HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOME SMELL EXPENSIVE

The surprisingly subtle art of making a room smell really, really good.

By The Magazine

You know the house.

You walk in and immediately think: What is that smell?

Not in a candle-store, seventeen-fragrances-fighting-for-their-lives kind of way. It just smells... good. Clean, warm, expensive.

The secret, it turns out, is usually less fragrance—not more.

Here's how we're doing it.

01. START WITH NOTHING

Before we make the house smell good, it has to not smell like anything bad.

Open the windows. Wash the throw blankets. Empty the trash. Clean the kitchen sink. Figure out what is happening in the refrigerator.

Fragrance should be the finishing touch, not the cover-up.

The Ėditure rule: Clean first. Scent second.

02. FIND YOUR HOME'S SIGNATURE

The most memorable homes tend to have a scent you begin to associate with them.

That doesn't mean buying twelve of the same candle. It means finding a fragrance family you love and staying somewhere within its world.

Woody and smoky. Green and fresh. Warm and amber-y. Clean and citrusy.

Once you've found yours, let it become part of the house.

The Ėditure rule: Your home can have a signature scent, too.

03. LAYER, DON'T COMPETE

A candle in one room. A diffuser somewhere else. Incense when the mood calls for it.

They don't have to be identical, but they should get along.

If the living room smells like sandalwood, the bathroom like grapefruit, the bedroom like roses and someone just lit a vanilla candle in the kitchen, we've lost the plot.

The Ėditure rule: Think family, not matching set.

04. KNOW WHERE EACH SCENT BELONGS

Not every fragrance belongs everywhere.

We like something clean and fresh in a bathroom. Warm and inviting in a living room. Soft and subtle in a bedroom.

And the kitchen?

Be careful.

Garlic, coffee and a three-wick gardenia candle were never meant to meet.

The Ėditure rule: Let dinner be the fragrance.

05. BURN THE CANDLE PROPERLY

Yes, there is a right way.

On the first burn, give the wax enough time to melt evenly across the surface rather than creating a little tunnel down the middle. Keep the wick trimmed according to the candle maker's instructions, and never leave it burning unattended.

Your candle will look better, burn better and last longer.

Which matters when you spent more on it than you'd like to discuss.

The Ėditure rule: Respect the candle.

06. DON'T FORGET THE ENTRYWAY

The first few seconds after someone walks into your home matter.

A diffuser, candle or very subtle room fragrance near the entrance creates that immediate “your house always smells so good” moment.

Just don't overdo it.

They should notice that your home smells beautiful.

They shouldn't be able to locate the diffuser from the elevator.

The Ėditure rule: Whisper, don't shout.

07. CHANGE WITH THE SEASON

Your perfume changes. Your wardrobe changes. Your home can, too.

Fall makes us want woods, amber, spice and something slightly smoky. Spring can feel greener. Summer gets lighter and brighter.

You don't need four completely different fragrance wardrobes.

But swapping one candle can change the entire mood of a room.

The Ėditure rule: Let your home know what season it is.

THE TAKEAWAY

The best-smelling homes don't necessarily have the strongest fragrance.

They smell clean. They smell considered. And somewhere in the background, there's a scent you can't quite stop thinking about.

Open the windows. Light the candle. Find your signature.

And when someone inevitably asks, “What smells so good in here?”

That's when you know you've done it right.

— The Magazine