You want the house to smell nice: Here are some artful new ways to do it
Luxurious scented candles, sophisticated reed diffusers and artfully arranged dishes of potpourri are a thoughtful hostess gift and a necessity for the house proud.
Now they can also be conversation starters.
A new crop of upscale home fragrance items sits at the cusp between function and design. These items are housed in innovative containers and can be unexpected. Whether perfuming a guest bathroom or occupying pride of place on a coffee table, these artistic home scents can be considered a legitimate design accent. Here are eight to try at a variety of price points.
Kilian Hennessy, scion of the cognac-making family and founder of a luxe fragrance line, recently launched a unique scented paperweight — a hefty chunk of black lacquered wood inlaid with mother-of-pearl and embedded with a ceramic circle containing one of four scents, each lasting about six months. $155. bykilian.com
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Hand-blown art glass in colors like dusky rose and champagne come with 16 natural reed diffusers and several different scents, from artisan fragrance house LAFCO New York. Fragrances and their vessels are designed for different parts of the house: amber black vanilla for the foyer, cilantro orange in the kitchen. $115. lafco.com
The Flora Diffusing Sphere uses one of late artist Piero Fornasetti’s iconic images, based on the face of soprano Lina Cavalieri. The large, round diffuser is embellished with colorful images from nature and capped with thick black reeds that diffuse the heady liquid fragrance that accompanies it. $450. barneys.com
Instead of the dried flowers and leaves that make up a traditional potpourri, French brand Mad et Len uses amber resin stones. The scented stones — fragrances available include ingredients like patchouli and oak moss — come housed in an artsy, black, worn-steel vessel. $110. orleansandwinder.com
San Francisco brand Agraria has replaced traditional reeds in its Air Essence diffusers with inventive blooms. These delicate flower petals are handmade in India using the stalks of the sola plant — also known as balsa. The stalks hold and emit the scents, slowly altering the color of the flower. $130. Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and agrariahome.com
Futuristic and tech-inspired is the Picasso 360 from Aroma 360. This sleek, tube-shaped container uses air pressure to compress scented oils instead of heating them. It can be set on a timer. $599. aroma360.com
Candle brand Diptyque has created a series of intriguing cases to hold its signature pillar candles. This one, called Oiseaux Photophore, from French design duo Anamorphee, is a carved metalwork design of bird feathers and beaks, which comes to life once it’s illuminated from within. $160. diptyqueparis.com
Fans of Spanish porcelain brand Lladró might want to check out its recent home fragrance offering; once the candles burn down, the containers — handmade in Valencia, Spain — can be used as decorative accents. Avant-garde designer Jamie Hayon collaborated with Lladró on a design incorporating a nose in relief. Some candle holders also come with a natural oak wood lid topped with a small porcelain cherub. $45 and up. lladro.com
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