The Power Of Home Fragrance for Interior Spaces

Have you ever visited a beautifully decorated and furnished home, hotel, or office space but felt as though something was missing? The interior design is exquisite, and the furniture and ornaments are thoughtfully chosen, but the space feels cold and you cannot put your finger on what it might be. The atmosphere does not feel harmonious or balanced.

The invisible element that brings a space to life is the scent.

Though it can not be seen or touched, the fragrance is the missing puzzle piece that ties all the visual and sensory elements together. Interior design and fragrance work hand in hand, as scents, breathe life and atmosphere into every space. You can use different aromas to enhance your interior aesthetic and the function of each room, and create a complete sensory experience as you move around interior spaces.

Have you noticed that big international brands – be they retail, hotel or airline – invest considerably in the scents of their public-facing interior spaces to improve their overall customer experience?

Your home or personal office space is no different, and the importance of home fragrance on your wellbeing should never be underestimated. Over time, each room naturally develops its own aroma based on the scent factors it is exposed to – be that pleasant or not so pleasant! When we enter a room we immediately feel put off by an unpleasant lingering smell, but we have quite the opposite reaction to a pleasant background fragrance. It makes us want to spend more time in the space, and it directly impacts how we feel and what we experience.

Enhancing function

On a fundamental level, fragrance heightens your senses and how you feel in each room or space. It can be used to enhance the function of every room in your home – it can bring a relaxing atmosphere to your bedroom, a focused feel to your office and a delicious scent to your kitchen.

We must think about more than there simply being a ‘smell’ in each room when we place a candle or diffuser there. You can create intricate layers of scent, as you would with perfume on your body.

Start to use fragrance to create the desired atmosphere for each room. Need to feel more energised and laser-focused while you work? Opt for fragrances known to enhance concentration and motivation. Struggle to wind down and relax? Use fragrance to create a tranquil, spa-like atmosphere in your bathroom. Curating your own bespoke home fragrance routine will help you utilise every space to its full potential.

With its proven links to emotion and memory,  fragrance is an integral part of how you feel within your own home – and it also impacts how your guests feel about your space, too.

Think outside the box

There is a myriad of ways you can weave layered scents around your home, so do not be afraid to be creative and playful when creating your unique home fragrance.

One interesting way to create a fresh, aromatic scent is to boil a pan of water and fill it with your desired herbs and citrus rinds. This will fill your home with a clean, bright scent – and you can use the cooled water as a room spritz afterwards.

Make the most of plants, botanicals and flowers throughout your space. Place pots of either fresh or dried herbs and flowers in each room, and choose fragrances that complement the room’s function.

Food, refuse, laundry, smoking, pets and other factors can all create strong odours that linger in your home and soak into the furniture. Bear this in mind when cooking or baking, and opt for food that contains richly scented spices and herbs (and always ventilate your home when cooking fish, garlic or strong-scented dishes!). Treating yourself to a freshly baked loaf of bread each week is a wonderful way to add a delicious fragrance to your kitchen.

Be strategic when using room diffusers throughout your home by placing some near linen, towels or clothes. Fabric takes on any fragrance in its vicinity, so use it to your advantage and have fresh-smelling sheets every night.

Harness the power of fragrance to help you work harder, relax more easily and fall into a deep sleep – find out how to create your essential oil menu in our Journal.