How to Scent Your Home for a Dinner Party (Without Competing With the Food)

Holiday dinners, birthdays, a few friends on Saturday: where scent belongs at a dinner party, where it doesn't, and how to time it so the food still shines.

A great dinner party smells wonderful, but mostly of food. The trick is to use scent to welcome guests and set the mood, then step back so the meal can do the talking. Here is where scent belongs, where it does not, and how to time it.

The golden rule: no scent at the table

Fragrance on or near the dining table competes with food and wine. Smell and taste work together, so a strong room scent can make a dish taste flat or strange. Keep the dining area, the kitchen and the bar unscented.

Where scent belongs

1. The front entry. This is where the evening begins. A welcoming scent here tells guests they are expected. See Best Scent for an Entryway.
2. The living room, where drinks happen before dinner. Keep it soft, and well away from the table.
3. The guest bathroom. A fresh, clean scent here matters more than anywhere else. See Best Scents for a Bathroom.
4. The coat room or closet, if guests leave coats there. A gentle scent means coats come home smelling nice, not of dinner.

Choose scents that work with food

• Fresh and green: white tea, fig leaf, citrus. They feel clean and never clash with a menu.
• Soft woods: cedar or sandalwood in the living room, especially in fall and winter.
• Avoid sweet gourmand scents (vanilla, caramel, baked goods) near a dinner. They compete with dessert and can feel heavy.
• Avoid strong florals right beside the dining room.

Timing

• The morning of, or the day before: set out reed diffusers so the scent settles into the room.
• One hour before guests arrive: flip the reeds for a fresh lift.
• Thirty minutes before: open a window briefly to clear any cooking smell from prep, then close it.
• During dinner: do nothing. Let the food take over.

A host's checklist

• Garbage out and sink empty before the doorbell rings.
• Range hood on while you cook.
• Fresh towel and a scent in the guest bathroom.
• Battery candles on the table for light, not scented candles.
• A small take-home for guests, if you like: a sample vial or a little travel diffuser.

Quick answers

Should you use scented candles at a dinner party? Not on or near the table. They compete with food. Use unscented or battery candles for light, and keep scent to the entry and bathroom.

Where should I put a diffuser for a dinner party? At the front entry, in the living room away from the table, and in the guest bathroom.

What scent goes well with food? Light, fresh scents such as white tea, citrus or fig, kept away from the dining area.

How early should I set out a reed diffuser before guests come? The morning of the party or the day before, so the scent has time to fill the room.

For a dinner party: Grand Foyer at the door, Fig & Cashmere in the living room, and a fresh travel diffuser in the powder room. Related: How to Make Your Home Smell Good for Thanksgiving.

Explore: the Scaldera Arch · Shop the collection · Take the Scent Quiz · Membership · Refill subscription

More from the Journal

• Guests in 20 Minutes? How to Make Your House Smell Good Fast — The doorbell is about to ring. A quick, realistic plan to make your home smell clean and welcoming in twenty minutes, without covering anything up.
• How to Scent a Halloween Party: An Atmosphere Guide for Hosts — Candles near costumes are a bad mix. How to give a Halloween party a dark, cosy atmosphere with scent, room by room, without a single open flame.
• Welcoming Thanksgiving Guests: Where to Place Reed Diffusers, How Many Reeds and When to Flip Them — A practical Thanksgiving hosting guide to reed diffusers: where to place them, how many reeds per room, when to flip them before guests arrive, how to keep scent away from dinner, and a hostess gift that lasts all season.