Plenty of us love the ambience and fragrance scented candles provide, but there are times when they are just not practical to use. If you’ve ever spent time with young children or rumbunctious pets you’ll know it’s not advisable to leave them lit around either!
There are times when you’re not able to monitor their burn, say, if you’re moving around your home, heading out at night or are at risk of falling asleep while they’re still lit. In these situations it’s wise to choose another option to provide some lingering fragrance.
Where once we used air care and home scents for more functional purposes, to remove lingering unwelcome or cooking scents, now we are fully embracing a beautifully fragranced home. Because we’ve spent more time at home than ever before in recent years, increased demand has spurred brands into developing a wide range of options beyond simple scented candles.
A trend known as ‘scent-scaping’ even encourages us to designate different zones of our homes, thinking about each room or zone’s use and how we want to feel in each space. Then, it’s advised to select a product or scent for each area that helps to set the scene and enhance that feeling. For example, a calm and focused home-office space, a warm and welcoming entryway, or a relaxing and tranquil bedroom.
From the cleaning products we use to the way we do laundry or clean our hands, there are now beautifully-scented options created by master perfumers or scent experts to help achieve these goals and elevate our everyday spaces and experiences.
Even luxury fragrance brands we are more familiar with for our bodies, are extending their reach with home options. So well beyond the old-school option of pot-pourri – although that too is ripe for a revival – these are the best scented home and lifestyle products available now.
Room spray
Aesop Olous Aromatique Room Spray; Jo Malone London Peony & Blush Suede Room Spray; Glow Lab Tonka Bean & Chai Room Spray; Floral Street Midnight Tulip Room Fragrance; Sensori+ Hikurangi Sunrise Air Detoxifying Aromatic Mist.
A perfumed spritz for your living spaces, you can simply spray into the air and the notes will linger. However to ensure the fragrance lasts, you can also spritz pillows, blankets and soft linens in your home. Another idea is to scent the curtains. Spritz in areas where you can open the windows and let the sun and the breeze carry the aroma into your living spaces.
Hand wash
La Collection Priveé Christian Dior Sakura Liquid Hand Soap; BYREDO Hand Wash Vetyver; Boy Smells Petalia Hand Soap; Editions de Parfums By Frédéric Malle Eau De Magnolia Hand Wash
If a bougie hand wash seems like washing money down the drain, we understand your hesitance. Admittedly a luxe hand wash isn’t scenting your home, it’s scenting your hands. However if you’re up for making a boring, necessary and repetitive routine a little bit nicer, a scented hand wash is an enjoyable luxury. The aesthetic value in upgrading your sink can’t be underestimated either!
Reed diffusers
Glasshouse Scent Scene Duo liquidless diffuser; Ecoya Vanilla & Tonka Bean Reed Diffuser; Diptyque Reed Diffuser with Baies Refill
Diffusers offer a flame-free way to disperse scent, with the oils seeping up the reed sticks and slowly diffusing into the air for months of scent-throw. New ‘liquidless’ diffusers come with the sticks already pre-scented, great for if the aforementioned children or pets are prone to knocking things – the oil can be difficult to remove from soft furnishings if spilled!
Linen Spray
The Aromatherapy Co. Therapy Linen & Room Spray, Sweet Lime & Mandarin; Ecoya Wild Sage & Citrus Fragranced Linen Spray; Jo Malone London Moonlit Camomile Pillow Mist
Gently scenting bedclothes and soft furnishings is a classic move. Now more fragrance brands are offering dedicated sprays that won’t damage fabrics. Spray a fine mist before ironing or spritz on your bed, fabrics and towelling to add a little extra elegant aroma to your linen. Another way to use, is to spray woollen dryer balls and add to your tumble dry. Pillow mists are also a beautiful way of encouraging your brain and body to slow down and unwind.
Kitchen and cleaning
Ashley & Co Benchpress Surface Cleaner; diptyque Dishwashing Liquid with Orange Blossom; Diptyque Ceramic for Wool and Delicate Textiles
We all have to do chores, why not make them enjoyable? That’s the thinking behind the move into fragranced home care products. From laundry wash to kitchen surface cleaners, more products are becoming functional as well as fragranced. Of note is French fragrance icon Diptyque’s move into this area. La Droguerie is their range of home products scented with dedicated notes and biodegradable ingredients. The line-up includes dishwashing liquid, surface cleaner, a leather and wood-care lotion, an odor-removing candle and a scented ceramic disc you can pop in your knitwear or delicates drawer.
