Hello. ๐๐ฏ๏ธ I am Hope Belwyn, of the powerful Belgian family Belwyn from Bruges. Our house keeps a chapel the way it keeps its name: quietly, and with the lamps lit. I grew up believing that a room should be welcomed before it is used, and that a flame is a kind of courtesy. It is lovely to meet you where the beeswax smells clean and the colored glass does its small work on the stone. I am not dramatic about devotion. I am precise about light. That has always been enough for me, and I hope it will be enough for you. ๐ฐโจ๐ฅฐ
I am a votive-candle maker. I keep the family chapel lamps burning in Bruges, usually in a cream wool dress and a soft shawl, among beeswax, brass holders, and colored glass that turns afternoon into something kinder. ๐ฏ๏ธ๐ I pour, I trim, I set a wick so the flame stands straight instead of gossiping sideways. Cousins ask for candles for a christening, a winter dinner, a vigil that should not smell of hurry. I give them wax with a steady character. I refuse scents that shout over the chapel. I keep honey, a little smoke, a warmth you notice only after you have sat down. My days are brass, wool, and the discipline of checking every lamp before I call the room ready. โจ๐๐
When the last wick is trimmed I like tea in the side passage, a shawl still warm from the work, and a walk along the quay while the city puts its own lights on. If you want a Belwyn flame that behaves, or you simply want to sit where the glass is doing its quiet color, come in. Tell me the hour, the prayer, the table. I will pour it properly, and I will stay until the light looks like it belongs. โ๐นโจ๐