Not going to lie: that’s officially the weirdest blog post title I’ve ever come up with.
I am so passionate about thinking of our homes in terms of how it appeals to all of our senses. What makes a beautiful home is not just what it looks like, but what it feels like, the meals that are shared, the stories and music that we experience, and – especially – what it smells like.
We don’t need to turn this into a scientific thesis on the complex workings of the olfactory system, so we’ll just say this: smells have the power to set a mood, add elegance, and evoke memory.
While I love candles and still use them throughout the house, they’ve become more for ambient light sources rather than fragrance boosters. I made the switch over to Pura devices last year, and have never looked back. I love how easy they are to use and customize, the wide range of really elevated scents available, and the fact that they aren’t made with any of the harmful toxins we find in most candles. I’m also SO BAD at remembering to blow candles out when I leave the house, so hooray for avoiding a fire.
Without further ado, here’s a mini-house tour along with my go-to scents for each room.
Right off our entryway is our office (or “study” or “library” if I’m feeling pretentious). Fragrance-wise, this room really sets the tone for our house since it’s the first smell our guests are hit with as they walk in the front door. My favorites for this room are Catskills, Santorini, or Afternoon Retreat.
I don’t know how many times I have rearranged and tweaked our family room layout. Our house is interesting in that there are really two living spaces in this area, divided only by a slight jutting out of a closet (hard to explain). We landed on having this area be our family room, and the other area is acting as our homeschool room + mudroom. It’s not a perfect set up, but working so great for us right now. My favorite smells for this area of the house are Summit and Palo Santo.
Our bedroom – the first (and so far only) room in the house to get a complete overhaul. You can read more about that here. I like the scent in here to be decidedly grown up and a little sexy. Eden and Del Mar are my favorites.
This hallway hits all four boys’ rooms (three bedrooms since two brothers share) plus their bathroom; so rather than put a device in each room, I just placed one here in the hall. I found our go-to scent for this space – Elsa’s Journey to Ahtohallan – quite on accident (a random recommendation plus an unexpected sale), and while the boys are annoyed with the branding, they can’t help but admit they love the way it smells. It’s fun and clean, but surprisingly really elegant.
Things I’ve noted as I’ve made this post: one, I need better photos. Two, there are approximately fifty different projects I’d like to tackle in these spaces. ONE DAY. At least I can say with confidence that while she may not always wow with her looks, our house smells INCREDIBLE 😉
xo,
sarah
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