Why Home Fragrance Is The Latest 'Must Have' Home Accessory

Why Home Fragrance Is The Latest 'Must Have' Home Accessory

Home fragrance is big business with many homes across the nation integrating candles and room diffusers into their home accessories without question.

 

To give it its correct name, ‘Olfactory styling’ has become hugely popular with home owners who select scented candles, diffusers, carpet fragrances and more to scent their homes and create different atmospheres through different smells. Just as styling our home visually is something that so many of us are immensely proud of, so too is styling them with scent.

 

Industry stalwarts such as Jo Malone, Neom and The White Company are perhaps credited with setting off the trend and taking home fragrance to a designer level. Now, they have been joined by independents such as the Harrogate Candle Company and who can escape the stir that high street retailers have caused with the launch of stylish ranges of diffusers and candles that smell delightful and are so competitively priced.

 

The power of scent

So why is scent so powerful? The impact that certain smells have on us is not a new concept – think of the effect that fresh baked bread and freshly brewed coffee has on us and how this type of scent management has been used to sell everything from homes to handbags!

 

It has been proven that smell is closely linked to memory; remember that perfume that your Mum used to wear when you were small, or the salty sea air from childhood holidays and research has shown that it is this type of association that is deemed to have the most impact on the choices we make regarding how me make our home smell too. Certain home fragrances will remind you of Christmas, a special birthday dinner and other significant moments. Bring back that smell and those memories come flooding back too.

 

Now as the trend continues to grow for fragrance styling in our homes professionals are working hard to create fragrances that evoke these memories and illicit new ones.

 

What should you look for?

The amount of fragrance that is available is simply mind boggling and with new ones being created all the time it is impossible to offer much advice; it is after all a deeply personal experience. That said, there are key notes that are featured regularly and, when faced with a shelf full of delicious smells it can sometimes help you work out what you like and what atmosphere you are trying to create.

 

Energise – Citrus smells are fantastic for creating an atmosphere of busy-ness and are known to be invigorating. Fragrances with citrus undertones would be perfect in a home office setting and if lemon-y fragrances are not for you, alpine smells such as pine and Cypress work equally as well as do Mandarin and Frangipani. Rosemary has also been proven to aid concentration so would be perfect for places of study or work.

 

Deodorise – Ridding your home of cooking smells is one reason why people choose home fragrance and whilst many are effective it is worth knowing that Geranium is a natural air deodorizer and again citrus smells feature heavily in nice smells to banish the bad ones.

 

Relax – Whether it’s an intimate, cosy feel you’re aiming for or a more elegant atmosphere there’s a great selection of fragrances that you can try to spot in your candles and diffusers. Patchouli, jasmine and rose are three of the most popular for intimacy whilst more musky smells such as Vetiver, and the age old favourite Lavender, create an elegant ambience, perfect for more formal sitting rooms and dining area.

 

The ultimate accessory

So, whilst the high street is awash with scented candles, room diffusers, room sprays etc. it can still be very hard to find a smell that is totally appealing to you. That you just love and makes you feel content whenever you smell it.

 

To that end, harnessing the smells that you love and blending them to create your very own fragrance has become one of the most desirable ways of accessorising your home. Having a signature home scent created can act as an added element to your interior design; complementing the visual design aspect in any of your rooms.

 

Bespoke scent consultations are definitely catching on  - Rachel Vosper of Belgravia has a glittering clientele list whilst the independent Champagne and Flamingo’s is well respected amongst interior, wedding and corporate clients alike.

 

Simply put, such bespoke consultations will take home fragrance to the next level, finding out your personal tastes and dislikes too and blending them to make a scent just for you. And, if you want to co-ordinate those scents with your home interior scheme and taste then you really will have the ultimate home design accessory.

 

Who knew that a simple scented candle with such humble beginnings would spark one of the biggest interior trends of the 21st century?

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