Space of Time’s Balance Fragrance Set. (Courtesy Space of Time)
Space of Time’s Balance Fragrance Set. (Courtesy Space of Time)

Simple Sets for Carving Out Daily Moments of Calm

The Los Angeles–based studio Space of Time curates sets of objects that engage the senses and help create awareness of the moment at hand.
By Emily Jiang
February 8, 2022
2 minute read

Many of us segment our days into hour-or-so-long stretches—an errand here, a catch-up there—but even with our time premeditated, rarely is every minute one of presence. Noticing this widespread need to carve out moments of awareness in our everyday lives, creative director Stephanie Tam and brand marketer Isabella Marengo founded the Los Angeles creative studio Space of Time in 2019.

As its name suggests, cultivating consciousness is central to the studio’s work. Tam and Marengo started out creating experiences that explore the concepts of time and space for design and hospitality brands, but the pandemic prompted them to change their focus to the home. Late last year, the studio introduced two elegant sets of domestic objects that engage the senses—smell, in particular—and aid users in connecting with themselves and their surroundings.

For an immersive olfactory experience, opt for the Balance Fragrance Set. Designed to foster equilibrium through scent, it includes a bundle of ginger and sandalwood incense sticks sourced from Japan that emit a distinctive yet pared-down aroma while generating a smokeless burn. There’s also a hand-dipped beeswax taper candle, made in Woodstock, New York, that emits a homey, milk-and-honey scent when lit. Either can sit in the Piedra Holder, a limited-edition sculpture inspired by the piles of stones often seen on beaches. It’s also reversible: both the cup-like end and the wider, rounded end can serve as the base.

The Bloom Tea Set offers a different kind of ceremony. In addition to a neatly packed bag of “Ikebana” tea—a botanical blend of wild bergamot, anise hyssop, lavender, chamomile, and rose from the California-based tea company Leaves and Flowers—the set contains everything you need for the tea-making process, including a glass cup by the design firm Departo, a woven, silver-plated brass strainer and a ceramic dish for it to rest in, and a globular hourglass, made in Japan, that measures the three minutes required for steeping. Using either set is to learn the value of daily ritual—of transforming calmness from something we sometimes feel to something we routinely create.