Transform Your Home Through Fragrance
Fragrance can be a powerful way to conjure memories and express our emotions – not just when sprayed on our wrists, but when used in our homes, too.
A room can be transformed with scent, changing the mood from vivid and invigorating to soothing and peaceful. So how can we alter the mood in our home through fragrance?
Whether you’re dreaming of a tropical retreat or want to be enraptured in the delicious aromas of winter, our fragrance experts have created a guide to combining the best scents to fragrance your home for a variety of seasonal settings.
A harmonious home office
If you’re one of the many people working from home right now, there are probably moments throughout the day when you lose focus or feel tired.
While aromatherapy might not be the first tool you use to help boost your productivity, studies show certain fragrances can have a huge impact on influencing brain activity as smell is the strongest of the senses.
Ginger
Ginger has a distinct aroma that can be described as strong, warm, or spicy. As such, it’s a popular note for home fragrances.
Ginger is known for its healing benefits. It’s often used to fight off headaches and fatigue, which can often occur if you’re sat at a computer screen.
It’s the perfect combination to help you power through a deadline or write complex code, making it one of the most popular essential oils for productivity.
As the scent of ginger isn’t to everyone’s taste, try using it with lemon or other citrus fruits to help balance and sweeten the fragrance.
Our top pick: Price’s Mandarin & Ginger Large Jar Candle £14.95
Lemon
Lemon is not only deliciously zesty, but also promotes concentration. It has calming and clarifying properties that are helpful when you’re feeling angry, anxious or run down. It’s a great essential oil for happiness and energy, too.
A Japanese study even found that office workers made 54% fewer errors when exposed to the scent of lemon.
And if that wasn’t enough, lemon also has antiviral and antibacterial properties which can help fight sore throats and colds by boosting the body’s immune system and improving circulation.
Our top pick: Wax Lyrical Colony Lemon Grove Reed Diffuser £14.95
Coffee
Whilst coffee may taste great, there’s only so many mugs you can drink throughout the day. Instead of boiling the kettle, try using coffee in a home fragrance or an essential oil.
Research shows this scent has the ability to enhance analytical reasoning and promote attentiveness.
The warm, inviting aroma of coffee is stimulating, uplifting, and will give you a nice pick-me-up throughout the day.
Our top pick: Shearer Candles Cocoa & Sandlewood Large Jar Candle Tin £5.99
Jasmine
Like lavender, jasmine is used to calm nerves, but is also commonly used as a mood booster. Its uplifting capabilities produce feelings of confidence, optimism and revitalized energy.
Sweet-smelling lavender improves concentration by recharging the brain during rest time. This allows you to return to work revived and full of energy.
Renowned for its sweet and deeply rich aroma, jasmine is also a popular ingredient for perfumes, particularly classic French fragrances, such as Chanel’s iconic No. 5,2 Miss Dior and Opium.
Our top pick: Yankee Candle Midnight Jasmine Medium Jar Candle £14.99
A winter wonderland
Winter is filled with sumptuous aromas from the delights of home cooking, to the smell of log fires and the crisp winter air. But how can we find the best scents for our home?
Blending warm spices with soft woody notes will transport you to your very own winter wonderland.
Woody notes
Woody notes of pine or spruce are home fragrance favourites during winter, as they’re associated with the smell of fresh Christmas trees. On the whole, woody fragrances can be either crisp and light or hearty and rich depending on the wood the notes derive from. Fir, pine, and spruce offer the classic tree scent. However rich notes of cedar, sandalwood and rosewood will create the warm aroma of a log fire.
They are often used as standalone scents and also make up the warm base notes in many other seasonal fragrances.
Pair woody notes with fruit, spicy or sweet notes to add a sumptuous, sophisticated air to any fragrance.
Our top pick: Heart & Home Ellipse Twin Wick Jar Christmas Tree £8.99
Warm spices
Traditionally cinnamon has won the title for the most popular festive scents. However as fragrances have evolved, spices such as ginger, cardamom and the ancient elements of frankincense and myrrh are now seen more frequently for an even more sumptuous take on festive spices.
These notes can be paired with woody notes or musk to create a rich, refined fragrance full of winter warmth.
