The idea of capturing a moment in time is something that has been attempted in many ways. Artists hold on to a moment by freezing it within a painting whilst many perfumers have tried to create the scent of a period or time. The problem with both of these is that when glanced or smelled many years down the line we wonder if any artistic license has been used. Sarah McCartney of 4160Tueadays created a range of fragrances based on the cities of Paris, New York, Rome and London. She placed each between the years of 1948 to 1969 and used ingredients that would have been popular along with fragrance styles that summed up the feel of each. They are truly excellent fragrances, but ultimately an interpretation.
The air inside the chimney had been trapped for sixty years and I hadn’t really thought about how it would smell. The initial burst of smokey soot was inevitable, the scent of the last fire that had been lit in the fireplace, and an aged coal aroma was incredible. However, I wasn’t expecting what came next. To everyone’s surprise it was followed by a gentle violet that suddenly got stronger. I checked the rubble and there was no broken perfume bottle, unfortunately, and so all I can think is that this was the scent of the room before the chimney was closed at the top and the bottom. It really felt like stepping back in time.
Over the course of the last week I’ve burnt candles, sprayed room fragrance, opened the windows, but that smell of violet just won’t go. I’m not worried because violet is one of my favourite scents but, along with a few other “unexplained” things that have happened since the fireplace was opened, maybe I’ve gained more than just a new chimney.
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