How to Make Your Home Smell Like Summer — 6 Ways to Set the Ambiance Without Making the Air Feel Heavy
These light scenting techniques and recommendations will help you channel the olfactory spirit of the season in style
With every passing season, my favorite to-do involves finding ways to channel the vibe outdoors through my indoor scentscape. And now that it's somewhat sunny outside, I've found the best ways to make my home smell like summer.
Think thorough ventilation, linen sprays for fabrics, stylish diffusers, scented floral arrangements, and candles (only after dark). Plus, some specific notes really lend to the mood of the season while making your home smell good. Crisp citrus, light florals, and fresh herbals are all fair game.
But to better understand the best way to use these notes and the expert-preferred format to bring them alive, let's take a closer look at how to get your living and hosting spaces summer-ready through scentscaping.
1. Open Your Windows
If you do one thing to reset the ambiance in your home, let it be this.
Rule number one to make your home smell nice in any case, always has been and always will be, opening your windows. Even when it's balmy outside, ventilating your windowed spaces is the best thing you can do for them.
Although the German ventilation method of lüften is typically practiced in the autumn, I find that it's especially helpful in summer homes that tend to trap heat all day. So before you go in with your favorite fragrances, do this first.
2. Spritz Linen Sprays
A quick fabric spray can make a huge difference to the way your upholstered rooms smell.
One of the most clever tricks to neutralize bad odors involves refreshing your interior textiles. From your curtains and fabric blinds to your throws, your cushions, your rugs, and even your sofas.
Aside from using design detergents to refresh most of these, I love using a fabric spray to help every upholstered surface smell amazing. While some room sprays are textile-friendly, it's important to choose scents that are compatible with cloth surfaces. These are some of my personal favorites.
Something like L'Occitane Cocon de Sérénité Pillow Mist is a pleasant and balanced way to make your bedroom smell good in the summer.
This blend of juicy melon, soft heather, and warm musk make for a gorgeous summer spritz on your living room pillows.
This floral room spray from Jo Malone London is on of the best home fragrance formats for a summery scented home in a pinch.
Amber, white musk and bergamot are woven into an expensive-smelling room spray from DedCool.
3. Decorate with Scented Blooms
Real cut floral arrangements is the best way to naturally make your home smell summery.
Decorating with flowers is another way to make your home smell like summer while adding to the visual appeal of the space. Try arranging some seasonal summer flowers in pretty vases to elevate your indoor scentscape.
I recommend mixing in snapdragons, cosmos, sunflowers, roses, and stock. This is a lovely way to layer scent and make your living room smell good. However, I would avoid bold floral scents in the dining room and small kitchens.
Not only do these pretty stocks smell like summer, but they also make your home look like it's dressed for the season.
Pair this Yellow Rose & Scented Freesia Bouquet from M&S with this Medium frill Top Cylinder Vase.
As a treat for resetting your home for summer, get yourself this beautiful, fragrant arrangement from Arena Flowers.
4. Add Diffusers to the Mix
"Passive diffusers such as this Reia x Sister by Sophie Ashby SERRA Talisman offer a beautifully gentle way to scent a space, particularly during the warmer months," says scent designer Abi Titterington Lough.
Abi Titterington Lough, scent designer and holistic aromatherapist, tells me that passive diffusers are a great option to quietly but consistently make your home smell like summer.
"Unlike candles, they don’t compete with the heat of summer or require active ritual. Instead, they create a subtle and continuous aromatic backdrop that ebbs and flows throughout the day," she says.
"In summer especially, I think the goal is less about filling a room with fragrance, and more about creating an atmosphere that enhances the feeling of ease, openness, and connection to the season."
I recently tested this SERRA Talisman and it might be one of my favorite diffuser launches this year.
Evermore's design-y diffusers are a great addition to scent-layering. And this fragrance is my pick for summer.
How darling is this Senti orchid diffuser? If you're not a fan of the format, this will make you a convert.
