Home Fragrance Diffusers

As I spend more time indoors over the winter, I turn to home fragrance diffusers to make indoor time more pleasant. There's nothing like walking in the front door to the fragrance of blooming jasmine or entering a kitchen filled with the scent of fruit.

While they used to be "exotic" and hard to find, fragrance diffusers are widely available today. I have so many favorites, I will only mention a few in this post. I have bought many at Art with Flowers at Tysons Galleria, but they are available in department stores, boutiques, and gift shops; at Amazon; and on company Web sites. They have become mainstream.

How does Tuberose, Hyacinth & Lily of the Valley ($62 to $92, depending on size) sound? Antica Farmacista makes a heavenly floral diffuser in these scents. It's the scent of spring, but I love it year round.

You may remember that I wrote up the Art with Flowers star of the show, Rosse Nobile, in July. Elegant and expensive, the fragrance fills my home with an indescribably enticing and voluptuous fragrance. I have never smelled anything quite like it! The top notes are dominated by strawberry and blackberry, but mixed in are tannins from red wine, citrus, violets, and roses. This short description doesn't really do it justice. It's just heavenly. It wraps you in luxury. Men and women find it intoxicating - we keep sniffing at the bottle!

Anthousa makes a wide variety of fragrances, and I have bought several over the last few years. I am anxious to get a whiff of a new limited-edition signature fragrance inspired by hand-painted wallpaper created by de Gournay of London in a creative alliance with distinguished artists in China. Touched by the elegance of one particular piece of original art, Jardinières and Citrus Trees ($114) is a blend of top notes of Italian mandarin, Sicilian tangerine and Valencia orange, with subtle hints of mountain fir, petitgrain, peppermint, and lemon leaves grounded with dry notes of cedarwood, woodland moss, and white musk. I can almost smell this in my kitchen! Shown to the right, doesn't it look gorgeous? Even the box is pretty.

One more that I have to mention is Agraria's Mediterranean Jasmine ($110). This exquisite bouquet of florals includes Mediterranean jasmine, blooming honeysuckle, gardenia buds, freesia, lily of the valley, and tuberose. The presentation in an Italian crystal perfume bottle with glass stopper is classy.

The concept is simple. There is a fragranced liquid in the container, and the porous wooden sticks soak up the liquid. You turn the sticks over every day (or every other day), and the fragrance spreads its luscious scent throughout the room.

Do you have to spend a hundred dollars or more to purchase fragrance diffusers? Absolutely not. They are available in a wide variety of price points, with scents to match your tastes. Try one!

You can find the diffusers described here at Art with Flowers at the Tysons Galleria, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Amazon, and other sources. Or, just try your local fragrance or home furnishing shops.

Photos courtesy of Saks, Nordstrom, and Anthousa