Our top pick: Shearer Candles Couture Cinnamon Spice Tall Jar Candle £19.95
Vanilla and chocolate
If you missed out on sugary treats from the Christmas markets this year, there are some scrumptious sweet fragrances available sure to take you back in time.
From classic vanilla notes to warm caramel, these scents are buttery at the base and combined with spices, create the aroma of mouth-watering desserts such as crepes, waffles, and macarons.
Making the perfect kitchen candle, light as you serve dessert for an infusion of sensory sweetness.
Our top pick: Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie Medium Candle £16.95
Bergamot
Bergamot orange is the fragrant citrus fruit of the Citrus bergamia, a small evergreen tree which blossoms during the winter. It is commonly used in earl grey tea, thanks to its peppery yet sweet scent.
It has a sweet, fruity aroma with hints of mild spice and wood, and it’s one of the most popular notes used by perfumers in many male and female fragrances.
Light the scent of bergamot alone, or use combine it with sweet mandarin orange for a warm, oriental aroma. Perfect for a cosy night in this winter.
Our top pick: Yankee Candle Elevation Exotic Bergamot Candle £17.99
A tropical retreat
If you’re dreaming of escaping to a tropical retreat, close your eyes, lie on the sofa, and infuse your senses with a combination of exotic scents.
A well-chosen scent can conjure images of past holidays and remind you of sun cream, rolling waves, cocktails, and Mediterranean cliff-top villages, all in the comfort of your home.
A medley of zesty and refreshing, warm and breezy and sensuous and evocative scents will give you the summer paradise you’re searching for.
Citrus fruits
What conjures the fun of a summer holiday like a mojito? So why not use fresh notes of mint and lime to create your very own refreshing cocktail candle?
Perfumers adore the fresh, light, and energetic fragrant note that derives from lime. Like other citrus notes, lime is traditionally used as an intense top note. It combines well with other citrus notes such as orange and lemon.
To create your at-home mojito scent, light a lime candle alongside a mint-scented candle, reed diffuser or fragrance sphere. Mint offers a refreshing and cooling green note with peppery aspects. It pairs perfectly with lemon and lime.
Our top pick: Shearer Candles Persian Lime Pillar Candle £6.99
Sea salt and sand
Nothing quite beats the sound of turquoise waves splashing against the sand on a beautiful beach. Breathe in the sharp aroma from the sea-salt and let the sweetness of sand cut through to create a harmonious fragrance combination.
To create an exotic escape, fragrances including Yankee Candle Pink Sands Candle use a blend of bright citrus, sweet florals and spicy vanilla.
Home fragrances derived from sea salt, pair well with soft scents like lavender and vanilla, which are both known to be soothing and help you to relax.
Our top pick: WoodWick Sea Salt Vanilla Large Jar Candle £18.69
Coconut
Whether it reminds you of a Pina Colada or your favourite tanning oil, the scent of coconut is likely to bring back memories of a summer getaway.
The note of coconut has a sweet, fruity and creamy scent, gives off a truly tropical vibe, while retaining a simple freshness.
Combine the scent of coconut with fruits such as strawberry and banana to create the delicious aroma of a Pina Colada – and maybe even make yourself one at home!
Our top pick: Yankee Candle Black Coconut Fragrance Spheres £3.95
Bergamot, orange flower and cedarwood
If like many of us, you love the smell of sun cream, using a combination of three fragrance notes can create a very similar scent.
When used together, the notes of bergamot, orange flower, and cedarwood will blend to create a unique aroma, just like sun lotion.
If you can’t find a candle that combines all three, try using separate candles, reed diffusers, or fragrance spheres in an enclosed space.
Our top pick: Millefiori Milano Mediterranean Bergamot Home Spray £7.95
A Spring morning
Spring is a season for new beginnings. We see flowers bloom and embrace brighter mornings and lighter evenings. Crisp, earthy scents fill the air as we open windows and breathe in the aroma of freshly cut grass, inviting fresh, floral and gourmand notes to dance around the home. Combine fresh garden mint with delicate rose or wrap yourself in aromas of fresh cotton for the idyllic scent of a spring morning.
Fresh cotton
The clean scent of fresh cotton is perfect for spring. It’s a time when many of us de-clutter our homes and turn our clocks towards a new season.
Fresh cotton is an intoxicatingly fresh scent with just the right combination of citrus, powder and woody notes. It’s often paired with lavender and soft florals to create a comforting sensation of newly washed sheets.
