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How to make your house smell good—it’s a quest we’ve been tackling for millennia. Long before the shame-squashing innovation of Poo-Pourri, back even before the 1980s craze of dried potpourri, humankind dabbled in the olfactory arts. “Frankincense resin has been harvested and traded for thousands of years,” says Elise Vernon Pearlstine, a biologist turned perfumer and author of Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance. “Smoke from burning the resin has been traditionally used to scent homes and clothing, purify the air, and welcome visitors,” she says.
We’ve come a long way since resin. Candles, diffusers, sprays, plug-ins, and even TikTok tutorials on stovetop potions have helped make our homes easier on the nose. So what to use and where? We’ve gathered tips from fragrance experts and interior designers on scentscaping or adding fragrance to your surroundings.
Whatever you choose, interior designer Jerad Gardemal of JF Gardemal Designs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, notes that it should be done with intentionality. He says, “Just like a hand-picked piece of original art, the way that your home smells is also a way to communicate your own personal style and evoke certain emotions when you enter a room.”
Entryway
When it comes to making your house smell good, Chrissy Fichtl, founder of Brooklyn-based home fragrance company Apotheke, says the first step is to find a signature scent and know that’s your staple. “Then always have a little bit of fun seasonally,” she says, adding that pine or cedarwood are her go-to’s for winter, while tomato tarragon is a favorite for warmer months.
If you’re going to establish a signature scent for your home, the entryway, whether that’s a foyer or a mudroom, is the place to do it. Guests will be greeted with it when they arrive and reminded of it when they go. As for the vessel? “I think the Pura device is great,” Fichtl says. “You can monitor the scents from your phone and it’s also a night-light.” A plug-in for the 21st century, the Pura Smart Fragrance Diffuser has a coordinating smartphone app. Users can load two different fragrances into the device at once and choose which fragrance they’d like emitted as well as the intensity—all remotely. Have the fragrance of fresh linen, fireplace, or lemon greet you when you walk through the door.
Kitchen
Citrus is a universally agreed upon scent for kitchens, not only for its edible affiliation but also because it’s invigorating. “The picture I go to when I think about a candle in a kitchen is it’s a sunny day, the windows are open, and you’re chopping fruit,” says Cartter Stout Sacchet, creative manager at Paddywax, the Nashville-based candle company. “It’s all about the story and the environment that the fragrance is creating.”
Paddywax makes candles that are so ideal for the kitchen, they’ll live on there even after the wax has burned through. Their Orange Blossom candle from the La Playa collection, for example, is meant to be repurposed as a margarita glass. Other vessels become guacamole bowls or bud vases.
Double purpose is the name of the game at Safely, the Kris Jenner and Emma Grede–founded line of cleaning products infused with luxurious scents. The idea is that you can nix the candles altogether—simply wiping with the brand’s Universal Cleaner both degreases counters and leaves a lingering fresh fragrance. “Right before bed, I love doing a final clean of the kitchen with our Calm Universal Cleaner and waking up in the morning to the scent still in the air,” Grede says.
Bathroom
To combat more, well, aggressive odors, spritzing Poo-Pourri Before-You-Go Toilet Spray keeps the air fresh, even when opening a window isn’t possible. For general ambiance, Fichtl says to go with a fresh ozone scent like Apotheke’s Canvas, which comes in both candle and diffuser form. “It won’t actually clean your house,” she laughs, “but it does have the psychological effect of cleanliness.”
Stout Sacchet agrees with the recommendation for ozonic, or clean and refreshing, scents. She also recommends them in diffuser form. “You’re not really going to get the scent impact from a diffuser in a larger living room,” she says, “but they’re great for smaller, enclosed spaces.” They’re also safer than a candle in rooms without constant monitoring.
Living room
“Bergamot, eucalyptus, white musk, florals, and rosemary are pleasantly energizing scents that go well in living rooms, says interior designer Sherrell Neal of the Houston-based Sherrell Design Studio.