Abi Titterington Lough is a holistic aromatherapist, scent designer, and founder of 20A Aromatherapy, an olfactive studio specialising in bespoke scent, immersive experiences, and sensory ritual. Drawing upon both the science of aromatherapy and the artistry of natural perfumery, Abi uses scent as a tool for connection, helping individuals and brands create environments, experiences, and products that nurture wellbeing, evoke memory, and enrich everyday life. Abi works with hospitality, design, and cultural clients, including Six Senses, Soho House, The Ned, Reia, Sophie Ashby, TOAST, and The National Gallery. She is also the founder of In Our Neighbourhood Apothecary in Hackney, where clients can visit for scent workshops, one-to-one consultations, and holistic treatments.
5. Go for Garden-Inspired Blends and Citrus Scents
Choosing the right concoction of notes is essential to retaining the spirit of the season and not confusing your senses.
"I always encourage people to take their cues from what is abundant in nature during this time of year. Summer has its own aromatic rhythm: gardens are overflowing with herbs and flowers like lavender and rose. Bergamot instantly transports me to the Mediterranean; sun-drenched terraces, citrus groves, and the memory of the Italian seaside," she notes.
"A personal favorite of mine for this time is geranium. Bright yet grounding, floral without being overly sweet, it’s an oil associated with balance and harmony, which feels particularly fitting for a season that invites us to embrace more joy, spontaneity, and play."
Sarah Bell, founder of Evermore London, also finds that citrus and coastal scents remain classic summer choices. "However, we're seeing a growing trend for fragrances inspired by seasonal produce and farmers' market finds," she adds.
"Notes such as cherry, peach, apricot, and even banana are bringing a playful quality to home fragrance, while tomato leaf, basil, fig leaf, and cucumber offer a fresher, more garden-inspired take on summer."
Loewe's collection is such a chic way to bring the tomato scent trend home this summer.
I'm loving fig-led fragrances at the moment and this candle from Diptyque is perfect for slow summer evenings.
Ripple+'s Mimosa Del Sol Diffuser marries manuka, mimosa, and peony for a sultry background scent.
Sarah Bell is the founder and creative lead of Evermore London, a luxury candle brand she launched in 2014, after identifying a gap in the market for sustainable candle alternatives. Drawing on a decade of creative experience, Sarah sought to challenge the traditional luxury market by replacing paraffin wax and harmful ingredients with a signature vegan blend and locally sourced materials. Every candle is developed, hand-poured, and packaged in-house at Evermore’s East London studio. Her scent profiles are heavily influenced by the natural world and personal memory, such as the signature 'Grove' scent, which was inspired by her childhood summers in Ireland. Today, she leads the business alongside her husband, Ric, ensuring that environmental responsibility remains at the heart of Evermore’s growth.
6. Light Scented Candles By Night
Burning scented candles during the day can lend to the illusion of a warmer home, so stick to sporting this format post sunset.
Now, scented candles aren't totally off limits this season. But choosing when to light them is especially important to avoid making your home feel uncomfortably hot. The glow of a candle can illicit a sense of warmth, and so lighting your candles once the sun has set and the cool summer evening has set in is your best bet.
As for fragrances, go for light, summer candle scents and steer clear of heavy blends that easily overwhelm. Jo Malone London's Green Tomato Scents and most of MUJI's exquisite candles are great options. And here are some more that I'm eyeing this season.
Green mandarin, tomato leaf, geranium bourbon, and patchouli come together in this dreamy candle from Maison Margiela Replica.
As someone who like subtly sweet scent in the summer, this Dream Lychee Candle from D.S. & Durga is a lovely option.
Troye Sivan's TSU LANGE YOR Pool Candle is total summer treat with a delicious blend of cucumber, bergamot and sweet raspberries.
A launch that has come right in time for summer is Laura Gonzalez x Acqua di Parma's new candle collection. It'll scentually transport you into a Euro summer.
And to keep up with all the beautiful fragrance launches of the season and scenting tips for the rest of the year, sign up for the Livingetc newsletter.
