Home sweet smelling home

Tips and tricks for creating room fragrance, according to candle expert Kat Silva Lozanza.

By varying the heights of these black candles, the look is informal yet sleek. All available at the new John Lewis candle shop.

Interiors aren’t just about aesthetics; they’re also about smell. ‘The demand for home scents has really grown over the last few years, as customers increasingly seek to create an ambient living space that smells as good as it looks,’ says Kat Silva Lozana, Peter Jones Partner and candle expert. Such is the growing market for room fragrance that, as part of a major £7million transformation, Peter Jones opened a new candle shop in October. It has its own special entrance on Symons Street and is filled with apothecary-style bell jars, lanterns, candles, diffusers and scents. Discover ten tricks on scenting your home from industry expert Kat Silva Lozana.

1. Place scented reed diffusers in the hallway or entrance to your home; a delicate decorative flourish, they will immediately set the tone and ambience as you step through the front door, welcoming you and your guests with an inviting atmospheric fragrance.
    
2. For calming ambience in the living room, arrange scented candles at different heights around the room – on shelves, in alcoves or on a central coffee table. Their warming glow and soothing scents will permeate the air around you.
   
   
3. For a unique take on scenting your home, combine up to three scents together; choose fragrances that complement one another, for example earthy notes of musk, shades of wood mixed with aromatic spices.
    
4. Keep bathroom scents fresh with light fragrance sprays in citrus hues sprayed regularly throughout the day.
    
5. For an unusual approach to scenting your home, Herve Gambs’ range of colourful fabric flowers – from miniature potted orchids to towering lilies – will hold the scent of a room fragrance spray for several days. They are a contemporary take on pot pourri that is both decorative and versatile and will suit any room.
   
   
6. When dining outside, place scented candles in storm lanterns, where their fragrance will not be lost to the elements and instead will emit a more subtle aroma.
   
   
7. Place reed diffusers in the kitchen to lift heavy cooking smells. With no bare flame, you also won’t need to worry about keeping an eye on them when you leave the room after eating
    
8. Explore the variety of fragrances available to find what’s right for you. To aid relaxation, light a lavender scented candle or for continued calm, a jasmine infused room spray or reed diffusers.
    
9. If you have a fireplace, fill it with pillar candles. All lit at the same time, the glow will create a focal point to which the eye is drawn. At Christmas, scatter berries, fur cones and holly in between the candles for a festive display.
    
10. Create atmosphere by using monochrome candles and low lighting on a side table in your living room or dining area. Varying heights and shapes are essential to ensuring this look doesn't appear too formal.

Annie Deakin is interiors writer for sofa and interior design website mydeco.com.