Stout Sacchet agrees that florals are great for a living room and adds that this is the place for more complex fragrances. “The kitchen and other rooms where you want that really fresh scent are where you’d use single-note, citrus-forward fragrances,” she says. “But many fragrances are now crossing categories, so you might have a woody floral or a sweet floral or a woody ozonic, and here’s a space where those make sense.”
If you’re going the fresh route with your florals, Pearlstine points out that most commercial cut flowers are scentless, so it’s best to grow aromatic bouquets in your garden. She says, “Spring bloomers include hyacinths, peonies, freesia, and some violets, while dianthus, stock, tuberose, and lavender provide scented flowers into the summer.” And if you have a patio off your living room, Pearlstine recommends placing potted plants—such as small lemon trees, gardenias, or jasmine—near a door or window so that the natural fragrance wafts into the room.
Home office
Safely’s latest addition to its line of sprays and soaps is a plug-in diffuser that Grede says makes sense in an office. “Personally, I love our Bright plug-in for my office to give an extra uplifting touch,” she says. “It evokes memories of summer with essences from citrus fruits that are locally grown in the US.”
In terms of motivation, pretending that you’re perpetually on summer vacation or anywhere but holed up in front of your laptop might be the best approach. Candle brand Homesick makes a scent that’s actually called Home Office that notably doesn’t smell like stale coffee and microwave burritos. Instead, it’s inspired by water lilies and patchouli and is meant to bring the outside in.
Homesick, however, is most famous for its state and city candles, so you could make your office smell like Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York City even if you’re working from a cabin in the woods.
And speaking of NYC, if you’d like to infuse your workspace with creativity, Pura’s latest collection of fragrances is an ode to The Met. Choose from scents such as Terracotta Rose, a nod to Greek artisans; Perfume Immortelle, inspired by Roman marble statues; and Egyptian Sandalwood for the museum’s ancient Egyptian art collection.
Bedroom
Just as citrus is the go-to scent for the kitchen, lavender is the overwhelmingly agreed-upon scent for the bedroom. And for good reason. “Lavender essential oil has been shown to reduce stress and assist in relaxation,” Pearlstine says. She recommends applying a couple of drops to your pillowcase to help you relax and sleep.
If your exhaustion is coupled with congestion, Pearlstine turns to eucalyptus. “I’ll add a few drops of eucalyptus or pine essential oil to a couple of cotton balls in a pretty bowl rather than using a diffuser,” she says.
Gardemal suggests a mix of lavender and lime for relaxation (he’s a fan of the Nouvelle Candle Company), and Neal notes that melon can achieve a calming effect. Meanwhile, Safely has a scent that’s literally called Calm and comes in plug-in form. “It truly evokes a sense of tranquility,” says Grede, who uses it in her bedroom.
But because bedrooms aren’t only about chilling out, Fichtl recommends a charcoal scent. “It’s masculine, it’s smoky, it’s moody…. It has that cologne-like sexy-time smell to it,” she says.
Nursery
“I don’t keep candles or diffusers in my kids’ rooms, mainly because I don’t trust them,” Fichtl says. Accidents aside, added fragrance generally isn’t recommended for young children, especially babies. According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, “Their lungs are still developing and exposure to aerosol irritants won’t provide any benefit.” Plus Fichtl says, “The smell of your baby is enough.”
But if the scent of your adorable baby is completely overwhelmed by the stench of dirty diapers, there is a solution. Arm & Hammer Stay Fresh Nursery Deodorizers are packed with baking soda to neutralize odors. The freshening pucks can be placed in diaper pails, hampers, or near changing tables.
Garage
Do you need to scent the space that stores your car, lawn mower, and old catcher’s mitts? Not necessarily. But if you’ve also got trash cans in there, it can’t hurt. If you come and go through your garage, this might be where you place your Pura device filled with your signature scent. Or, as Fichtl suggests, this might be where you get truly creative with candles that smell like burgers and fries. Apotheke’s pair of Shake Shack–inspired scents have top notes of green grass and sea salt too. “If you’re having a barbecue and you really wanna make a statement, I’d burn a Shake Shack candle outside,” she says. “Why not?!”
