Sun-Kissed Scents: Transform Your Home with These Summer Fragrances
Summer arrives softly - with golden light spilling through open windows, breezes stirring linen curtains, and the gentle hum of long afternoons. It is a season that invites fragrance to play its part: scents that lift the spirit, soothe the soul, and accompany life’s sun-kissed moments.
Here, we explore five evocative fragrances that can transform your home this summer - each beautiful, and even more enchanting when paired with complementary notes.
Lavender: Calm for Cooler Evenings
Few scents capture serenity as effortlessly as lavender. Fresh and herbaceous, it brings a hush of calm after bright, bustling days. Lavender is particularly captivating when layered with the gentle sweetness of tonka, the earthy depth of patchouli, and the warm embrace of amber. Together, these notes form a fragrance both grounding and comforting.
A lavender scented candle is perfect for cooler summer evenings, when daylight fades and you long for softness. It’s this moment that our perfumer’s created our bedroom candle for – calming lavender cradled by opulent tonka and patchouli with a warm base of amber. Once lit, this candle creates a true sanctuary in the bedroom.
Seaweed: A Breath of Coastal Air
Reminiscent of windswept shores and salt-licked rocks, seaweed carries with it the essence of the British coast. Its fresh, mineral quality is enlivened when paired with zesty citrus and cooling spearmint, while a foundation of amber and woods anchors it in warmth. The result is a fragrance that feels both bracing and restorative - a perfect choice for bringing the cleansing spirit of the sea indoors, even on the warmest of days.
For Vicky White, Co-Founder of Plum & Ashby, few fragrances speak of summer quite like seaweed. “Bracing yet restorative, with a mineral freshness that carries the salt air and the promise of open horizons, seaweed captures the very essence of our British coastlines,” she reflects.
Saffron: A Touch of Sunlit Opulence
Saffron, golden and aromatic, lends an air of quiet luxury to summer. Its spice-like richness pairs beautifully with the luscious sweetness of fig, while amber and vanilla create a smooth, lingering base. Together, these notes weave a scent that feels indulgent yet balanced.
One of the most effortless ways to introduce saffron into daily life is through rituals - a scented hand and body wash, for instance, that turns the everyday act of washing into a summer indulgence. Our Wild Fig & Saffron wash remains one of our customer’s favourite choices, bringing warmth and radiance to moments of pause.
Tonka: Smooth and Enveloping
Softly sweet with a hint of almond warmth, tonka is a fragrance that embraces without overwhelming. When brightened by citrus top notes - think lemon or lime - and deepened by earthy bases such as oakmoss and patchouli, tonka takes on new dimension: at once uplifting and cocooning. It is a scent to savour when you wish to strike a balance between freshness and depth, a versatile companion for the changing rhythms of summer days.
For Freya Nicholson, Co-Founder of Plum & Ashby, tonka holds a quiet allure for summer. “With its gentle warmth, softened by sweetness yet lifted by citrus, tonka creates a fragrance that moves effortlessly with the season’s changing moods,” she says.
Ginger: A Spark of Zest
Lively and invigorating, ginger brings a spark to the season. Its natural heat is beautifully tempered by uplifting mandarin and lemongrass, while oakmoss and cedarwood provide a grounding, woody base. This dynamic pairing makes ginger an ideal choice for summer - bright enough for sunlit hours yet layered enough to accompany the transition into evening.
A Mandarin & Ginger diffuser placed on a windowsill catches the shifting summer light, its glass glowing softly as the hours pass. With each breeze, it releases a fragrance of citrus brightness and gentle spice - enlivening the room with quiet vitality and filling the space with the effortless warmth of summer.
Embracing the Season
Summer is a season of abundance - of colour, light, and sensory delight. Fragrance plays its part in weaving memories, in marking the quiet beauty of everyday moments. Whether through the calm of lavender, the freshness of seaweed, or the brightness of ginger, each scent has the power to transform the atmosphere of home. These fragrances, like summer itself, are fleeting - yet their impression lingers, as soft and golden as the season’s light.
Whether basking in the lingering glow of summer evenings or gently turning the page on spring, discover our collection of candles and diffusers — crafted to fill your home with the scents of the season.