When I walk through my front door, I want to feel like I am walking into a beautiful hotel.
This is, I should be honest, a complete fantasy. My entrance hall also contains two cats, one dog, a rotating cast of feral small people and the full, unpredictable chaos of real life. But City Grandeur, London is in the hallway, and for the brief, luminous moment between opening the door and whatever needs attending to immediately, it works. The bergamot, lemon and black tea rise up and I am, for that second, somewhere elegant and calm and entirely in control of my surroundings.
Fragrance does that. It changes the atmosphere of a room before you have even registered it consciously. Choosing it with intention, rather than by accident, makes a difference that is genuinely felt.
These are the principles I come back to.
Start with the character of the room
Every room has its own atmosphere, its own pace, its own purpose. The fragrance you choose should reflect that rather than work against it.
The entrance hall is the note your home opens on. It is what guests feel before they have said anything, before they have taken their coat off, before they have seen anything else. City Grandeur, London, with its invigorating brightness of bergamot, lemon and black tea, makes that opening count. It is not a fragrance that whispers. It announces, and then it welcomes.
The dining room asks for something richer and more ceremonial. When I am entertaining, Night Blooms, India is always there: its deep heart of jasmine sambac, clove and plum, the dark warmth of patchouli and vanilla in the base. It adds a layer of sophistication that no amount of candles or table dressing can quite replicate. It makes an evening feel considered.
A bedroom asks for something quieter and more enveloping. Glorious Gardens, England has an extraordinary quality in a room with height and air: it fills the space completely, lifting the mood simply by bringing the true essence of an abundant English garden indoors. It is powerful without being heavy. It is one of those fragrances that does the work for you.
We have a room that we have christened the cocktail room on account of two rather handsome drinks cabinets. In reality it is where I sit on the sofa and work on my laptop. Dancing Light, Lake Como lives there as a diffuser. The moment I walk in, my mood lifts. I look out through the double aspect windows and the fragrance is simply in the air, luminous and green and serene. It is a meditative few seconds before the laptop opens. There is only water or coffee in my cup, for the record.
As for my sons’ rooms: they smell of teenage boy. I will not be writing about that.
Candle or reed diffuser: understanding the difference
Both have their place, and the choice between them is less about preference and more about what the room needs.
A reed diffuser works continuously, releasing fragrance steadily throughout the day and night without any attention from you. It is the right choice for rooms where you want a consistent ambient presence: a hallway, a dining room left to breathe between meals, a bedroom. It does not compete for attention. It simply is.
A candle is a more deliberate thing. You choose to light it. The fragrance builds as the wax warms, and there is a ritual quality to it that a diffuser cannot replicate. A candle belongs in the rooms where you are most present, where the act of lighting it is itself a small, pleasurable moment of intention.
Many people find that using both across a home, with different fragrances in different rooms, creates something richer than either could achieve alone.
On layering fragrance
Layering fragrance across a home is something to approach gradually and with a light hand. The temptation, when you discover fragrances you love, is to use them everywhere at once. Resist this.
Two or three fragrances across a home, chosen to complement rather than compete, will create a sense of depth that feels considered. Moving from the brightness of City Grandeur in the hallway to the luminous calm of Dancing Light in a sitting room to the warmth of Night Blooms in a dining room is a movement through different atmospheres, each one distinct, each one intentional.
What you want to avoid is fragrance fatigue: the point at which the nose stops registering scent because there is simply too much of it. Less, in home fragrance as in so much else, is a form of sophistication.
Placement and care
A reed diffuser should be placed away from direct sunlight and heat sources, both of which accelerate evaporation and shorten the life of the fragrance. A central position in the room at mid-height allows the scent to diffuse most evenly.
For candles, trim the wick to 5mm before every burn. This keeps the flame steady, reduces soot and ensures the wax melts evenly across the full surface of the vessel. Allow the wax to reach a full melt pool on the first burn, which for our 300g candles means at least two to three hours. This prevents tunnelling and ensures the full life of the candle.
Flip your diffuser reeds every week or so to refresh the fragrance throw. When the reeds become saturated over time, replacing them alongside the refill will restore full performance.
The moment you notice it most
The fragrance of a home is something you feel most clearly when you return to it after time away. That first impression as you walk through the door is worth paying attention to. It sets the tone for everything that follows.
But there is another moment I love equally: the one just before the day properly begins. Sitting in a room that smells exactly right, looking out of the window, a cup of something warm in hand. Not yet thinking about anything. Just in it.
That is what fragrance at home is really for. Not the grand occasion, not the dinner party, not the guest who notices as they walk in. It is for you. For the ordinary moments of an ordinary day, made a little more beautiful than they needed to be.
FAQ
How do I choose the right fragrance for each room?
Think about the atmosphere you want the room to have, and choose a fragrance that reflects it. An entrance hall benefits from something invigorating and welcoming. A dining room suits something rich and sophisticated. A bedroom wants something calm and enveloping. A sitting room or workspace rewards something luminous and considered. When in doubt, Island Breeze, Seychelles is one of the most versatile fragrances we make: it lifts almost any room.
Should I use a candle or a reed diffuser?
A reed diffuser provides continuous, ambient fragrance without any attention from you, ideal for hallways, bedrooms or rooms you want to keep consistently scented. A candle is a more deliberate, ritual object, best for rooms where you are most present. Many people find using both across a home, with different fragrances in different rooms, creates the richest result.
Can I use more than one Told London fragrance at home?
Yes, and we encourage it. Two or three fragrances, chosen to complement rather than compete, will create a sense of depth and variety that a single fragrance cannot. The key is restraint: fragrance fatigue sets in quickly when too many scents compete for the same space.
How do I make my candle last longer?
Trim the wick to 5mm before every burn. Allow the wax to reach a full melt pool on the first use. Keep the candle away from draughts, which cause uneven burning. Our 300g candles are also refillable, so when the wax runs out, the vessel and its story continue.
Where should I place a reed diffuser?
Away from direct sunlight and heat sources, which accelerate evaporation. A central position in the room at mid-height diffuses fragrance most evenly. Flip the reeds weekly to keep the throw fresh.
Discover the Told London collection. Find the right fragrance for every room.
Related: Why we made our candles and diffusers refillable / The art of gifting fragrance / Shop the full collection
