Decorating & Design
December 18, 2020
10 Designer-Approved Scents That Will Transport You Somewhere Far Away
Scent has the ability to transport us to destinations far and wide, so it’s no wonder home fragrance is in high demand this year. Even fashion and design brands, and tastemakers like Jonathan Adler, Marie Kondo and Byredo’s Ben Gorham have got in on the act with craft candles, diffusers and room sprays that evoke a sense of escape. Keep reading to explore a world of designer-approved scents to satisfy your wanderlust from the comfort of your home.
From world traveler and L’objet founder and creative director Elad Yifrach comes a scented candle that’ll waft you far away from your worries — and any technology for that matter. With the Mojave Palm candle, you’re guaranteed at least 80 blissful hours in California’s dreamy sand dunes studded with carpets of wildflowers.
Marie Kondo may have made the Konmari method a household practice, but she’s not done just yet: her latest collaboration with Japanese brand Hibi Match Co. encourages the daily routine of lighting incense in search of a moment of zen. These incense sticks light like a match, and with three mindful scents to choose from — ylang ylang, cedarwood and Japanese cypress — sparks are sure to fly.
Banish the winter blues with a sun-kissed candle that evokes Mediterranean summers by Michael S. Smith, decorator to the Obamas. The happy-colored jar nods to its scent of blended yellow genet flowers that thrive along the idyllic coast.
Byredo founder Ben Gorham’s global-inspired line of affordable aromatic candles for Ikea sold like hot cakes when they first hit shelves this fall. Luckily, some fresh and woodsy scents (think: cassis and freesia; sandalwood and vanilla; firewood and spice) will be re-stocked in the late winter/early spring!
Design darling Jonathan Adler and fragrance house Maison Berger have joined forces to create a limited-edition reed diffuser, complete with a fresh, woody green tea fragrance refined by Jonathan himself. It looks and smells designer-worthy!
Bring a breath of fresh air indoors with Tom Dixon‘s Elements Earth candle. Not only will its refreshing fragrance of mint, cedar and guaiac wood ground your space, it’ll also make a handsome vessel for storing small items after you’ve burned through it.
This unique room diffuser from Copenhagen design brand Frama and Seoul, Korea-based creative studio Be My Guest is made of biodegradable soil-and air-enriching charcoal spheres that purify the air. To use, simply top the spheres with a few drops of the included citrusy St. Paul scent and relax.
Bring the magic of Swan Lake home with an apothecary-inspired candle from Gucci’s first haute perfumery line, The Alchemist’s Garden. Crafted by creative director Alessandro Michele and master perfumer Alberto Morillas, it reimagines the feathery creature with a graceful mix of musk, violet leaves, iris petals and vanilla.
Care to practise some alchemy? House of Hackney’s serpent-coiled candle is both stylish and sacred with notes of pomegranate, pepper and spicy wood. Plus, it comes with a complementary candle refill so you can get in the mood more often.
Loewe’s first line of home scents by creative director Jonathan Anderson and perfumer Nuria Cruelles takes myriad forms — candles, wax candlesticks, room sprays and rattan diffusers. The collection’s 11 essences, including tomato leaves, luscious pea, liquorice and coriander, will transplant you to a lush Victorian botanical garden.