It’s a strange time of year for home fragrances. On the East Coast, at least, the heat is palpable, with a glimmering golden presence that holds forth outside from mid morning til early evening, sending most creatures scuttling for shade, the flowers bravely withstanding the glare (the cucumbers even daring to bask in it) and leaving only the cicadas and other whirring insects as a sign of life in the garden.
Yet today there is a bit of a flirtatious breeze, lifting the leaves of the fruit trees to show their petticoats and playing tag with the dragonflies. It speaks of autumn days to come, harvest time and the nourishing produce to be had borne of these golden days.
What sort of home fragrance is best suited to this heat? Most days, to be honest, I would simply rather go without. I like the scents of summer, scuffed crumbling dirt and hot painted wood from the deck, offset by utterly delicious wafts of the last summer roses. I tend to wear less perfume, if any, and go minimalist in the house. Still though, it is pleasant to have a little luxury in the guest bathroom, or — if you have air conditioning — a little something to keep the air from being too stuffy…
Anthousa, the Seattle-based home fragrance company, has introduced three “nature-inspired” personal fragrances in Eau de Parfum spray (shown) and perfume oil rollerballs: