Spring is in the air so use your senses
Freshen decor, starting with scented oils
Suddenly, and without warning, it hits like a gust of wind: that warm, earthy smell of spring that has you (mentally) skipping down the sidewalk and imagining patios, tubs of flowers and barbecues.
That evocative first smell of spring can stay with you – if you bring it indoors.
“Spring is the time of year when we’re driven to refresh our interiors. We have this pent-up energy. I think it’s really about revitalizing our environment,” says author, award-winning interior designer and Style at Home decorating editor Kimberley Seldon.
While fresh colours and textures in accent pieces are important, she says any decor refresh should start by following your nose. “For an interior to be supremely successful, you want to introduce all five senses,” says Seldon, who recommends choosing a lively, vibrant scent in a stylish room diffuser or essential oil that evokes not only colour, but an emotional response as well.
“You want to create a whole, cohesive approach. Diffusers have a strong initial scent, but they have a way of unobtrusively blending into a room.
When you’re dealing with a perfume product, you want a whisper, not a shout.”
Once a scent is chosen, she says, imagine the shades and patterns it brings to mind.
Applying that colour could mean introducing an entirely new design component such as strongly patterned curtains or cushions, but it can also be done inexpensively by adding a few flashes of colour in vases, flowers or bed linen.
“People are asking for vibrant colour – by the time we’re in April and May, we’re really craving it.”
Wondering how to bring spring inside with scents and colours? Here’s how. Lavender and juniper
What the scent evokes: A sense of calm. According to Dr. Alan Hirschof Chicago’s smell and taste Treatment and Research Foundation, lavender literally changes the way we feel by “increasing the alpha waves in the back of the head, which is associated with being in a more relaxed state.”
How to use it: The combination of lavender with the piquancy of juniper made Seldon think of soft French blue, white and natural, woody tones in a kitchen.
“We thought about the fact that 85 per cent of Canadians have neutral kitchens,” she says. “A really easy way to inject colour is with a new set of dishes, like a pretty French blue. The greenery and the sprig of purple lavender really pops out.”
Dashes of colour can also be introduced with crisp grey-blue or lavender tea towels, table linens or decorative table-topper, as well. Cotton and Italian mandarin
What the scent evokes: Energy. The citrusy smell of mandarin – or grapefruit, lemons and limes, for that matter – triggers a response in the face’s trigeminal nerve, says Hirsch, which “causes you to be more alert and awake.”
Interestingly, he adds that, according to his research, the smell of pink grapefruit “makes a man see a woman as six years younger.”
How to use it: The combination of linen and orange should go in a bedroom, says Seldon, because it’s the place “where Canadians go to recharge their batteries” and reenergize.
“You want touches of luxury, like beautiful sheets, a beautiful vase with a sprig of orange blossoms and even something small, like a piece of artwork. You don’t have to have a lot of colour to make a big impression.”
The one thing you shouldn’t have in the bedroom? Technology. “This should be the one place where you can retreat in every sense of the word and step out of your busy life.” Fuji apple and cardamom
What the scent evokes: Relief from pain and anxiety. “Green apple has very positive effects,” says Hirsch. “It can reduce the duration of migraine. It may act to reduce anxiety, which makes headaches worse. It also makes people perceive that space is larger.” Plus, green apple, banana and peppermint can control appetite.
How to use it: For Seldon, apple and the spiciness of cardamom reflect a perfect fusion of masculine and feminine. In an interior, that means marrying feminine shapes (globes, curves and softer lines) with strong angles.
“Strong lines make us feel secure. Both sexes are drawn to a masculine interior, they speak to stability,” she says. Continue the balance of malefemale by marrying splashes of green apple with burnt orange and brown in small architectural items. Pineapple and mangosteen
What the scent evokes: Positive body perception. The sweet fruitiness of pineapple and spicy evergreen of tropical mangosteen make a man see a woman as 12 pounds lighter than she really is, says Hirsch.
“It’s the equivalent of wearing vertical lines to look slimmer.”
But the spicy-floral combination doesn’t work on how women perceive men, he notes.
“Nothing significant affects a woman’s view of a man. They’re too good at estimating weight and age.”
How to use it: Fresh and lively oranges and yellows will bring a tropical zing to your room, says Seldon.
Where Canadians once eschewed bold colours, “it’s really exciting when a client asks me to introduce yellow drapery.