Shilpa: Home is where people gather. It’s where friends stop by unannounced, where one meal becomes three, and where everyone lingers a little longer than they planned. I love spaces that are beautiful and cared for, but never so precious that people can’t truly live in them.

Ellen: A plant makes every room feel more natural and warm. It pulls nature inside and gives it life. And I’m not afraid to use color. If you have a neutral couch, adding warmth through a throw, pillows, or art on the walls is like accessories to a room: the same way you’d put on a fun necklace over a great white shirt.

Barbora: Through art and objects collected over the years. Pieces passed down from family or found on our travels. I started collecting a set of dishes when I was 16, and it brings me so much joy to use them every day rather than saving them for special occasions.

Shilpa: A dinner table feels right when no one’s in a hurry. When people linger, reach for seconds, and the conversation keeps unfolding. I love when there’s a little chaos to it: kids interrupting, someone getting up for another bottle of wine, a story that takes three detours before it ends. The best tables make people want to stay.

Ellen: Fresh flowers, and that doesn’t mean a fancy bouquet. You can go to your garden, pick some greenery, put it in a few vases in odd numbers. And I never serve just one dish. I almost literally don’t know how. It has to be at least three: a main, a salad, a side of bread. It just feels complete.

Barbora: Comfortable chairs, and a table that works just as well for a weeknight dinner as it does for a fancier dinner party.

Barbora: Time. Nothing beats a weekend when we can all putter around the kitchen together: my husband, the kids, everyone involved. Taking the extra time to slowly caramelize onions, having a roast in the oven. We love simple ingredients and have little traditions we hold onto.

Ellen: Freshness and layering different elements of flavor. Acid, a vinegar or a lemon. Generous salt and pepper. A fresh herb. A crunch, like breadcrumbs. And maple syrup as a sneaky sweetener. Everyone’s like, “that’s delicious.” It’s just hiding in the background.

Shilpa: I’m drawn to the Spanish tradition of sobremesa, lingering at the table long after the plates are empty. There’s an understanding that you don’t disrupt that energy, because it’s often when the best stories are told and the deepest connections are made.

Ellen: Community is code for friendship, friendship that acts as a net in your life. It’s there to catch you, support you, hug you. Otherwise you’re just floating out in the ether by yourself. You weave this net through the people you meet. But it takes work: calling people, showing up. It has to be a two-way street.

Shilpa: I often think about the four-burner theory: work, personal well-being, family, and friends. The “friends” burner is usually the first to go because it feels optional. But I’ve come to believe that burner is really community, and it’s fundamental to a meaningful life. Community is what supports and sustains the other three.

Barbora: Caring deeply about the relationships you foster, practicing active listening, and genuinely showing up for people. When we’re truly in community together, we can create something far greater than any of us could alone.