“Nothing revives the past so completely as a smell that was once associated with it.” Vladimir Nabokov (Russian-American Writer)

Smell is one of the five powerful senses that we are gifted with. When we enter a space, the first breath we take on the spot gives us the scent of the space. This scent defines the influence and emotions we get every time we walk in. Imagine walking into a friend’s home and the scent of incense sticks reminding you of your grandmother in her prayer room. This is because scents can be connected to a period in your life. This connection happens when we have an emotional experience around a scent; the memory is imprinted in our minds along with the scent. Your home should hold the best fragrances, leaving long-lasting impressions on your guests. It can influence moods and behaviour. Every home has its own unique aroma. This blog shares ideas on how to elevate the fragrance of your home interiors.

When people visit your abode, you don’t just want them to enjoy the home decor and designs; you also want to impress them with scents. From scented candles to incense sticks and organic oils, there are a variety of ways to elevate your home’s fragrance. So let’s learn about them one by one.

Discovering Aromatherapy and Ayurveda

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils to enhance our emotional and physical wellbeing. They have been around for centuries, and they are basically “essences” extracted from plants like geranium, sage, and lavender. These plant extracts may possess pleasant scents along with therapeutic benefits. Incense sticks found in Indian homes contain essential oils. If you’re planning on introducing aromatherapy to your interiors, start with diluted oils before diving into strong ones because some can create allergic reactions.

The citrus scent of lemon oil is known to spark moods, and lavender oil scents invoke a relaxing and calm ambience. While travelling, grandmothers are known to carry a lemon with them in case a nauseous feeling arises. They smell the lemon to relax. You may be familiar with pregnant women carrying lemons with them. Indian culture has its own form of aromatherapy in a field called Ayurveda, which is a centuries-old medical practice. A few drops of these oils can make a big difference in the ambience of your home and your health! Lavender can also help relieve stress and is recommended for a good night’s sleep. Cinnamon scents remind us of culinary delights. It’s one of the ideal scents for your kitchen. Lemongrass has antibacterial properties and can act as a good insect repellant. This is ideal for spaces like your washroom and kitchen, where microbes and insects lurk around. Drops of essential oils or lemongrass in boiling water release good scents into your home atmosphere.

Introduce Flowers

For people who love biophilic designs, this would be very exciting. Flowering plants like hyacinths can be grown in pots. Their delicate and romantic fragrance with aesthetic appeal can elevate your home interior experience to serenity. Freesias, also known as cape lilies have a fruity scent. Many soaps, shampoos, and perfumes have scents of Freesias. The Hoya plant with its captivating star-shaped flowers, emits sweet fragrances like citrus, cinnamon, and even chocolate! Citrus fruit plants can have good scents and need the maintenance necessity of good lighting. Be careful when watering your citrus plants, like orange and lemon, as it can cause root rot. Jasmine plants are easy to care for because of their delicate fragrance and so many blossoms, which definitely make your space elegant. When you have jasmine plants, it’s like having an air freshener in your home. Don’t leave out mint; it isn’t just for shakes and mojitos. Their fresh fragrance can elevate your moods, and it’s also good to have mint plants just in case you’re out of mint for your recipe.

Fragrant and Aromatic Candles

Candles are elements in interior decor that bring elegance into your homes. They influence the senses of smell, touch, and sight, which explains why they seem to be popular. Candle decor goes way back beyond the Victorian era. While choosing aromatic candles, be careful not to choose ones with synthetic fragrances or VOCs. Burning certain scented candles can release volatile organic compounds into the air, causing respiratory issues. It can harm your health. Choose organic-scented candles, as they are eco-friendly and natural. Scented candles with fragrances of hyacinth invite pleasing scents into your home interiors. Aromatic candles are also used in meditation to help focus better and relieve stress. It can boost your mood during your yoga session. Aromas like rosemary can induce a sense of well-being. Candles made of beeswax or soy wax help purify the air by neutralising allergy-causing agents in the air.

Paints

Most types of paint on the market are acrylic or latex paints, which are made using petrochemicals. These can cause toxic odours, which are bad for your health. When choosing paints for your home, prefer water-based paint over oil-based paints. Also, remember to consider zero-VOC paints made from minerals over fossil fuels.

Aromatic Wax Tablets

Aromatic wax tablets are made from soy wax or beeswax, essential oils, and herbs. These tablets can be placed in small spaces like drawers, cabinets, and wardrobes. Once you open these spaces, an aura of scents surrounds you, which gives you a good and fresh feeling. Traditional air fresheners only provide fragrances for a short period of time. Scented wax tablets enhance the fragrance in your space for a long period of time. They are a better choice than air fresheners because of their eco-friendly and long-lasting qualities. Wax tablets also absorb excess moisture in confined spaces.

Cooking Scents

Grab a citrus fruit, an essential oil, and any plant or flower with a good fragrance that you love and boil them at a low temperature in water. This will release all those scents in a good blend, and your interiors will have alluring natural scents. The best part is that you can improvise and curate your own fragrances this way, and there is no limit to creativity here.

Cleanliness

To maintain good fragrances in your home interiors, it is mandatory to take good sanitary measures too. Take out your home garbage and clean your kitchen spaces regularly. Maintain hygiene in washrooms with the best cleaning solutions available. Ensure there is no buildup of moisture in certain spaces where germs and rodents can potentially colonise. Ensure good aeration in your home, and open windows periodically for good air circulation. Don’t forget to clean carpets and rugs, as they hold a lot of dirt. Invest in good fabric choices that do not hold bad odours. For example, during rainy seasons, woollen clothes can hold moisture and cause bad odours. The worst part is that woollen fabrics are very difficult to clean and dry. Invest in good biophilic design choices that help with air purification in your living spaces. Clean and care for your sofas and upholstery. If you have pets, consider pet-friendly design ideas for your home and take measures to reduce odours.

Home is where the heart is. A space where life flows should hold good scents. Fragrances influence moods and emotions in extreme ways. Good fragrances have inspired poets to write and even people to fall in love. There are psychological studies of the effects of scents on people. The entire perfume and fragrance industry is worth way more than several billion dollars. A good fragrance is also a sign of good hygiene and cleanliness. Just like the saying goes, the first impression is the best impression—the first scent of a space brands the feeling of the space.

We hope this blog has provided you with details, ideas, and inspiration to create alluring scents in your home interiors.