longed for. So when I was on the road, I spent a lot of time visualizing these things that I wished existed. The daydreaming comes naturally to me because I’m an only child, and I grew up with a lot of time to think. Eventually, I decided that I should use some of the money I had earned modeling to focus on these ideas and products that I had been dreaming about. I knew they didn’t exist in the marketplace, so I wanted to bring them to fruition.

AWM Nowadays, where do your ideas for new products typically come from?
DD I lived in Japan during my early years modeling. I also traveled throughout Europe and other parts of Asia. So I’m really influenced by travel and the architecture and fashion that I’ve been exposed to. I like bringing these inspirations into the home. Now that I live in Los Angeles and don’t travel as much, I spend a lot of time poring over international design magazines to find inspiration for future designs and to keep up with what’s out there.

AWM You are obviously the face of DayNa Decker, the business so to speak, but how involved are you in the process of creating new product lines?
DD Probably about 200 percent. That’s to say I’m probably overly involved. [She laughs.] Usually I come up with the initial idea then see it through every step to the end. We have a great in-house team that’s very talented. We collaborate on the necessary steps to make an idea come to fruition, but most of the direction comes form me.

AWM You have a vision for creating specific atmospheres, what tips can you share with those of us wanting to set a specific mood at home or for a special occasion?
DD I think the key component is fragrance. I really believe that fragrance creates memories, a feeling and a mood. For me it’s all about creating a multi-sensory experience. How can you capture and stimulate each of the senses? I think about what’s visually appealing as well as scent and sound… From the crackling sound of the candles to the music you choose. We don’t sell any products that have taste, but I would definitely advise people to pull out some decadent chocolate and wine to indulge all of your senses and make the perfect setting!

AWM Tell us about the special chandel® you designed for Amen Wardy Home.
DD It’s a glamorized version of our couture line. We decorated the chandel as well as the box with Swarovski crystals to highlight the feeling of the holidays. It is a customized fragrance blended with over 40 different ingredients and it has an EcoWood Wick® so it crackles. It’s very complex and hard to define. It’s not floral, not musky, not citrus. It’s kind of all of them combined. I would say it’s a seductive fragrance. I’m hoping that when people burn it during the holidays it will set a warm mood.

AWM What are you looking forward to most about visiting Aspen the week before Christmas?
DD I’m looking forward to being in the mountains and in the snow. I was born and raised in Fargo, so I long for the cold and snow—not 6 months of it, but a weekend sounds wonderful. Most of all, I’m looking forward to a weekend alone with my husband. We have two boys under the age of two, so you can imagine how nice it will be to have some time alone.

Please see What’s Happening for details about DayNa Decker’s upcoming in-store appearance at Amen Wardy Home.