I have had the privilege of two spring seasons this year, as I was in the northern hemisphere in late April and May, in the English countryside. Back in Johannesburg, my first sense of spring is through two quite distinctive and special smells: Brunfelsia (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow shrub) which grows outside my kitchen window, and white jasmine, which flowers very early at Wits University.
Brunfelsia flowering in the garden of my apartment block
This has set me thinking of smell in the context of buildings, something that influences all of us, wherever we are, yet is quite elusive and seldom plays a role in architectural design. (As an exception, I remember a Master of Architecture submission that looked at designing for visually impaired people which explored smell and touch as the design drivers.)
Each of our homes (and often our offices) have a smell that is unique to us, a combination of the many decisions we make about food, cleaning products and air freshening options. But before we talk about these, I would like to touch on something that I consciously do every spring, which is to give my home a thorough air refresh over a couple of days, when I maximise the ventilation through my spaces, taking advantage of the warmer air and relative lack of wind which would blow everything around. Last year I posted a blog on the principles of space ventilation and gave some ideas of techniques that build on past traditions that have evolved in hot climates. This year I have a bit of a challenge, as I have recently adopted a cat, so I am wary of opening all the windows: I will have to make a plan for simultaneous spring ventilating and cat safety!
One of the fundamentals about the smell of your home is the materials that it is made from, especially the floors. Tiles and concrete tend to have a neutral smell, while the smell of natural wood is quite distinctive, even if your floors were installed many decades ago. Carpets will also have a characteristic smell, as well as being a trap for accumulated smells. These innate smells will be enhanced or tempered by the cleaning products you use. The manufacturers tend to use smell as a major marketing ploy, often with such a wide variety that the choice is overwhelming. As a result, one can often end up with a range of products where the smells compete, creating quite a sensory overload. At the same time, if everything smells of lavender, for example, some people will find this overpowering.
My preferred cleaning product with a very subtle smell
One thing that I am very conscious of is the smell of wood treatment products: here one has a choice of several types of product, but my preference is for the natural wood oils that enhance the innate smell of the wood, whether floors or furniture. I am also quite resistant to aerosols: not only are they often bad for the planet, but I find that they irritate my nasal passages while I am using them. Spray polish is also often scented, introducing a conflict of smell between the wood and the added aroma.
A range of wood polishes: teak oil is my favourite
Your house will inherently retain the smells of the foods you cook or have in bowls exposed to the air, such as fruit. I always have onions, garlic and potatoes in a bowl on the counter of my kitchen, which form a foundation to my other kitchen smells. Smells from cooking can often be quite overpowering, and last for several hours: I can remember as a child, the distinctive smell of cooling roasted lamb on a Monday morning after one of my mom's "Sunday Lunches". This can be minimised (although not entirely eliminated) through the use of a cooker hood installed above your stove, that ventilates to the outdoors, but if you cannot afford this or there are logistical problems, a good idea is to keep at least one high-level window open while you are cooking and for a few hours after, and you can even use an electric fan to force the air out of the kitchen.
In my house (and my office), there is always at least a background smell of coffee: since I first moved into my own place, I decided on two fundamental life choices, however tight my budget - two-ply toilet paper and real ground coffee!
A constant background smell of coffee in home and office
A traditional idea that is worth experimenting with is to hang bunches of fresh herbs in your kitchen, or have a couple of herbs in pots on your window-cill. These complement the other smells of the kitchen, just as wood oil complements the smell of furniture. It is also pleasant for your family and guests to have a range of complementary smells in each room for a bit of diversity - food-orientated smells in the kitchen, more "hygienic" smells in the bathroom, and the luxurious smell of wood in the living room.
If your house still does not smell as you would like it, or if you want to adapt the smell for a special occasion, there are so many options, including scented candles, diffusers and aerosols. As with furniture polish, I am not a fan of the latter, especially as the scent can often be quite overwhelming and persistent. I tend to use scented candles very sparingly, usually only for special occasions, although I know some people find them a great enhancement to a luxurious soaking bath experience.
My favourite festive scented candle, a gift from my sister
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