Home Fragrance guide

How to choose the right scent for YOU

Choosing a home fragrance is not just about what smells good in the bottle. This home fragrance guide focuses on how scent interacts with your space, how you live in it, and the kind of atmosphere you want to create.

Candles, diffuser oils, wax melts, and room sprays all behave differently once they are in a room. Understanding how they work will help you choose a fragrance that feels intentional rather than overwhelming.

This guide breaks it down simply so you can find what works for your home.

Start with the room,
not the scent

Different rooms need different fragrance approaches.

Before choosing a fragrance, ask yourself how you want the space to feel,
not just how you want it to smell.

A living room or open plan space benefits from a scent that feels present and balanced. Something fresh, herbal, or lightly woody works well because it creates atmosphere without dominating conversation.

Bedrooms are better suited to softer, calmer fragrances. Notes like lavender, sandalwood, or gentle citrus create a sense of ease rather than stimulation.

Bathrooms and entryways benefit from clean, uplifting scents. These spaces are smaller and work well with brighter notes that feel fresh and immediate.

Match scent Strength to room size

A common mistake is choosing a fragrance that is too strong for the space.

Smaller rooms need lighter, cleaner profiles. Larger spaces can handle more depth and warmth.

If a scent feels overwhelming, it is usually not the fragrance itself but the format or concentration being wrong for the room size.

Candles, diffuser oils, wax melts, or room sprays?

Each fragrance format serves a different purpose.

Scented Candles

Candles are ideal when you want ambience as well as scent. They work best in spaces where you spend time and can enjoy them for a few hours at a time. A soy blend candle offers a cleaner burn and a softer, more consistent scent release.

Soy Candles are best for:

  • Living Rooms
  • Bedrooms
  • Evening Use

Diffuser Oils

Diffuser oils provide continuous fragrance without flame. They are ideal for day to day scenting and work especially well in shared spaces.

Diffuser Oils are best for:

  • Open plan areas
  • Home offices
  • All day background scent

Wax Melts

Wax melts allow you to control intensity by how much you use. They are perfect if you like to change scents often or layer fragrances.

Wax melts are best for:

  • Smaller rooms
  • Testing new scents
  • Flexible scent strength

Room & Linen Mists

Room and linen mists offer instant impact. They are designed for quick refreshes rather than long lasting scent.

Wax melts are best for:

  • Bedding or soft furnishings
  • Quick room resets
  • Guest preparation

Choosing fragrance families intentionally

Most people get stuck looking at fragrance notes and trying to imagine how they will smell. A better way to choose is to think about how you want a space to feel, then use fragrance notes to support that feeling.

Here is a simple way to approach it.

1. For calm, rest, and unwinding

These fragrances help slow things down and soften a space. They work best in rooms where you want to rest, reset, or disconnect. These notes tend to sit close to the skin and feel steady rather than sharp. They are ideal when you want a scent to be present without drawing attention to itself.

Best for
  • Bedrooms
  • Reading corners
  • Evening wind down
How it feels
  • Calm
  • Grounded
  • Comfortable
  • Quiet
Supporting Notes
  • Lavender
  • Sandalwood
  • Soft musk
  • Tonka
  • Gentle florals

2. For freshness, clarity, and energy

These fragrances create a sense of cleanliness and lightness. They make spaces feel open, bright, and refreshed. These notes lift a room quickly and are especially effective in smaller spaces or areas that need an instant refresh.

Best for
  • Bathrooms
  • Kitchens
  • Entryways
  • Morning use
How it feels
  • Awake
  • Light
  • Clean
  • Clear
Supporting Notes
  • Citrus like lime, bergamot,
    or yuzu
  • Lemongrass
  • Green tea
  • Eucalyptus
  • Cucumber

3. For focus and balance

These fragrances are ideal for spaces where you want to feel centred and present without being relaxed or energised. These notes create structure in a space and help it feel organised rather than busy.

Best for
  • Home offices
  • Workspaces
  • Creative studios
How it feels
  • Balanced
  • Clear headed
  • Steady
  • Intentional
Supporting Notes
  • Cedarwood
  • Vetiver
  • Basil
  • Cardamom
  • Soft woods

4. For warmth, atmosphere, and depth

These fragrances add character and mood. They work well in social spaces and areas where you want to create presence rather than background scent. These notes tend to feel richer and more layered, making them better suited to larger spaces or slower moments

Best for
  • Living rooms
  • Dining areas
  • Evening gatherings
How it feels
  • Warm
  • Inviting
  • Confident
  • Atmospheric
Supporting Notes
  • Oud
  • Amber
  • Tobacco
  • Sandalwood
  • Warm spices

5. For personality and edge

These fragrances are expressive and memorable. They are ideal when you want scent to be part of the identity of a space. These scents stand out and are best used intentionally rather than everywhere at once.

Best for
  • Personal spaces
  • Feature rooms
  • Homes that favour bold design
How it feels
  • Modern
  • Confident
  • Opinionated
  • Distinct
Supporting Notes
  • Juniper
  • Black pepper
  • Ginger
  • Herbal blends
  • Unexpected citrus

Let the feeling guide the choice

This home fragrance guide is designed to help you choose scent by feeling, not guesswork. Instead of choosing a fragrance because a note sounds appealing, start with the mood you want the room to hold. When scent supports how a space is used, it feels effortless rather than overwhelming.

If you are unsure, start light and build slowly. You can always layer, but it is harder to take scent away once it fills a room.