Scents of place: the fragrances designed to evoke physical spaces

From one influencer’s brutalist-style abode and a centuries-old cathedral to French aeroplanes and Swedish highrise stairwells, Adele Cardani introduces the latest in fragrances and the settings that inspired them

Scent plays a critical role in the impressions we form and the memories that follow (Getty)

Upon entering a room, we absorb everything we sense simultaneously, with scent playing a critical role in the impression we form and the memories that follow. Recently, an increasing number of creatives have caught on to this, seeking to capture the spirit of influential spaces and distil it into fragrance.

Lizzie Ostrom, fragrance expert and creative director at Diem Scents, explains: “There are many exciting developments happening in sensory design at the moment. I’ve done quite a lot of work with architects and interior designers on how to translate light, dimensions, historic features, aesthetics, and materials into aroma – relating their beautiful physical spaces into memorable, synergistic scents.”

Keep reading to discover the latest in fragrances and the settings that inspired them.

No 98 Ghost by L.A – Space

No 98 Ghost, the first home fragrance from L.A – Space, is inspired by brutalist masterpiece The Ghost House – the home of the brand’s founder, Lorna Luxe. Surrounded by large reflecting pools, this unique property is constructed from rugged in-situ concrete and matt black steel, with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Brutalist masterpiece The Ghost House (L.A – Space)

Luxe explains, “This profiled scent of our home began as a personal fragrance for my husband and me, capturing the ambience of our beloved, modern space as a launchpad for creative thinking. The positive feedback was so strong from guests that we decided to commercialise it, and thus, the candle was born.”

No 98 Ghost comes in pink and black variations (L.A – Space)

Crafted in collaboration with acclaimed perfumier Azzi Glasser, No 98 Ghost opens with a burst of fresh green notes before leading into a rich smoky heart of Chinese cedarwood, amberwood, frankincense and myrrh. Finally, the base is a fusion of Mousse de Saxe and soft musk.

No 98 Ghost is the first home fragrance from L.A – Space (L.A – Space)

Slow Exhale by Diem Scents

Slow Exhale, the latest perfume launch from Diem Scents, started with a visit to London’s oldest surviving church, St Bartholomew the Great. Picture a mix of cool flagstones and worn wooden pews, a vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows, with the lingering waft of incense.

Slow Exhale is a heady blend of bergamot, frankincense, laurel, and Palo Santo wood – eliciting tranquillity and a distinct sacred allure. It’s designed to recall the awe and stillness felt upon stepping off a bustling street and into a grand, medieval church.

Slow Exhale by Diem is ‘an unusual, complex aroma made from ancient resins and woods’ (Diem)

Le Meridien x Malin+Goetz

Conceptualised by Air France in the 1960s, Le Meridien hotels remain a gathering place for today’s jetsetters. The hospitality group has partnered with luxury apothecary brand Malin+Goetz to craft a signature scent inspired by its origins in the golden age of air travel.

Titled LM002, the candle takes a flight back in time to the summer of 1969, evoking a journey across the French Riviera and a stay in Le Meridien’s Nice property. Neroli blossoms and notes of black amber linger at Saint-Tropez, while musk and sandalwood bark seduce the senses along La Croisette in Cannes. Caviar lime and cypress are reminiscent of an evening in Antibes, and finally, fig, star jasmine and freesia whisper “à bientôt” to the sparkling Mediterranean seaside.

Malin+Goetz also offer a ‘fragrance discovery kit’ that allows you to explore their range (Malin+Goetz)

Unifrom

Unifrom, a fragrance house founded in Stockholm by Haisam Mohammed, is inspired by the stairwells of Swedish highrises and the array of scents that gather in those “in-between” spaces.

Unifrom scents are ‘conceptualised in Stockholm, developed in Paris and made in Grasse’ (Unifrom)

Mohammed explains, “My interest in scents started with the building I grew up in – with the smells of food being prepared, the mixture of spices, and the incense that would slip through the cracks of the doors and combine in the stairwells.” This amalgamation of aromas reflects a bridging of many cultures under one roof.

Oils are a concentrated version of an eau de parfum spray without the alcohol base (Unifrom)

One of the brand’s perfume oils, titled Bliss, channels this with a blend of green vanilla, saffron, almond, and suede leather. The scent is lovingly described as “a warm-hearted invitation into the homes of the diaspora, manifested in the form of hard-shelled sweets.”