The entrance point to your home is an area of transition from the public to the private world, framing your impression of what is to come.
Using scent as part of a well designed entrance space enhances the feeling that you've left the chaos of the world behind you for a private sanctuary, welcoming you or your guests and inviting expectations of the pleasurable or memorable experiences that await.
A well designed and thought out space enhances the experience you will have in it. People are more likely to enjoy a space where they feel comfortable, secure and valued. A poorly designed entrance creates uncertainty or is perceived as unsettling. How our home looks is much less important than how it makes us feel.
Providing information about the people who use a particular space is the most crucial aspect of a well designed area. Information about ourselves and others creates a context for social interaction and spurs people to figure out what is happening around them.
The smell of home
Incorporating aromas as a design tool in your entrance or hallway augments the behavioural impact of a good entry area.
Of all our senses, our sense of smell is the one that has the strongest emotional link, one of the guardians of our memories. Scents have a meaning in our lives and are unique to every individual; relating to their context, our past experience, culture, feelings or the people in our lives.
Our home is our mirror; autobiographical, part of our identity, providing physical and mental shelter and support.
A fragrance not only evokes powerful feelings of home but also molds our intangible sense of the metamorphosis of a house into a home- a sense of place.
Welcoming scents
First impressions are important and enduring. Our first view of a space is a major factor as to how that information will be organised in our long-term memory.
A calming, welcoming and inviting atmosphere in an entrance helps the focus to fall on the experience of greeting and home coming. Make sure your entryway is free of clutter and use flowers, photographs or arrangements of nick nacks or momentos to set the tone for your home.
When you're thinking about what aromas you want to use in your entrance to be a congruent reflection of a welcoming and inviting ambience, things to consider include the following : size of your entry or hallway, season , time of day, occasion , location of your home, personal preferences, decorating style or desirable experiences you've had in the past relating to people or travel for example, that you may wish to recreate.
Scents for your entrance or hallway
These two vaporiser blends are examples that you can diffuse in your entry or hallway.
Using fragrance to signal the transition from public to private is especially important in small homes or apartments. In these cases there is no real entry per se, when you enter the home you tend to end up straight in the living area which makes us feel subliminally awkward and unprepared.
Blend 1 :
6 parts rose absolute, 4 parts frankincense, vetiver, blood orange, 2 parts black pepper, cardamom essential oils.
Blend 2 :
5 parts lavender, Siberian fir, 3 parts roman chamomile, vetiver, Australian sandalwood, 2 parts Virginia cedarwood essential oils.
Scentcillo Starlet essential oil blend is a crisp, floral aroma that also fosters a happy, inviting atmosphere for your entry or foyer.
Scent styling suggestions for our blends can be found here.
Floral scents in general evoke positive memories, recall feelings of happiness and are morning mood enhancers.
The smell of baby powder is often mentioned as making people feel safe, secure or nostalgic.
For small entry areas: aromas you can utilise to minimise a hemmed in feeling and create a perception of spaciousness include essential oils of grapefruit, lemon, fir, cedarwood atlas, juniperberry, scents of apple, cucumber or freesia or our Greek Island or Shaman oil blends.
To generate a more intimate or enveloping ambience in large entry areas or to intensify the coziness of a contained entryway: choose spicy essential oils like cinnamon, clove or ginger mixed with warm citrus oils such as tangerine or sweet orange or essential oils with smoky, resinous nuances e.g patchouli, vetiver, myrrh, cypress. From the Scentcillo range - Oracle or Tango blend.
Further information
- Interior's Addict: Tricks to create an entrance in even the tiniest of spaces.
HomeLife:
- Hallway and foyer ideas.
- 8 ways to organise your hallway and foyer.
From the burner today:
- Our Pinterest board has essential oil blend recipes if you'd like more ideas.
