Novel Candles

Novel Candles started as an idea-turned-mission that was born out of necessity in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic outbreak. Like many others, Interior Designer and former bartender Ashley Dufresne, was forced to pivot. She had a dream of finding a way to combine modern design, recycled materials, upcycled glass, clean-burning candles that also paid homage to Louisiana. She took it a step further by finding a way for loved ones to be able to connect without seeing each other and the personalized, nostalgic beauties that came to be Novel Candles was born. Combining her passion for design with her enthusiasm for recycling finally became a reality with the support of people like you from all over the world.

Our candles are made with premium quality ingredients to ensure the cleanest burn. We use all natural fragrance & essential oils, a proprietary Vegan Cocosoy wax blend, organic wicks and are hand-poured in small batches… All right here in NOLA! Never sold on Amazon. Our custom blends and labels pay homage to nostalgia & our one-of-a-kind state, Louisiana. We also offer custom curated candle scent services where you can have us create a blend for you, a loved one, your brand, wedding, anniversary, bridal party, baby shower, private event or whatever serves you! Message us today for details or checkout our Custom Candle listing.

Who is Novel Design?

What we do…

Novel Design prides ourself on being an affordable, around-the-clock option for home and business staging, decor and design services. We pay attention to your budget as well as your needs. With Novel Design, there is no pricy or pushy up-selling or ties to expensive, marked-up retailers. Novel Design leaves customers feeling happy that they invested in their home and that it was not only money well spent, as well as TIME no longer wasted, brought on by a newfound feeling of functionality and pride. This company stretches your dollar as far as it can go. You can really tell that they love what they do and it shows in their final results, every time. Maybe you've been needing some more "me" time. Let Novel Design turn your old kid space or garage into a Mother-in-Law suite, workshop, home office/studio, upgraded pool house or, our specialty: a She Shed or Man Cave. Give those yearly guests something to "oo" and "ahh" about when they come in town for Jazz Fest this year or when family comes in town for the holidays. Those bragging rights are sure to ease the holiday stress! Empty nesters looking to finally upgrade? Novel Design can turn those empty rooms and spaces into something beautiful, organized and functional just for you. They also offer packages for college freshmen and first-time homeowners. Let ND take care of all the basic essentials needed for starting your journey into a dorm or new home. New baby? No problem! With Novel Design's budget-friendly experts, you can have the beautiful nursery you always wanted at a fraction of the cost you think you'd have to spend! Add some curb appeal by letting ND spruce up your front porch or yard! Your neighbors will be envious of the new look when they see what they can do. Maybe you want to add some "Wow!" to your outdoor living space or pool area? How about an outdoor kitchen or bar? Possibilities are truly endless! Maybe you just want to give a room (or two!) a facelift? Let ND do the hard part for you! They do custom color boards and mood boards! After assessing your home during the consultation and getting a feel for what your wants and needs are, they will choose the color palette for each room/space and present the options to you in your home to get your final approval. Selling a home? Did you know that your house will sell 50% faster when you have it staged!? Let ND stage your home for sale and get you top dollar, to boot!

Who We Are…

We are a New Orleans-based interior & exterior design business with a passion for giving new life to spaces as well as upcycling, refinishing and creating custom furniture & art. Our mission using & re-using as much as we can applies to everything we put our name on, no matter what job we are doing or what we are creating. The idea for Novel Candles spent years on the back-burner until our head designer & CEO, Ashley Dufresne, decided to attempt to “recycle” her time that was seemingly stolen by the Quarantine & apply it towards something meaningful to help her city. After spending a decade working in bars & hospitality, she had seen thousands of glass bottles go right into the trash, ultimately ending up in a landfill. It had always blown her mind that New Orleans doesn't offer glass recycling options. On the opposite end of her career (6+ years of design, staging & property management), she had purchased and thrown away hundreds of overpriced candles. Most didn't even contain natural ingredients.

Alas, Novel Candles was born! Recycled glass candles that celebrated all the great things about Louisiana, using all natural ingredients. Her decision to allow customers to add personalization was driven primarily by the devastating reality that people, all over the world, were not only unable to leave their homes in 2020, but unable to be with their loved ones.

Ashley wanted to give a chance to have every customer receive a smile,

a smell & a piece of art, all while helping our environment.

Our ability to combine nostalgia, beauty & functionality in our candles & designs is only matched by the personal touches we are able to add to each & every job. If you are interested in having a piece of furniture refinished or simply wish to update or remodel your space, we offer text & FaceTime services to customers worldwide. We are also available to travel for jobs out of state, based on assignment. From breathing new life into family heirlooms to creating beautiful, fresh spaces with our professional paint color selection services & personalized shopping lists (sent right to your e-mail) to guiding you through becoming a short-term rental host to simply sketching a new view for you to see your space in a new light… We do it all!