The significance of scent: how fragrance can enhance an interior
We all know the sensation of stepping across a threshold and being transported to a different world by fragrance, immediately absorbing the atmosphere of the house in the scent of the air. When you invite friends and family into your home, it is among the first things they notice, rooting them in a sense of place unique to you. Jo Malone London’s new Townhouse Collection, inspired by the memories and moments of a period house in London, is designed to evoke this sense of place. The range of six candles revolves around the rooms of a classic London townhouse, inspired by the brand's beautiful Georgian headquarters in Marylebone, with graceful ceramic jars that recall the subtle details of its architecture.
Every house is a repository of memories: laughter over wine and food in the dining room, cosy evenings spent with a book, and warm afternoons lazing in the garden. Scent is a key part of memory – imagine the smell of freshly baked pastry drifting from the kitchen, cut grass and flowers lingering on the breeze in the summer or the crackling of a log fire on a winter’s night – all these scents are deeply evocative of times and places, of who you were with and how you felt.
The six fragrances within the Townhouse Collection effortlessly enhance the mood of any occasion, each candle naturally harmonising with a particular room and its atmospheres. A light-filled room with windows thrown open for an informal meal has its partner scent, as does an elegant sitting room with candles lit for an intimate evening. When you entertain, fragrance should be an integral part of the occasion, as important for setting the mood as lighting or decoration. What kind of atmosphere does the room lend itself to, and how can you best enhance it? Do you want a quality of luxury and intensity to set off a room full of pattern and jewel-like colour, or of uplifting liveliness for a sun-drenched garden room, alive with plants and dancing light?
But scent is not just for your guests. Quiet days alone or with family, reading a book and at ease in your own space, make up another layer of memory to go alongside the parties and special occasions. These everyday moments – which make up most of home life, after all – deserve to be accompanied by beautiful fragrances as well, which can allow them to stand out more vividly in the mind. As Jo Malone London’s Townhouse Collection launches, we take a look at some of its new fragrances, alongside a few Jo Malone London classics, and explore the art of matching rooms with scents.
Paul Massey1/12Wild Berry & Bramble
Arriving at a house, whether it’s the everyday return home after work or the first arrival of a new guest, should be a significant moment, and the scent that accompanies it should be carefully chosen. Jo Malone London's Wild Berry & Bramble with inviting notes of blackberries is particularly lovely for welcoming you home. The image it evokes is that of walking up to your front door in late summer, amid a tangle of greenery whose fresh notes follow you inside the house. Using this scent in a hallway will make every entrance into your home a little bit sweeter.
Paul Massey3/12Glowing Embers
Home becomes ever more important to us as the colder months draw near. One of the archetypal images of home is an evening spent by the fireside, accompanied by a book, a soft blanket and something delicious to drink. This might be a time for good company, or it might be a time for quiet and reflection in a snug room, with sofas and armchairs ready to welcome you at the end of a long day, a basket of logs to feed the fire, and a pile of books waiting to be read. 'Glowing Embers' embodies the soothing scent of a late-night fire and brings this mood of quiet contemplation within easy reach.
Paul Massey5/12Green Tomato Vine
A garden room is a thing of beauty, warmed by the sunlight streaming through its generous windows and crisp with the scent of the outdoors, but with all the comfort of the house. This room is the perfect place to nurture plants, including the vines that flourish in the mellow temperatures, but also to spend relaxed afternoons, basking in the light and lingering on the border between outdoors and indoors. Taking inspiration from the garden room, Jo Malone London’s 'Green Tomato Vine' is a scent to conjure up the warmth and light of summer.
Paul Massey7/12Pomegranate Noir
Luxury is one of those indefinable things we all recognise when we see it, and 'Pomegranate Noir' is a scent that expresses it perfectly. Think of an opulent sitting room with plump cushions, elaborately patterned fabrics, jugs of flowers and burning candles. Such a room comes into its own as the light fades, and embraces a little darkness and mystery. The aroma of pomegranates, with their suggestion of richness and sensuality, combined with pink pepper and Casablanca lily, adds a hint of enchantment that draws you further into this intimate space. Like each of the Jo Malone London scents, this can be teamed with another fragrance either to deepen its intensity or to make it slightly lighter. For a truly sumptuous sitting room, pair it with ‘Oud & Bergamot’, a scent that revels in the exotic.
Paul Massey9/12Lime Basil & Mandarin
Jo Malone London’s signature scent is designed to call up the image of the Caribbean, with the bright fragrance of limes drifting on a warm breeze. Endlessly versatile for all sorts of rooms and occasions, we think it goes particularly well with a summery outdoor space, with dappled sunlight falling on the table, rustic furniture, and lush foliage. Invigorating and intriguing, ‘Lime Basil & Mandarin’ is an ideal backdrop to entertaining.
Paul Massey11/12English Pear & Freesia
Early autumn is a delightful time of year, both outdoors and in. The air is getting a little crisper, the fruit is starting to ripen on the trees, and at home it’s time to think about bringing a little cosiness into your rooms. This scent is at once fresh and clean, with its juicy pears and delicate freesias, but with a mellowness derived from the undertones of amber, patchouli and wood. These elements evoke a simple but deeply comfortable interior, well supplied with sofas to sink into, but pared-back and with an airiness fit for the last remnants of summer.
12/12'English Pear & Freesia Deluxe Candle', from Jo Malone London
The Townhouse Collection is available now from Jo Malone London
