Not many of you know this, but my very first job out of college was with a candle company. I designed packaging for things like candles, reed diffusers, and even a scented ceramic globe. My favorite part of the job was brainstorming how to visually represent how the product smelled. We even had meetings where we’d pass around pots of fragrance and talk about the notes and fragrance trends! I think this is why, to this day, I love home fragrance so much. I always have candles, incense, or palo santo burning — or even a mix of those all at once. I wanted to share with you some of my favorites today so help make your home smell amazing, too!
Candles are an easy place to start, especially because there are so many incredible options out there. I do tend to spend a bit more on candles because I am more drawn to the luxury versions. These ones tend to have more complex fragrances and I find that they make my home smell better for longer.
These are some of my absolute favorite candles:
My second favorite way to make my home smell amazing is palo santo. Usually I buy mine in bulk on Etsy. They are the small wooden sticks pictured here. To light them, I usually light a candle first, then hold the piece of wood over the flame until it catches. Then blow out the flame gently and place the piece on a flame-proof dish. Sometimes I will also walk around my house with the smoldering piece so that the smoke can spread to other rooms. I adore the fragrance and feel like it is a mix of spicy notes, pine, and maybe a little bit of citrus. It’s really quite a lovely fragrance!
I like to treat palo santo as a ritual. When I wake up in the morning, I light a stick and do the same when I get home from the studio at night. I just love how it sets the mood for wherever I am mood-wise.
Another old school method I have recently started to love again is incense. I recently discovered these palo santo-covered incense sticks and adore them (note: the shop is sold out of them, but will probably add more!). They burn longer than normal palo santo, so I use them when I’ve been cooking to help make the house smell less like a restaurant. I don’t have a special incense holder or anything. Instead, I just stick it into a potted plant and let the ash fall into the soil.
And lastly, I adore these papier d’armenie burning papers. I stumbled across them in a local boutique and immediately had to have them. The fragrance is a bit powdery, but unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. They are also really easy to burn, too. Basically tear off a piece of the paper, fold it like an accordion, light it and then blow out the flames. Then leave it smoldering on a fire-proof dish.
You can also learn how to make your own smudge sticks or even put your home fragrance on auto-pilot with the Aera.
What’s your favorite way to make your home smell good?
These are great ideas! What kind of plant is in the first picture?
So glad you like them! The plant is a silver pothos/philodendron.
Yeeeesss! Thanks for all of the options. I love candles, but can’t stand spending a lot of money on them. And, of course, all of the candles I like are always 20-50 dollars. I. CANT.
I am feeling the Palo Santo option and remember enjoying that scent before. I especially love the idea of lighting it as a ritual. And, even better, I like the price. Ordered!!!!
So glad you liked the post and I hope you love the palo santo :) it’s gonna be addicting, I promise!