How to Scent Your Home for the Holidays: 7 Experts Share Their Favorite Tricks Inline
Photo: Courtesy of l-objet.com1/8Yann Vasnier, perfumer
“Lavender always works in closets and fragrant roses always win. You could light a candle—my favorites are Voyage d’Or by L’Objet or Mérida by Arquiste for Cire Trudon. For Christmas, I like to burn incense and myrrh, or oud wood. Fires will smell best when made of a blend of juniper, firs, and oaks. The smell of baking bread and pastries or cooking fruits and vegetables is also good—just no garlic, fish, kale, cabbages, or onions!”
L’Objet Voyage d’Or 10th Anniversary Candle, $195; l-objet.com
Photo: Courtesy of santamarianovellausa.com2/8Michelle R. Smith, founder of Studio MRS
“The only artificial scent I like is Santa Maria Novella’s Pot Pourri. The beauty is in how subtle it is. They also make a cologne in the same Pot Pourri scent. It’s hard to imagine wearing it on my skin, but it’s perfect to spritz in the air.”
Santa Maria Novella Pot Pourri Cologne, $125; santamarianovellausa.com
Photo: Courtesy of shopterrain.com3/8Kate Dougherty, interior and set designer
“When it comes to scents, a big ‘don’t’ in my eyes is to have too many of them in your home—less is more. Fresh-cut flowers and herbs pair nicely. Just try to keep everything in the earthy-scented family and you’re golden. Geraniums work well with cedar and evergreens. Rosemary also smells good.”
Rosemary Globe topiary, $64; shopterrain.com
Photo: Courtesy of grandstbakery.com4/8Ariel Ashe, cofounder of Ashe + Leandro
“My favorite scent is Incense of the West, made from piñon incense. It smells like a cozy fire—I actually have a nonworking fireplace and I use these inside of it. For candles, I love the one by Hôtel Costes in a scent called Brown because it is also very woodsy. Neither of these products overwhelm the room.”
Incense of the West, $15; grandstbakery.com
Photo: Courtesy of thelaundress.com5/8Patricia Choux, perfumer
“The natural smell of flowers is the best for me—especially peonies and lilies, which have such a distinctive fragrance with lots for personality. For the kitchen, a nice clementine or orange peel during the winter is a great way to scent the counter. And to cover the scent of cooking, I may burn a candle that I’ve worked on, like Aedes de Venustas’ Mel Mellis—anything that is not too strong. A soft fragrance is important in the bedroom, too, so it doesn't interfere with your sleep. I put a little bag of lavender under the pillow during the daytime so that, by evening, it has a nice relaxing smell. I also place one in the closet to give my clothes a nice fresh scent.”
The Laundress Lavender Pouch, $10; thelaundress.com
Photographed by John von Pamer, Vogue, October 20136/8Athena Calderone, cofounder of Rawlins Calderone Designs
“The greatest scent is a home-cooked meal and fresh, vibrant herbs being chopped. But I do scent my napkins. There was a happy accident in which I stored my favorite scented candle—Cire Trudon’s Odalisque (citrus with woodsy notes)—in the same sideboard drawer that holds my linen napkins. It gave them the most subtle and unique aroma. They’ve now become my signature. Otherwise, fragrance is often attached to travel for me. In the guest rooms of my Amagansett home, I often spray the orange blossom room spray from Coqui Coqui in Tulum, Mexico.”
Coqui Coqui Flor de Naranja Room Spray; for information: coquicoquiperfumes.com
Photo: Courtesy of loveadorned.com7/8Kelly Wearstler, interior designer
“Cire Trudon’s Dada fragrance has an alluring combination of tea, vetiver, crumpled mint leaves, and eucalyptus that piques the senses. It opens your mind to the movement’s dizziness and surrealism. I burn the candle in my home and in my flagship boutique. It is bold and sexy without overpowering the space. The Dada room spray provides a similar effect in a pinch. I also occasionally burn sage smudge sticks—bundled dried natural sage leaves—in my studio. It clears out stale air and renews the space. The change in the air is palpable.”
Tied Sage Bundle, $5; loveadorned.com
Photo: Courtesy of coldspringapothecary.com8/8Danielle Mastrangelo and Jessica Stambaugh, founders of Decorative Traces
“Cold Spring Apothecary’s patchouli clove room diffuser is calming and slightly feminine. It’s one of our favorite scents—we actually keep it in our office. For guests, to make them welcome and at home, we spray this calming lavender room and linen spray right before they arrive.”
Cold Spring Apothecary Patchouli Clove Reed Diffuser, $45; coldspringapothecary.com
