In my opinion, the way a person’s home smells says a lot about them. With home decor, the emphasis is placed on making the space aesthetically pleasing; easy on the eyes. Oft-overlooked, the scent of a home can elevate it from exceptional to extraordinary.
Scent has an extremely powerful memory association component, and it is the key to having your guests (and you!) remember the feeling of your home long after they leave. Growing up, my mom always had Yankee candles burning around the house, and it felt cozy and intimate. I can still remember in the chilly, fall evenings, a guttering candle in the darkened kitchen, long after the sun went down.
In our own home, I try to go beyond the cloying, one-note scents of cheapo candles and infuse every touchpoint with a sophisticated scent journey, consisting of an elaborate mixture of reed diffusers, candles, and aromatherapy diffusers.
I call this decorating with scent.
In some circumstances, a simple candle just simply cannot be beaten. I usually have about a thousand candles going at once, living dangerously on the edge of burning our entire home down.
I just love the insanely cozy and hygge gentle flicker of a candle.
I seem to have a few candles on every surface imaginable. Some remain unlit, but I’m not too precious with my candles and tend to burn almost all of them at one point in time. From my office to the bathroom, to the bedroom, our home has no shortage of candles in every size and shape.
A step further from candles, I have a few reed diffusers scattered around our house. Most of the time, I’m not the biggest fan of reed diffusers because they tend to get dusty and collect dirt, but occasionally I will have one going in a room that I want to consistently smell nice.
For me, this is our bedroom.
I am on a mission to make our bedroom the most relaxing and restful place in our home.
I have filled it to the brim with plants, soft and cozy bedding, and every good-smelling thing I can find. These things come in the form of a reed diffuser from Jo Malone, candles from Diptyque, Boy Smells, and Overose, and a humidifier to I diffuse Vitruvi essential oils.
My favorite Aesop hand soap (and an overabundance of candles) have become permanent residents of all the sinks at our house. The scent of this Aesop hand soap is botanical and sophisticated and lingers on the hands long after you’ve washed them. The price tag may be eye-watering, but the bottle lasts a really long time!
My favorite brands to decorate with scent are:
- Jo Malone (for candles and room diffusers) – fave scents are Pomegranate Noir, English Pear & Freesia, and Wood Sage & Sea Salt
- Diptyque (for candles and room sprays) – fave scents are Feu de Bois, Figuier, and Oud
- Overose – fave scent is Anamorphine
- Maison Louis Marie – fave scent is Bois de Balincourt
- Boy Smells – fave scents are Cedar Stack and Kush
- Homegoods (never forget about a $6.99 candle lol)
- Aesop (for hand soap/lotions) – Resurrection Aromatique is my fave
