Nothing can evoke such a vast array of feelings and emotions quite as much as a familiar scent, which has the power to take us back to memorable moments or whisk us away to our favourite places in a heartbeat. From the fresh scent of laundry hanging out in the sun to dry to the smell of the salty sea air which takes you back to childhood holidays, or the powerful potency of a perfume your grandmother used to wear, each of the scents we know and love has the power to change our mood in an instant, often evoking feelings of comfort and contentment and creating an all-round sense of wellbeing.
It’s for this reason – amongst others – that the trend for home fragrances has found itself such a role in luxury homes in recent years, and while you might not be filling yours with scents from years gone by, the choices you make now are the ones that both you and your house guests will associate with your home, and have the power to create a mood and atmosphere of your choosing. The right scent can instantly make a space feel more uplifting or relaxing – but do it wrong, and you could have the opposite effect.
Adding fragrance to your home is to personalise it and add that all-important air of luxury, too – and fragrance diffusers, scented candles, room sprays and electric nebulisers all have a role to play.
The Danish are known for having candles at home to create a hygge atmosphere, while reed diffusers have become an elegant and refined option amongst the affluent – but ultimately, how you choose to fragrance your home is down to personal taste. So, if you’re ready to give yours an aromatic makeover for 2021, then look no further – because we’ve pulled together the ultimate guide on all you need to know.
Home reed diffusers
Home reed diffusers are an effective way to scent your home, and better yet, also come with a certain aesthetic appeal. A glass reed diffuser will look elegant sitting on a shelf or window ledge, whilst emitting a gentle fragrance through its woody reeds. This precious material leaves the perfumes you choose unchanged and helps to release it gradually and consistently throughout the day – because let’s face it, we’ve all been caught in an overpowering cloud of someone’s perfume at one time or another, and it certainly isn’t the best way to appreciate a good scent.
To get the best out of your reed diffusers, you’ll simply need to turn the reeds upside down once a week to renew – giving you an attractive and low maintenance option that will look after itself. Available in a variety of different sizes, they are a versatile choice too, and can be used to personalise spaces of any shape and size in a subtle and stylish way.
How to choose the best fragrance
When it comes to choosing the best fragrance for any given room in your home, it all comes down to personal taste. The best approach is to bear in mind what kind of atmosphere you want to create in each room, as this will help you to select a fragrance based on essential oils that are known for evoking these feelings. Creating an olfactory path throughout your home will take guests on a sensory journey when they visit, as well as doing the same for you and your family on a daily basis – so really take the time to think about how you’d like your time here to make you feel.
Lavender, for example, is known to be a calming and relaxing scent that is just perfect for the bedroom, helping you to wind down and bliss out when it’s time to drift off to sleep. On the other hand, the olfactory notes of pomegranate can make for a welcoming way to greet anyone who enters your home, so you might opt to place this one in the hallway or cloakroom to create the desired effect from the outset.
When it comes to the living room – the place where you no doubt spend the most time while at home – your choice here might depend on your mood, the season, or simply your personal taste. Warm and spicy cinnamon and orange can create a cosy atmosphere during the autumn and winter months, while oriental or floral scents are uplifting choices for the spring and summer.
Vanilla is a great option if you’re looking to create a wholly luxurious feel, while more assertive fragrances such as patchouli or geranium will put your own stamp on your space, as well as deterring mosquitoes from entering in the spring and summer, if you happen to live somewhere where they are common.
In the kitchen, the energetic notes of lemon and lime are the perfect purifiers for the air, while in the bathroom, the essential oils of white musk or pure linen are ideal to create a relaxing atmosphere for those long, hot baths. Marine scents are like a breath of fresh air, for those who prefer a lighter and more uplifting atmosphere.
Where to put your fragrance diffuser
Once you have chosen your fragrance, you can start to think about the size of the glass diffuser you’d like, which will depend both on the size of the room, and the possible placements. Although diffusers hold an aesthetic appeal, it’s important to decide where to put your diffuser not based on this fact alone. Ultimately, the goal here is to effectively fragrance your space, so opting to place it somewhere where it can best permeate the air will ensure the best results.
The million dollar question is of course, how to work out where this is – however the two main rules of thumb to bear in mind are not to place the diffuser too high up or too close to heat sources. Avoid placing them on the floor or on shelves which are under one metre high and don’t put them above the height of your nose. Surfaces such as dinner tables, cupboards, console tables, chests of drawers and dressers are perfect.
Last but not least, remember that if you don’t want the fragrance to diffuse too quickly, your diffuser must not be placed near direct sources of heat such as fireplaces and radiators or near air streams. So, even if you think the diffuser is perfectly placed on the windowsill or in front of a window, don’t forget to bear this in mind.
Room spray fragrances
Room spray fragrances are another great way to scent your room, and offer a quick burst as and when you need it. These scents tend to be more powerful and potent when compared with those emitted from reed diffusers.
It’s possible to moderate the intensity of the spray depending on the intensity of fragrance you choose in the first place, however, and you can use it throughout the day as you desire. So, if guests are coming around then you can quickly and conveniently transform the feel of any room – no patience required.
Spray perfumes are recommended for large and ample spaces and are perfect when you want to perfume your home as and when – but if you’re looking for a more consistent and longer-lasting fragrance, classic home reed diffusers are a more convenient and effective choice.
Scented candles
Another way to perfume your home in a natural way is to use scented candles, which can make for great decorative touches as well as helping to create the atmosphere you desire. This is a beloved option in the Nordic countries, and it’s for this reason that the Scandinavian minimalistic style has become a sought-after look and feel in countries around the world. There’s no denying that when it comes to creating an attractive and comforting home environment, the Scandi countries are ahead of the game, and if it’s a style you want to emulate in your own home, then scented candles are a great way to do so.
Offering a combination of the benefits that come with both reed diffusers and room sprays, candles are a quick and relatively instantaneous way to change up the scent of your room whilst also making for an attractive accessory. Once again, you’ll need to choose your placement carefully for optimum results – and always remember to put them out when not in use for safety.
Electric nebulisers
Electric nebulisers are relatively new to the party when it comes to home fragrancing, but offer an impressive olfactory experience that is quickly winning them a legion of loyal fans. However, when scenting a luxury home, these might not be the best choice, as such is their nature that they do not work with high-quality perfumes. Instead, they are used not with artisanal perfumes, but industrial varieties made in Asia. Add to that the fact that many nebulisers can be harmful to the environment due to the materials and manufacturing processes involved, if quality is important to you then there are better choices available to you that will look and smell better in your home too.
The best choice for perfuming your spaces
So, with all these options available to you, which is the best when it comes to fragrancing your home? Both glass reed diffusers and perfume sprays offer an excellent diffusion of your chosen scents in the air, and work with high-quality, luxury perfumes that will perfectly evoke the kind of atmosphere you are looking to create, taking your mood from zero to hero in just minutes and making the right impression on those important guests, too.
If you’re looking to add a touch of allure to your home, a combination of fragrance diffusers and spray perfumes will work together to help you achieve perfection. And, with such a vast variety of scents to choose from, you can change the mood up as often as you’d like – much easier than redecorating an entire room, and just as effective.
