Design with Scent In Mind
- Hannah Stanley
- May 28
- 4 min read
Hi, my name is Hannah Stanley, owner of aromatherapy and scent specialist business ‘Sage & Grace’. I’m going to discuss the importance of scent styling and how you can use this throughout your home to not only enhance your living space, but also your wellbeing too.
How scent shapes the way we feel at home
When designing a home, we predominantly think about how a space flows visually, prioritising colour schemes, furniture placement, textures, and various décor. Often only using sight and touch when considering our design choices. Through this process we're missing a vital element which I believe is key to enhancing any space... scent.
Our sense of smell is powerful and can influence our mood and emotions through the practice of aromatherapy, which uses essential oils to support our emotional and physical wellbeing. When used thoughtfully within our homes, aromatherapy can help create spaces that encourage different emotions such as relaxation, comfort, energy or any other emotion depending on the needs of that room.
How does aromatherapy work?
Our sense of smell is directly linked to our limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for memory, mood and emotional behaviour. When we smell an essential oil, the healing property of that essential oil is recognised and can influence our mood in that moment.
You can strengthen that connection to a scent because of the way our brains build emotional associations with it over time. If we use a particular scent during moments of relaxation, we can build a mind-body connection to that scent. This means aromatherapy doesn’t just influence our mood in the moment, it can help train the body and mind to respond emotionally to certain environments and routines.
We can use this throughout our home to support a rooms purpose, whether the room is used for relaxation, socialising or even work.
Designing your home around scent
Below are a few suggestions as to how you can incorporate scent into different rooms.
Hallway – this is the entry to our home and should feel welcoming. I suggest using essential oils such as Frankincense and Grapefruit, which are fresh and grounding. In a hallway, you want a constant scent that is low maintenance, and, in the background, which is why essential oil reed diffusers work best here. They also perform better in a high traffic area, so they are perfect for the hallway as you enter your home. My Balance Reed Diffuser is well suited to the hallway and provides the grounding welcome that is needed as you enter your home.
Living room – this is where most people relax and socialise, so I tend to suggest a scent which is comforting and cosy, even in the summer months. This room should feel like a haven, a safe space and warm. Essential oils such as clove, orange or ginger work great in a living room. I would always pop a candle on in the living room, the flicker of the flame is so inviting.
Dining room – Again, possibly another socialising / entertaining space, this room can handle a heavier scent, something like patchouli or ylang ylang which are rich and expensive feeling.
Bedroom – the bedroom should promote relaxation and calmness, helping you to unwind and rest ahead of a restorative sleep. Essential oils such as lavender, frankincense and vetiver all work to gently guide your nervous system towards rest. Using an electric diffuser which has a timer switch is a great addition to your evening routine as you can fall asleep to the soft scent. This is where electric oil diffusers come into their own – they have a timer button where you can set it to mist for 1 or 2 hours, making it safe to sleep to. I recommend using my Unwind oil and putting it on about 45 minutes before heading to bed to have a restful night sleep. You could also enhance this further by using my pillow spray, a light mist a few minutes before sleep will ensure a deep and restful sleep.
Kitchen – the kitchen benefits from a scent that is complimentary to cooking smells and can highlight the excitement and joy of food. It should be an uplifting scent, with some citrus notes to provide energy and improve mood. My Spring Refresh range, which is my best-selling scent, combines 5 essential oils such as lemongrass and thyme to create the most uplifting and refreshing scent, complimenting the kitchen aromas perfectly.
Home office – this room is primarily used for focus and work. Essential oils such as rosemary, peppermint and lemon are support mental alertness, memory and concentration, aiding your productivity.
Amidst the stress of modern life, it’s important to find sanctuary at home. While design through sight and touch can create a calm and inviting atmosphere, scent has the unique ability of further enhancing the feeling of tranquillity within a space.
My passion for improving the lives of people in the home started back in 2018 when I started my business, all whilst studying for my PhD. It began after discovering that most of my loved candles and diffusers were made from synthetics oils which have no wellbeing benefits at all. While some products using essential oils did exist back then, I didn't find any that I particularly liked or found that worked. With the help of my sister-in-law and her expertise in aromatherapy, I began creating my own unique blends to help with my anxiety. Since then, I have created over 20 different essential oil blends, each one associated with therapeutic healing benefits, in 5 different product ranges.
