Choosing the right home fragrance can be every bit as key to creating the perfect ambience in your home as the way you use lighting, paint or fabrics.
Your home fragrance is very personal and the scent you choose can evoke memories or affect your mood.
Nothing says Christmas quite like the warmth of oranges, cloves and cinnamon, while delicate florals and breezy linens are uplifting and fresh for a summer’s day.
Different scents also work well in different rooms – soft sea spray or lavender are soothing for a bedroom, fresh citrus works perfectly in the kitchen, and a warm vanilla or cedarwood makes a sitting room cosy and inviting.
There are also several different ways to bring fragrance into your home – here are just a few to consider.
Candles
A scented candle is a lovely addition to any room, replacing bright light with a flickering soft glow as well as a waft of your favourite perfume. You can even buy candles that crackle when lit, evoking thoughts of comforting winter fires. If you look after a candle properly, its burn time will last longer. Let it stay alight for enough time for the entire surface to liquefy – this will prevent the wax dipping in the middle and staying high at the sides, which makes it harder for the flame to burn. Regularly trim the wick to avoid the black sooty look.
Room sprays
Choose carefully, as this kind of scent can be overpowering, but using a room spray allows you to have a quick burst of fragrance when you want it – perfect to cover up unwanted smells. A lavender spray is also lovely on a pillow just before bed to aid restful sleep.
Diffusers
Just like candles, the fragrance from a diffuser will fill a room, and is easier to control as the strength of the scent can be determined by the number of reeds you use. There’s no worry about leaving them alone, either, as there’s no flame. Diffuser bottles can also be refilled with different oils.
Potpourri
Potpourri needn’t be a dusty clump of scentless petals found in the corner of many a windowsill – why not make your own by foraging for flowers and petals? Then just pop them in the oven on a low heat to dry out and sprinkle with essential oils.
