Five easy steps for an autumnal-smelling dwelling

As the swing of the seasons falls into autumn, what better time to enhance the aromas of your home? It’s a time of year accompanied by the sweet smell of spices; cinnamon and cloves; pumpkin, apple, and citrus. Outdoors offers odours of warm rain, fallen leaves, and ripe bramble bushes, while indoors should evoke the homely calm of contentment, safety, and ease. Autumn is the perfect time of year to make your home smell great!

Step 1: Handle your candles

The autumnal season is a time of year when candle scents really come into their own. The wax-filled shelves abruptly burst with marmalade shades of orange, deep ruby reds and cherry crimsons, cotton whites, mustard yellows, and dark navy skies. Autumn candles piece together the perfect blend of spices and fruits, turning leafy lanes and conker collecting into tangible smells, evoking nuances of relaxation, restfulness, and peace.

You don’t always have to burn the candle for it to take effect either – leave them open and near the door of your rooms for pleasant flashes of fragrance as you move about the home.

Step 2: Utilise your pies

Nothing quite fills a home like the smell of cooking, and traditional autumnal cuisine is the pinnacle of pleasant and comforting aromas. Why not try fruit-picking to fill fresh and rewarding pies? Embrace the season and make homemade bread, bake with a friend, try an autumn dish like apple-spiced biscuits or gingerbread snaps.

If cooking wasn’t on the agenda, simmering a pot of water, spices, cranberries, and a few orange and lemon slices can engulf visitors in a delightful aroma.

Step 3: Diffuse and reuse

Reed and automatic diffusers, as well as plug-in air fresheners, can be a great way to keep your home smelling fresh without trying; however, they can be expensive to replace or refill when they run dry. Luckily, the internet is full of DIY recipes to make refill batches more affordable, meaning you can tailor-make fragrances of your choosing.

Once you have cleaned out and refilled your diffusers, spread them throughout the home so your key areas – entrances, hosting spaces, and relaxation spots – are permeated with sweet autumnal scents, enhancing your home’s flow.

Step 4: Enchant with plants

We all know the sensory effects of flowers, providing an air of life as well as an appealing aesthetic. Having seasonal flowers such as blooming dahlias and shocking chrysanthemums on your dining table will add colour to your home and infuse the air with pleasant smells.

House plants such as orchids, lavender, and jasmine can have a similar effect, and others can help cleanse the air of toxins, leaving cleaner air. Some of the most effective air purifying house plants are snake plants, monstera plants, and English ivy.

Step 5: Acquire the bonfire

Guy Fawkes’ legacy has ensured that the smell of a smoking bonfire is intrinsically linked with this time of year, making it a soothing scent as the winds turn colder. While we may attend a bonfire or two over the period, few of us are lucky enough to have a working wood fireplace in the home to capture this all season round.

The solution to this can be found in burning incense, lighting fire-scented candles, and replicating the fragrance in air fresheners or diffusers. Having some firewood near an electric or defunct fireplace will help match the aesthetic.