Original article featured in Cambridge Agenda Magazine April 2011. Image credits, Decorating with Blue and White by Gail Abbott and Mark Scott, Cox and Cox

The scents that fill our homes can be welcoming and evocative; Victoria Harrison of Angel + Blume looks at how to add fragrance to your home to create a unique atmosphere.

Spring cleaning

Before adding fragrance to your home you need to make sure you start with a clean base. Now that the gloom of January is lifting and Spring is just around the corner it’s the perfect time to scrub up. You can start by simply opening windows and welcoming the fresh air. During the winter when windows remain closed, carpets and textiles can become stale, but a quick steam clean will get rid of odours and freshen them up. A wipe down of all door frames and skirting boards will get rid of accumulated dust and grime and if you’re feeling energetic give the ceiling a clean too as smoke and oils can build up over time.

Getting the right products

The citrus smell of a lemon is refreshing and invigorating and as such it is added to many chemical cleaners. However, my favourite cleaners are naturally scented ones which don’t overpower or leave a chemical smell. Maison Belle are a great range of cleaners from The Natural Store with enticing names like Lavender & Mint Limescale Remover and Green Tea & Sage Glass Cleaner. They do the job well and leave a fresh scent afterwards.

Natural scent

When it comes to fragrance, nature does it best. In an ideal world I would live in a house by the sea with scented roses growing outside the door, and a fresh sea breeze wafting in through an open window. But wherever you live you can still bring a little bit of nature into your home. The simplest way of doing this is filling a bowl with fresh cut flowers or keeping a few pots of fresh herbs on the kitchen windowsill.

Potted flowers such as hyacinths are brilliant at cheering up a room as they add both fragrance and colour. Scenting your linen with dried lavender is another way to ensure a sweet and fragranced night’s sleep and there is nothing better than the scent of freshly brewed coffee to make a kitchen feel homely and comforting.

Artificial scent

Scented candles, room sprays and diffusers all have their place too. These days there are a huge range of options. You do tend to get what you pay for, so a good quality natural wax candle is worth investing in. My current favourites are the wild mint candle from the White Company and the herb scented candles by Jamie At Home. Scent is very individual thing, but when you’re choosing think about the kind of atmosphere you are trying to create.

Layering

Scent can disappear quite quickly so if you want to build an atmosphere then consider layering your home scent. Start off with a scented candle, then add a reed diffuser in the same fragrance to build depth. You could also spritz curtains and textiles with a room spray but be careful not to overdo it. Once you have been in a room with a scent for a while you get used to it, but any new guests will be able to smell it immediately, so don’t be tempted to keep spritzing!