Scents and sensibility: An expert guide to choosing the perfect candle fragrance for every room

Three fragrance pros show Carol O'Callaghan how to alter the atmosphere in every room

Thu, 02 Oct, 2025 - 15:00

Carol O’Callaghan

A scented candle completes every deep clean and declutter. Usually, and partly for safety reasons, I’ll put one in the bathtub and another in the kitchen sink so there’s a scent wafting throughout the house as I move from room to room cleaning. It shifts the atmosphere from stuffy to uplifting, especially at this time of year when we’re missing summer and feeling nostalgic for sea and sand, fragrant blooms, and memories of holidays in hot places.

But this is Ireland, where the prevailing scent is fresh rain, and as autumn progresses, we’re also getting a whiff of earthiness when out for a bracing walk or getting a breath of fresh air in the early morning.

Amber offers musky, earthy notes with a hint of vanilla as a warming option for the colder seasons; from €25, Thehomemoment.com.

Scent might be invisible, but it can really alter the mood of your surroundings. Living rooms have a shape-shifting personality where, during the day, they’re everything from a homework hub to a play area and can descend into chaos quickly. After the kiddies are in bed and the space becomes a place to relax for adults, a scent can set the mood for a cosy evening.

As new-builds no longer have the characteristic Irish fireplace, the flicker of candlelight has additional value.

“If it’s a shared space, something relaxing and grounding like sandalwood or patchouli is lovely in a living room,” says Sinéad Bailey Kelly, creative director of The Home Moment. “Amber is calming and comforting, best for a bedroom or reading nook to unwind.”

Kitchens can be tricky, as having strong scents mingling with the aroma of food is not always welcome, but there are other reasons to have a scented candle in this space, according to Sinéad.

“Cinnamon’s warm, spicy aroma instantly makes a space feel inviting. It boosts mood and energy. I always come back to Siberian fir or pine towards the end of the year, but I wouldn’t put it on the table if I were having something heavy to eat, like a curry. Something like grapefruit or really herby like rosemary, sage and thyme.”

Apple, vanilla bean and cinnamon are warming elements in the Cider & Tonka Bean candle for autumn through to winter; €30, Labougie.com.

Scenting the hallway is the starting point for Alicia Brady, marketing manager at home fragrance maker Max Benjamin.

“Autumn and winter are the quintessential candle lighting season, and it’s nice to start by using them for welcoming into your home,” she says. “There’s nothing better on a darker evening.

“In a bedroom, lavender is calming and relaxing, and in the bathroom too, but not something you’d put in a home office. In the kitchen, fresh citrus is good for diminishing cooking smells. Keep it light and floral on a dining table, use nothing strong like patchouli.”

Air is a transitional scent blend with summertime citrus and notes of jasmine; from €25, Thehomemoment.com.

Lucy Hagarty, perfumier at home fragrance company La Bougie, has sultry summer fragrances at the heart of her scent collection, a nod to the garden at her parents’ home in Tuscany, but this time of year she sees as an opportunity to do something different.

“The change of season from summer to autumn sees the biggest changes in scenting your home,” she says. “Out are the vibrant, fresh citrus fragrances, which are replaced with comforting scents often incorporating the seasonal harvest fruits.”

In particular, she cites fragrances of tonka bean and cider with the scent of windfall apples to sum up the season, but she maintains there’s something more important than being led by the seasons in our choices.

La Bougie's Cedar Atlas has a strong woody note with a herbal addition of thyme; €30, Labougie.com.

“Don’t scent your space with anything you don’t love or will tire of,” she says. “Find your signature fragrance, the one that says home to you the moment you walk through your front door. There is nothing more beautiful than candlelight.

"Add a couple of candles in your favourite fragrance and fill the room with tea lights in pretty jars. The fragrance won’t overpower and the tealights will create the ambience.”

As it happens, I have two candles currently creating the perfect aroma at home, which I only started using in September, even though both are distinctly summery, with notes of rose and a sultry fig, the latter a reminder of a holiday in sunny climes. I love them both, although I’m not entirely sure if they’re my preferred scents in general or if I just want to hang on to the feeling of what, weather-wise, was a pretty good summer.