The Joy of the Perfect Find: Stories Behind Five Pieces You Wouldn’t Expect

One of our favorite parts of Dugazon is watching people discover something that feels like it was waiting for them, a perfect find they didn’t come in looking for but somehow can’t leave without. Those pieces often hold the most meaning, and for us, they’re usually the ones we’ve loved and lived with ourselves.

We thought it would be fun to share a few of our own favorites, five categories that feel fundamental to Dugazon, each with its own story and its own place in our lives.

1. Matt’s Books: Solid, Sturdy, and Full of Stories

Matt has always been drawn to books, especially hardcover first editions. The kind with weight, with presence. “I can’t describe it,” he says. “It’s just comforting.” Anytime he walks into a space with books, he moves toward them instinctively. He studies the covers, reads the blurbs, holds them in his hands the way someone else might hold a keepsake.

When choosing books for the carousel at Dugazon, he’s specific, intentionally so. They must be: 

– first edition 

– hardcover 

– and books he has actually read

“How can I recommend something I haven’t enjoyed myself?”

His tastes gravitate toward his obsessions: celebrity, horror, pop culture, scandal, biography, memoir, gay authors, most from the 70s and 80s. It’s a niche, and that’s exactly why it works. These aren’t generic coffee table books; they’re personal, unexpected, and wonderfully full of character.

2. Bobby’s Candles: The Beauty of a Perfect Taper

Bobby has strong feelings about taper candles, and for good reason. “19" ester & erik tapers are truly the best we have ever used,” he says without hesitation.

They’re elegant, tall, beautifully made, and somehow work in every setting, every season, every table. The colors shift with the light and they burn cleanly. They make any moment feel a little more intentional, a little more alive.

Candles aren’t accessories here; they’re part of the ritual of home. You light them for dinner, for company, or simply because the sun is setting, and the room deserves a little glow.

3. Antique Silver: Meant to Be Used, Not Stored

We both agree on this: silver is meant to live a real life. Not tucked away. Not “saved for special occasions.” Used, enjoyed and passed around the table.

From tongs to servers to casserole spoons, antique silver carries history, but it shouldn’t feel precious. “Just put it in the dishwasher,” Bobby says. “Give it a shine two or three times a year.”

There is nothing more beautiful than something that has been handled, loved, and softened by everyday use. Silver is that kind of object, it becomes warmer, friendlier, more meaningful the more it’s used.

4. Cookbooks: The Heart of Home

Cookbooks are central to Bobby’s life, and by extension, to Dugazon. His mother collected over 1,400 of them, a library he inherited and continues to grow. It’s a mix of everything: timeless classics, regional gems, Junior League first editions, and beloved titles worn soft from use.

Cookbooks aren’t just references; they are memories, traditions, ideas waiting to be made real. The ones at Dugazon reflect this, books we actually cook from, books that inspire us, books that feel like part of the rhythm of home. A great cookbook sits on a counter, open, with pages smudged and corners bent from use.

5. Linens: For Everyday, Not Just Guests

Linens at Dugazon, new or vintage, come from a simple philosophy:Use them every day, not just when guests arrive, not just for holidays, every day.

Bobby loves linens deeply, from LaDoubleJ to Charvet Editions to beautiful vintage pieces found around the world. They bring life to a table, warmth to a kitchen, quiet beauty to breakfast, and the best part? They only get better with time.

A home feels more like a home when linens are part of the daily rituals, not saved for an imagined “special occasion.”

One Last Find: A Shared Favorite

If there’s one thing we both reach for again and again, it’s Ursa Major. The face wash, the serums, the body and handwash, they live in our bathrooms and kitchens and should live in yours too. Clean, simple, effective, and beautifully made. They’re part of our routines, and part of the shop because we genuinely love them.

It Always Comes Back to This: The Joy of Discovery

These pieces, the books, the candles, the silver, the cookbooks, the linens, reflect what we love, what we use, and what feels essential to us. They’re chosen because they carry meaning, memory, utility, beauty.

The joy of the perfect find isn’t about the object itself, It’s about the feeling that rises when you hold it: This belongs with me. If Dugazon gives you that feeling, even once, then we’ve done what we set out to do.