Five Questions with Tania Bulhões

What's the best or worst dinner party you've ever attended? Give us the scoop.

The best ones are always the simplest, and somehow, they're the ones you remember forever. I once had dinner at a friend's home in Rio, nothing elaborate, just a long table on the terrace, mismatched chairs, candles everywhere, and food that had been cooking all day. Nobody wanted to leave. That evening taught me that the most unforgettable gatherings have very little to do with perfection and everything to do with intention.

What's one thing you'd tell a first-time host to stop worrying about?

Do not be afraid of improvising. The beauty of hosting lies in working with what you have, mixing and matching styles and patterns, and giving different purposes to certain objects! Think of your table as a white canvas: pour your feelings into it and have fun.

How do you know when a party has been a success? What's the feeling in the room?

Honestly? When nobody has grabbed their coat, and it's well past midnight. There's a specific kind of noise a happy table makes: layered, warm, a little loud. When the candles have burned all the way down, and people are still talking, I know we did something right.

What's different about entertaining in Brazil versus the U.S., if anything?

In Brazil, we think of every detail: flowers on the table and throughout the house, guests' names on each seat with something special on their bread plates, and a perfectly tidy powder room prepped with good hand soap, moisturizer, a candle lit, and a few emergency items on hand (tooth floss, Advil, band-aids, everything laid out in beautiful containers in a tray with single-use towels). It sounds like a lot, but once it becomes a habit, it's just the way you host!

Why is scent important when you're entertaining? How do you choose the right scent for the occasion?

Scent is the thing guests feel before they even sit down. For a lighter afternoon gathering, I always reach for our Chá Branco fragrance — fresh, clean, instantly welcoming. For a dinner with candles and good wine, Figo Negro is my go-to: warm, a little unexpected, exactly the right mood. The moment someone says "your home always smells so good" — that's when I know the evening is already off to a good start.