The scent library

Scent 00, the first in the library. It opens bright and a little peppery, softens into peony, then settles on warm sandalwood with a green thread of pine running underneath.

A fig leaf rubbed between your fingers, sharp and milky at once. Iris makes it soft and slightly powdery, and cedarwood gives it a dry base, like the inside of a pencil drawer.

The first mow of the year, drifting in through an open window. Spearmint keeps it cool and bright, and a little magnolia rounds it off so it never turns sharp.

Yellow mimosa in a pitcher on the kitchen table, early in the year when the light starts coming back. Peony keeps it soft, and manuka honey adds a warm, slightly waxy sweetness underneath.

Blackberries picked at the end of summer, fingers stained purple. Bergamot keeps the fruit sharp rather than jammy, and osmanthus adds a soft note of apricot skin that lingers.

White flowers in warm sun. Orange blossom comes first, bright and slightly bitter, then the fuller tuberose. Magnolia smooths the edges, so it stays bright without turning shrill.

A rose that smells of the petals, not the perfume counter. Jasmine makes it fuller, and green cardamom gives it a quiet spice, like a pod cracked open over a pot of rice.

Palo santo is a pale, resinous wood with a sweet, faintly smoky smell. We pair it with bergamot for brightness and a little dry sage, so it stays warm without getting heavy.