Ana Ardiff on scent, ritual, and the quiet art of taking yourself seriously.
There are products that make our homes more beautiful. And then there are those rarer objects that do something deeper — that shift the atmosphere of a room, shape a thought, resurrect a memory. The candles of SIBONEI belong, without question, to the second category.
With an extraordinary sensitivity to form, fragrance, and meaning, founder Ana Ardiff has built a collection under the name SIBONEI that exists somewhere between sculpture, poetry, and perfume. The candles are hand-poured in an atelier in Grasse, in the south of France — the city that has been considered the cradle of the perfumer's art for centuries. The wax is a 100% pure, non-toxic blend of coconut, soy, and beeswax — GMO-free as a matter of course, with a cotton wick and environmentally conscious packaging.
The search for the perfect fragrance was anything but straightforward. "I made a solo journey to Grasse in search of the perfect perfumer," Ana recalls. "That trip was full of surprises, frustrations, and misunderstandings. But in the end, I found someone who truly understood the vision behind SIBONEI." It is a sentence that reveals much — about an uncompromising commitment to quality and depth, and about the determination to build a world of scent oriented not by trend, but by emotion.
Each of the five signature candles is inspired by a feeling, a scene, a moment drawn from art, film, or literature. Among them, Hypnagogia stands out — a sensuous, warm fragrance of particular complexity. But SIBONEI captivates beyond the olfactory. The visual language is equally considered: minimalist branding charged with meaning, from the thoughtful typography to the tactilely refined packaging. Every line, every colour, every form is part of a delicate and coherent whole.
Even the name carries intention. Inspired by the song Siboney, it is spelled with an "i" — Sibonei. A small stylistic shift that achieves something significant. "The balance of the letters is perfect," Ana says simply. And that precision is felt throughout — in every detail, at every scale.
The candles are currently available in selected stores across the EU and the United States, as well as through SIBONEI's own online shop, with an international presence that continues to grow.
When we asked Ana who she designs these candles for, her answer was as profound as it was disarming. "For people who buy themselves flowers. Who design their home to reflect their mood. And who love to do something good for themselves." It is a statement that lingers — because it says far more about an audience than any demographic profile ever could. It speaks to a way of living. To people who take themselves seriously, and who understand the power of ritual.
Every fragrance is a hand-selected interplay of natural components. Every design decision is an act of mindfulness. Luxury, understood here as responsibility — and as an invitation to come home to oneself.
But SIBONEI is conceived as more than a fragrance label. It is an idea in continuous evolution. Ana has a clear vision for what lies ahead: a fragrance line of her own, music playlists curated to accompany each scent world, and "Conversations" — an interview format featuring the personalities who inspire her. Together with her partner Barbara, she is also building Sibonei Collective, a design-oriented platform connecting those who are searching with healers from lesser-known practices and modalities.
One further highlight is approaching: Ana tells us that this September she will launch a collaboration with the Viennese label Ursula Futura — a fellow HOMEISSUE Collective member — a project that reimagines the relationship between design, scent, and form in genuinely fascinating ways.
SIBONEI reminds us that it is the quiet gestures that truly shape a home — a carefully chosen fragrance, a still ritual, a moment that belongs entirely to you. Welcome, SIBONEI. And welcome to the HOMEISSUE Collective.