With so many home fragrance products on the market, how does one pick a medium, a scent, or even the right room for placement? Industry insiders offer advice.
• Consider the season as well as the makeup of your space. "Example: If I am working on a living room in the spring with a lot of light in the room, I will lean more floral and light as long as the client likes the fragrance," says interior decorator Shayla Copas, who scents her clients' homes exclusively with candles by Lux and Aquiesse. "If I am working on a dark library in the fall, I will work in vanillas and musky scents."
Home-fragrance retailer Mindy Stewart, owner of Powder & Smoke in west Little Rock, suggests home-fragrance line Lafco, which features candles named and scented especially for certain rooms in one's home.
"For example ... 'Kitchen's' scent is cilantro orange; the citrus helps to dissipate cooking odors such as fish or garlic."
• When choosing a product medium, consider the aesthetic and the practical. Candles, for instance, are "excellent selections for those wanting the ambience and design," says Steve Lawrence, vice chairman and chief executive officer for Heber Springs-based Aromatique. Got children and/or pets? Potpourri, wax melts or reeds might be better selections than candles. Room sprays are better if you need a quick fix for bad odors.
If you are planning to entertain guests, consider the occasion. Formal or informal? Let the type of entertaining you are doing help decide the fragrance to be used.
Consider "zoning" your home. Jim Gentry, head of Agraria, offers his personal use of Agraria products as an example: Mediterranean Jasmine AirEssence in one guest bedroom; Lime & Orange Blossoms AirEssence and candle in the main powder room; Lavender & Rosemary tasselaires in all the closets; and Balsam TasselAires in his closet.
• However, don't use too many fragrances at once in a limited space, Copas warns. "The fragrances will overlap and clash," she says. "Try to spread out your fragrances." She uses only one or two candles per 2,000 square feet, and she keeps them in the same family of fragrances.
• Be subtle. Stewart says, "You don't want your guests to specifically identify the scent you are using; you just want them to notice that your home smells great."
-- Helaine R. Williams
HomeStyle on 07/12/2014