House Scents

My girlfriends and I recently stayed at a famous LA hotel for the weekend and one of the things I think I'll remember most about our stay there, is the fragrance that greeted us in the hotel lobby and around every hallway. I actually have several vacations punctuated by a particular scent that was seemingly piped into every room of the hotel in which I stayed, sort of imprinting the relationship between that particular fragrance and the wonderful memories I made during each vacation.   It's similar to the way certain songs can take me back to high school or my childhood as a kid riding in my parents car.

Similarly, when I'm out and about, there are certain scents that remind me of home. A sweet tomato sauce simmering away on a stove, jasmine combined with freshly cut grass and lets be honest, these days- paint and sawdust, all remind me of our little corner of the world. One of the reasons I set my heart on Holtwood House was because that despite the fact that it sat empty for our viewing, it still smelled like a place I had spent a lot of time at during my childhood, a place where I felt safe and happy.

It's a little primal I guess, but like animals, we tend to infuse our homes with other signature scents as a way of making them ours.  The candles, air fresheners and even cleaning products we use are as personal as the perfumes we put on our bodies. I often get asked about the products we use here at Holtwood House, so I thought I'd pull the veil back a little and share the combination of flavors that make up the signature scent in our home.

Long a fan of Voluspa candles, this relatively new scent called Laguna is probably the most dominant smell in our home. I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm scent-sensitive and when I find something that works for me and does not induce a migraine, I tend to stick with it. This is my go-to candle, the one that reminds me of life in coastal California, replete with notes of Coppertone and sea spray. It's light and heavenly and if I could, I'd pipe it through our air conditioning vents.

Once in a while, I switch things up and introduce another candle- usually in the Fall. Voluspa's Golden Cypress is a little sharper on the nose, but clean. It reminds me of a shampoo I used as a kid while staying at a relative's house.

I found this hand soap on one of my shopping jaunts to Home Goods (you buy all your hand soaps there too, right?) and never looked back. It makes the rounds most frequently in our bathrooms and it's a sad day when I run out. I've recently found it online and decided to order it in bulk. What can I say, when you find each other you just know.

Let's face it. Cleaning can be boring. They don't call it a chore for nothing. But Meyer's Clean Day in Basil came to my rescue one day and turned my weekly cleaning day into a happier event. I love the way our house smells by the end of the day. It is pricier and I'll be honest, it's not the only brand of cleaning products I use. I'm guilty of cleaning with the heartier soaps and scrubs and then giving everything one last wipe down with the good stuff.

So combined with our personal perfumes and cosmetics, these are the things that make up the distinct smell you'd notice when you walk through our front door.

I'm curious to know what smells remind you of your home. Are there certain products you use regularly that have become part of the whole sensory experience in your own living space?