The smell of great interior design…

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We've all had those times when we walked into a friend's home and immediately notice a distinctly pleasant aroma.  Sometimes its fresh flowers, sometimes its baking cookies, and sometimes its a delicious candle.  In the winter, it just has that warm and enticing aroma that you'll envy for your own home, and it somehow makes any space feel that much more inviting and comforting.  So I'm oftentimes looking for great looking, aesthetically pleasing ways to incorporate the sense of smell into my designs.  I burn candles in my home all winter long, and when I fall in love with a scent, I'll take it in any form I can get. Right now I've been really loving musk & amber smells.  I know that sounds unappealing, but trust me, when its 5 degrees outside this warm, rich aroma makes you feel cozy.  Think of a great aged wine or an 18-year scotch...it smells like neither (thankfully) but it feels historic, aged, and deep.  My husband is wearing Kiehl's Musk eau de toilette for cologne, and I'm buying bath soaps, lotions, and candles that have the smell whenever I see them.

Merz Apothecary

Merz Apothecary - Established 1875

This past fall I took a trip to Merz Apothecary here in Chicago - they have locations in the Palmer House Hilton as well as on Lincoln.  It's just what you would imagine of an old fashioned, established in 1875 apothecary shop - tin ceiling, wood pharmacy bookcase walls covered in every scent imaginable, old fashioned shaving kids with straight razors & brushes with bone handles, and more. Merz Apothecary Interior Design Merz Apothecary - Old Fashioned Grooming Products And that's where I first discovered Boticario de Havana, one of my favorite candle and scent makers - they're both aesthetically pleasing (beautiful bottles) and smell amazing.  And of course I love their bath oil, lotions, etc too because they are in gorgeous bottles (so they look great in a bathroom), and they leave me smelling like my favorite scents all day long. Boticario de Havana   This winter we received a great gift package from Archipalego that included some of my favorite scents.  Our whole office was celebrating!!  We loved the variety of products they had - Boticario de Havana as well as others - so you can get any scent that you're searching for. Check em out at http://www.archipelago-usa.com/ And of course now I'm curious - what's your favorite scent? Or do you have a particular scent that you like in your home?    

Gahh love that store! Sandalwood is always a favorite home scent of ours.

J&B