Our top pick: Yankee Candle Clean Cotton Reed Diffuser £16.95
Lavender
Of all the fragrance notes, lavender is best known being one of the most soothing and relaxing scents. An ancient natural remedy, lavender is part of the mint family, native to the Mediterranean mountain, with an array of health benefits.
Those looking for the best essential oils could combine lavender with sweet orange or ylang ylang to create a soothing scent, that reduces stress and anxiety, and ignites the sweet smell of springtime.
Many people also use lavender fragranced candles or essential oils for sleep, as it’s believed to slow down your nervous system, decrease your heart rate and blood pressure, which helps you fall into a deep sleep.
Our top pick: Wax Lyrical RHS Lavender Room Mist 100ml £7.95
Garden mint
Whether you grow your own herbs or just want to invite a fresh, energising scent into your home this spring, fresh mint is the perfect pick.
Combine with fruity fragrances, such as strawberry, for a succulent taste of spring or use alone as a refreshing aroma that will boost energy.
As the days become warmer and you want to enjoy your lunch alfresco, take a mint candle outside with you to help keep the flies and bugs away.
Our top pick: Millefiori Milano White Mint & Tonka Diffuser £15.95
Rose
Often known as the king of flowers, rose notes are feminine, clean, and wonderfully romantic.
In home fragrance, ‘tea rose’ has recently become an increasingly popular note. It combines the soothing scent of floral rose with the freshness of green tea leaves.
Rose is also one of the most popular essential oils for sleep, thanks to its soothing and relaxing properties which can help to fight anxiety and stress, while relaxing the body and mind.
If you’re looking for romance, rose is one of the best mood enhancing scents, too, making it one of the most romantic scents for the bedroom.
Our top pick: Yankee Candle Fresh Cut Roses Reed Diffuser £16.95
An autumn stroll
The colours and scents of autumn are rich, crisp, and vibrant. Recreate it at your leisure using a combination of home fragrances. Breathe in the scent of conkers landing on damp earth, mugs of warming tea and enduring woody, aromatic and earthy fragrances to cloak the home in a comforting ambience.
Apple
It doesn’t get much more autumnal than apple-picking, but if you are unable to head out in the great outdoors, you can still enjoy the scent.
For the perfect autumn treat, combine an apple fragrance with warm spices such as nutmeg and orange. Infusing these notes will create a spicy, warm, mulled cider-like scent, perfect for a cosy night by the fire.
Apple and cinnamon are also a great duo, creating the scent of a warm, freshly baked apple pie.
Our top pick: Cristalinas Feel Good Funny Apple Diffuser £4.95
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is an alluring and sophisticated fragrance, valued for its woody composition. It is an oriental scent with an intensity that can be both exotic and comforting.
Smooth, rich, and essentially soft, its notes work well with accords of vanilla, amber, patchouli, lavender, and cedar wood.
Perfect for autumn, you’ll get the scent of fresh woodland, just as you would if you went out for a walk in the forest.
Our top pick: Price’s Sandalwood Reed Diffuser £11.50
Tobacco
If you want to make your house smell nice, tobacco probably isn’t the first scent that comes to mind.
However, the fragrance note is commonly used in colognes. It produces a rich, warm, and sweet herbaceous scent, with notes of whisky, caramel, and hay that remind us of autumn.
It can add a sweet, sexy, smoky and mysterious aroma to your room, working gorgeously alongside rich florals and Oriental spices.
Tobacco is one of the best candle scents for the bedroom, as it creates a sensual smell, perfect for a romantic night in.
Our top pick: Price’s Royal Oak Large Jar Candle £14.95
Honey
Rich, warm, luxurious and comforting… Honey works wonderfully to emphasise floral notes, or create a sweet, rich aroma for the home in autumn.
Honey is a warm, sweet note but with an earthy quality that blends well with amber, woods, caramel, and vanilla notes. It’s perfectly enjoyed with a mug of warm tea as you curl up by the fire.
If you’re looking for the best essential oils for aromatherapy, honey works in perfect harmony with lemon. Both contain antioxidants which can help promote good health and flush out toxins.
Our top pick: WoodWick White Honey Medium Candle £13.95
Explore the full Fragrance Direct range of candles and home fragrance.
