Best scents for a dinner party – these are the smells you should use to impress your guests

The hosting season is well and truly upon us! This is the time that friends get together one last time before going off to be with family for Christmas and ringing in the New Year. Some call it ‘Friendsmas’, others just a dinner party – but either way, let’s make it a good one with the help of the best scents for a dinner party, shall we?

Considering the perfect scent for your event with the likes of the best scented candles and other sources of home fragrance is just as important as creating a tablescape that’s beautiful to look at, cooking the most delicious meal or choosing the right playlist to set the mood.

‘It’s important to elevate experiences during the festive season, whether that is through scents, food, or drink,’ says Clodagh McKenna, presenter and interiors expert who’s partnered with Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Portia Freeman for festive table scaping & cocktail making masterclasses at The Glasshouse at Winter By The River. ‘Choosing a scent that everyone will love is just as important as choosing the wine or beer.’

So without further ado, this is the expert-approved guide to choosing the best scent for your gathering, how to deliver it for the maximum effect, as well as the smells that should best be avoided.

Our top dinner party scent picks

Avoid overpowering fragrances

When you’re hosting, you, of course, want to make your home smell good. But when throwing a dinner party, the focus should be on the sensational food you cook up and not even the chosen home fragrance should take away from that.

‘Avoid overpowering scents,’ says Niko Dafko, co-founder of Earl of East. ‘Strong, complex fragrances can overwhelm the senses, so focus on subtle scents that enhance the atmosphere without dominating it.’

Clodagh McKenna agrees, ‘I would avoid overpowering the table with strong perfumed scents, as it may throw off the taste of the dishes you’ve spent so long cooking.’

Choose a scent that will complement the food

Much like you would choose the wine you serve based on the meal you’ll be cooking, the same principle should apply to your chosen room scent for the evening. That way, you will create a cohesive sensory experience for your guests that they will remember for years to come.

‘Having had a career as a royal chef before training as a perfumer, I think taste and smell are very similar,’ says Lucy Hagerty, founder of La Bougie, expert perfumer and ex-royal chef. ‘Similar to an accord in perfumery, the gastronomic aromas should mesh beautifully with the fragrance in the room, not overpower, but as if they are one with each other.’

Clodagh McKenna adds, ‘Choosing scents that pair with your menu and table setting is such a fun way of elevating guests’ dining experience. For example, for our festive masterclasses, Portia Freeman has created The Black’beery Sour (a cocktail made with blackberries, lemon juice and infused with Peroni Nastro Azzurro). You could dot fresh blackberries and dried lemons throughout the table display, so that the tasting notes of the cocktail are matched with the smell of berries and citrus from the table.’

Use raw ingredients

Speaking of dotting fresh blackberries and dried lemons as tablescaping decor and a source of natural scent at the same time, our experts recommend incorporating raw ingredients into your scenting scheme of the table during your dinner party. It's also the perfect way to scent the home without candles.

‘I always think leaning on seasonal produce is the most simple and effective ways to create a fabulous atmosphere for your guests. So using raw ingredients in your table setting, which complement the menu,’ Clodagh says.

Niko at Earl of East continues, ‘Fresh herbs or flowers, such as basil, pine or rosemary, can also enhance the ambiance naturally, tying into your table setting and menu.’

Light a few candles

Candles are the perfect tool for creating a cosy and intimate ambience, both scented and unscented. And when it comes to a dinner party, we recommend a mix of both dotted around your home – it’s the perfect addition to the hallway, the living room and even the dining room. Just opt for very subtly fragranced candles for the dinner table.

‘When throwing a dinner party, I recommend lighting multiple candles in the dining room to create a warm and inviting atmosphere,’ says Sarah Bell, founder of Evermore.

Lucy at La Bougie agrees, ‘I light a large three-wick candle and dim the lights. Nothing gives the atmosphere of generosity and warmth better than a candle and I will do exactly the same at the dinner table, perhaps choosing soft floral fragrant candles which I intersperse with some flowers in small jars.’

Zone your home using scent

When throwing a dinner party, the gathering is not confined solely to the dining room – you’re likely to have guests flowing through your home into different rooms, from greeting them in the hallway to chatting to you in the kitchen while you’re prepping the food and relaxing on your best sofa in the living room after dinner. And scent can lend a helping hand at successfully zoning your home.

‘When it comes to dinner parties, I think scents are zonal,’ says Samantha Picard, professional tablescaper and designer of @tablescapeluvr and Balsam Hill ambassador. ‘You’ll want your guests to walk into your flat with a more powerful scent that conveys the ambiance you’re trying to emulate. The scents should be strongest when a guest walks in, and for when a guest uses the loo. For the actual dining room, I would go for something more mild, or even let the scents from the other rooms waft in.’

Lucy continues, ‘I have a secret weapon when hosting friends for dinner. Half an hour before they arrive, I spritz the soft furnishings and curtains with one of our linen spays to give the appearance of a well-kept home. The wonderful room diffuser placed in the hallway or bathroom adds a bit of fragrance to all the well-trodden parts of the home. I like to have a different scent in all the rooms so that your nose doesn’t tire of the same one.’

Reflect the season

‘Scents should align with the rhythm of the seasons, much like our meals and decor. For spring and summer dinner parties, I lean into lighter, airier fragrances—like our Flore candle which includes top note scents of petitgrain, orange blossom. For autumn and winter, it’s all about depth and coziness. Richer fragrances with notes of clove and amber such as with our Ember candle,’ Sarah at Evermore says.

Similarly, the naturally fragranced raw ingredients you place around the table should reflect and celebrate the current season as it will make your party theme more relevant and it will seem more considered to your guests.

Opt for earthy smells

If you want to invest in a more universal scent that works during all seasons and which you can just whip out at the last minute, then opting for earthy, herbal fragrances would be the safest bet.

‘For dinner parties, I'm a huge fan of subtle, natural scents that complement rather than compete. Think gentle woody or herbal notes like amber, fig leaf, or cedarwood,’ Samantha at Balsam Hill says.

Lucy at La Bougie agrees, ‘Ambient scents with woody notes and greenery are always a welcome addition to the dinner table.’

We wish you a happy and well-scented hosting season!