Guest blog: How to use scent scaping in your home
To celebrate International Fragrance Day on March 21, we spoke to Sarah Watson, the founder of luxury scented candle brand Mawgans. Sarah creates luxury vegan candles from her home in Surrey, all inspired by her love of nature. Here she explains how you can use scent scaping to transform each room in your home.
Our homes are the ultimate multi-taskers. We use them to work, relax, sleep and entertain, ensuring each space flexes for different functions.
We carefully style our interiors, creating unique atmospheres in each room. Another powerful and easy way to zone your home is to use scent scaping. This is the art of creating a certain atmosphere in different areas of your home by using fragrance.
Also known as fragrance zoning, choosing the right scent can instantly change the mood in different areas of your home.
How does scent scaping work?
Scent scaping involves choosing a particular fragrance for a room, based on the emotions, mood and energy you want to harness there. The right scents will encourage you to feel energised in your home office, uplifted in your living room, and serene in your bedroom.
It can also create distinct zones in your home, even if you have limited space. So, if you need one room to function as both an office during the day and an area to relax in the evening, using alternate fragrances for specific times can help you to feel alert or wind down as needed.
Why is scent so important?
Fragrance is a powerful tool for affecting your mood. A recent survey found that 75% of all emotions generated each day are due to smell. Scent can also trigger memories, sometimes long forgotten ones. Lighting a candle with a scent that reminds you of a happy time or place will instantly lift your emotions.
Incorporating scent into your home is something you can easily do, regardless of the size of your abode. Below I’ve answered some of the most popular questions about scent scaping:
How can I create a welcoming scent in my hallway?
The entrance of your home is the gateway from the outside world to your own personal space. Your hallway creates a first impression on your guests, and an inviting scent creates an expectation of pleasure, and lays the foundation for memorable experiences.
A skillfully chosen fragrance will also help you relax every time you come home. Combining a favourite scent with a well designed entrance space helps create the feeling that you’ve left the chaos of the outside world and have stepped into your private sanctuary.
My top recommendations for a hallway scent are:
A fragrant and delicate floral scent will evoke positive memories and recall feelings of happiness as soon as you step over the threshold. Our My Julie soy candle can help you create a warm and comforting atmosphere. It’s a delicate scent, blooming with the fresh sweet smell of English roses.
If you have a large hallway and want to generate a more intimate ambience, choose spicy fragrances with cinnamon or clove, alongside warm citrus notes such as sweet orange blossom. An ideal choice is our hand poured Lottie’s Breath luxury candle, which is a complex scent of spicy florals, which gently purifies the air.
To create a perception of space in a compact entry area, consider sunny citrus fragrances such as grapefruit, lemon, apple, pear or freesia. Our Francesca’s Garden scented candle is uplifting and fresh, creating the feeling of walking through a spacious and sunny English garden in full bloom.
How does scent scaping work in a living room?
Your living room probably has to function as a multitude of spaces. It needs to be refreshing and welcoming for daytime guests, and relaxing and soothing when you want to unwind in the evening. Scent scaping can help you do this, as you can alter the fragrance depending on the mood you want to create.
Try these top scents for your living room:
For a stylish addition to your lounge decor, consider one of our Ceramic Candle Pots. These are handmade and hand poured, and come in a range of divine scents. In a neutral and tactile ceramic pot they look wonderful in all homes, and they are easily refillable. You can also choose a dainty Ceramic Match Pot.
While we pet owners adore our four-legged friends, most of us aren’t as keen on the whiffs that come with them. Our beautiful Lottie’s Breath luxury scented candle is the perfect way to banish pet odours in your lounge.
Floral fragrances are very versatile. Certain flower scents can help you to relax and reduce stress, which are perfect for the evening, while others can spur you into action, making them ideal for the morning. One of my favourite living room scents is our uplifting triple wick Francesca’s Garden candle.
Which scents are best for the bedroom?
Your bedroom is your own personal retreat, and by carefully selecting the right scent you can create the right atmosphere.
Candles can be used at any time of day to help set a particular mood, and I like to use mine for particular moments, such as bathtime, bedtime and meditation. For me, a candle signifies
time to relax and time for me and me alone. So my phone gets put on silent and hopefully the kids are safely tucked away in their rooms too. I light my candle…and relax.
Some fantastic scents for your bedroom include:
Lavender is a popular bedroom fragrance, as it helps aid sleep, reduces stress and soothes anxiety. Lavender is at the heart of our wonderful Counting Sheep scented soy candle. Combined with the comforting properties of geranium oil and rosemary, it will help you relax and unwind.
If you are looking to improve your sleeping patterns, alongside lavender you could try chamomile and bergamot, which are also known to have calming properties and ease anxiety and depression. Try setting your screen or device aside in the evening and relaxing with one of these scents as part of your bedtime routine.
If you want to create an intimate and romantic vibe in your bedroom, consider a rose-based scent, such as our popular My Julie soy scented candle. Ylang ylang and jasmine are also known for their rich, strong scent and seductive properties.
How can I use scent scaping in my office?
Using a particular scent for office hours can help you get into the right frame of mind for work, and it can also positively impact on your mood. Lighting a candle at the start of each day can be a ritual that starts your day positively and helps you focus.
Fragrance zoning is ideal if you work from home, especially if you reserve one scent for working hours, as smelling it each morning will help you quickly switch into work-mode.
Scent scaping can also be highly effective in shared offices. A study from a Japanese fragrance company found that typing mistakes were reduced by more than 50% when a lemon scent was diffused into the air.
Equally, an unwelcoming aroma can have the reverse effect. The offices I used to work in used to have a base note of stale coffee and a hint of photocopier toner, so it’s no wonder I couldn’t wait to escape at the end of the day!
Here are some wonderful fragrances to use in a shared or home office:
Invigorating scents are great for increasing your mood and clearing your mind, so opt for a candle with zesty citrus notes or rosemary. A subtle, clean and refreshing option is our Octopussy luxury scented candle, which captures the crisp scent of sea air and gentle, earthy sage.
Bergamot has a distinct and fresh citrus scent and energising mood boosting qualities, so it’s ideal to clear your mind and awaken your senses if you’re homeschooling or working from home.
Lavender is a very popular scent for a home office or work environment. It’s one of the heavy-lifters of the fragrance world, as it’s known to boost energy and increase mental activity, as well as reducing tension.
Scent scaping is a wonderful way to transform your home and channel the energy you want in each room. I hope this has encouraged you to give it a try, and you can discover more of our Mawgans luxury scented candles to use throughout your home in the Home Fragrances section. All of our hand poured luxury scented candles are crafted in small batches using natural ingredients, and are presented in beautiful, sustainable packaging.
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