Spotlight on designer home fragrances
08.2022
Home fragrances and design are the perfect combination to bring our senses and décor alive
How to add an extra dimension to your home through scent
When design and the art of fragrance come together, the effect on a room’s atmosphere is dramatic. It instantly takes on character and a charm that goes beyond what we see, creating a holistic multi-sensorial experience.
Scent is the element that completes a décor, providing an immersive experience. Even better if it comes with a stylish designer container that is as pleasing on the eye as the smell is to the nose. We are talking about candle holders, diffusers and even incense holders, perfect for the dining table, kitchen countertop, bathroom vanity unit or scattered around the home on sideboards and shelving units.
We take a look at the wonderful world of designer fragrances for the home, including how to use them to really add that special extra dimension to your décor.
The origins of fragrances
Design and fragrances, as we said above, share a strong link, and when we fuse the two together, it is a powerful medium to channel our emotions. And, if the quest for beauty has characterised human history, the same can most definitely be said for fragrances.
The art of perfumery has its origins over 6000 thousand years ago, and is generally attributed to the Sumer people, although they were certainly not the only ancient civilisation to use scents. In ancient Egypt, for example, it was common practice to burn essential oils or use incense to connect oneself to divine beings. There were also the new fragrances that arrived from the Orient that dazzled the senses and brought new sensations and previously unknown scents, created by nature and humans.
Every time we light a scented candle, dips reeds into a scent diffuser or plug in a room fragrance, we are drawing upon thousands of years of tradition. It is the combination of fragrances and design that is the new element, an exquisite rapport that involves our eyes, our sense of smell and often our sense of touch, to create extraordinary sensations.
When we talk about home fragrances, we are talking about an intense, pure phenomenon. While body perfumes are used on skin, a unique canvas, home fragrances can be found in a house, office, the corridor of a hotel or a fashion boutique. Each of these locations is recognisable for its design, but at the same time they lack any identity when it comes to smell. And this is where the joy lies, ie in creating their own olfactory identity that embodies the sensations they want to transmit.
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The interaction between a fragrance and a room
The interaction between scent and environment is multi-faceted. While containers such as diffusers and candle holders add to a room’s aesthetic and define its mood, the notes of the fragrance itself are just as important.
After all, our sense of smell is the most primitive of all five and as such, is the most tied to our subconscious. A fragrance associated with our childhood can instantly transport us back years or even decades, for example. In fact, the impact of certain scents and smells on our emotional state has been scientifically proven. A case in point is fragrances with citrus, balsamic or spicy notes, all of which have stimulative powers, meaning they increase attention and memory. Woody notes, on the other, have been shown to create environments conducive to meditation as a result of their link with the spiritual world, while tuberose and osmanthus increase our sense of wellbeing.
In other words, home fragrances are not just a “nice to have”, but can also be an outlet to tell a story or create (or even recreate) an experience or a recognisable identity, and this is why it is important to choose with care.
Creating a sensorial experience through perfume and design
Creating a sensorial experience through perfume and design means drawing on different skills and the first of those is the ability to interpret human beings’ subconscious desires. This is where both master perfumers and designers come into their own, with their capacity to recognise such needs and translate them through refined fragrances and accessories.
It is no easy challenge, so just why does so much effort go into something that could be considered almost nebulous? The answer is that the results make it worthwhile. Bringing the senses alive through the right combination of scent and beautiful objects improves the wellbeing and mood of those who are exposed to them. That perfect fusion of fragrance and stylish aesthetics creates a perception of natural elegance.
The harmony between fragrance and décor can be very subtle, because it depends on the nature of the scent and the person who interprets it. This link extends to diffusers because they not only need to be in keeping with the olfactive notes of the scent, but should also work with the rest of the décor scheme.
How to use scent diffusers to create a designer décor
Candles, diffusers and reeds are some of the main channels for bringing scents into our homes with visual and olfactory elegance. Compact and versatile, they can be scattered strategically around a house, for example on the table, on a small tray on a sideboard, on a chest of drawers or even in the bathroom.
The important thing is to choose designer pieces that fit harmoniously into a space, and the Pietra L11 range is the ideal solution. Piero Lissoni has reinterpreted traditional objects in a contemporary key to create a family of products dedicated to home fragrances. Drawing on the natural beauty of stone and its ability to transmit a sense of calm and wellbeing, he has designed charming yet sophisticated candle holders and diffusers to go with the exquisite high-end fragrances in the same collection.
Creating an environment that provides a multisensorial experience for whoever enters it requires the skill of master perfumers and outstanding designers who understand how to strike that perfect balance of wellbeing and style. A space in which fragrance and design merge seamlessly into a single unit, so that we find ourselves in a multi-faceted journey of the senses in which we gradually identify nuances and details that transmit beauty within and without.
For us, it is always a pleasure to bring together skilled designers, artisans and experts in fields as diverse as, in this case, perfumery.
Discover our Pietra L11 collection and find your perfect fragrance.
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