Smell. It is the most primordial sense of the five. Long before using smartphones, we moved by smelling everything and interacting with each other.
The sense of smell is immediate. Information about an odour reaches our neurons in an instant. Moreover, this sense is strongly linked to memory, since smell and memory reside in the same areas of the brain. Who has never stopped because the scent of a cake reminded him of his grandmother or the smell of the sea evoked childhood? The sense of smell also stimulates different emotions. Perfume can cause reactions such as increased blood pressure, muscle tension, pupil dilation, increased body temperature, and accelerated cardiac and brain activity.
When designing an environment, it is also essential to consider the olfactory aspect. This is not a neutral aspect. Let’s think, for example, of the smells of a noble house of the nineteenth century, rich in curtains, sofas in fabric, wood and wax for lighting.
Olfactory design is becoming increasingly important
Bio Alchemy Olfactive is a New York studio dedicated exclusively to this. They design olfactory experiences for places such as gyms, spas, homes and museums.
Michelle Gagnon, one of the founders, says that Bio Alchemy’s goal is to “stimulate emotions, leave a deep and lasting imprint and help create more engaging and memorable environments”.
Among their many projects is the one made for Golden Eye, a luxury resort in Jamaica. They have created an ambient scent that captures the sensation after a tropical storm, combining sea breeze, sugar cane and rum with nuances of hot spices.
Thanks to their creations, they are able to amplify or attenuate the sensations of a space. For example, in the Remedy Club gym in New York they chose softer fragrances to balance the predominantly masculine design.
For the spa of the Sensoria Dolomites made mainly of scented wood, the studio has created a fragrance reminiscent of Japanese landscapes. This spa is inspired, in fact, by Japanese thermal baths.
