The colors we paint the walls of a room express so much about our personal style — or, at the very least, about the mood we want to create within that particular room. If the walls are painted white or ecru, you may be a traditionalist, someone who prefers classic but understated style (or perhaps you're just very indecisive and reluctant to paint for fear that you'll eventually grow to detest the selected color). If they're painted red or yellow, you're probably someone who likes to make bold decisions and who has a strong resolve and a desire to be surrounded by energetic, lively people and things. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the emotional sensations that different colors evoke. Now, imagine if you could take that sensory experience of translating a visual reference (in this case, a color scheme) into an emotional mood or mindset and then amplify it by incorporating a scent that corresponds with the visual cue. That's precisely what interior designer Tod Young set out to do with his collection of candles and room fragrances, Palettes by Tod Young.
The collection includes six distinctive scents, each corresponding to the defining color scheme within a room: Neutral Tone, Jewel Tone, Pastel Tone, Primary Tone, Earth Tone, and Gray Tone.
The Neutral Tone candle, for example, incorporates violet, spring iris and jasmine notes, rounded out by sheer rose water, fresh citrus, white musk and blonde woods. The scent is soft and very clean. I could detect the violet and iris notes most prominently, but the citrus and musk enveloping those florals made the scent lighter and airier.
Pastel Tone, meanwhile, includes notes of fresh greens, cycamen, white jasmine, lavender rose, and pink waterlily with just a splash of green apple and succulent peach, as well as vanilla, amber and rosewood. This candle is considerably stronger than the Neutral Tone one, and the florals are much more prominent here. Personally, I found the scent a bit too powdery and too precious for my personal taste but then, I'm not a pastel color kind of a gal.
The Primary Tone candle blew my away — it's my hands-down favorite in the whole collection. The candle features tropical fruit notes such as guava and pineapple, blended with passion fruit, orange, cassis, peach, jasmine petals and ylang ylang, which are finally rounded out with heliotrope, vanilla and white musk notes. As soon as you bring the candle close to your nose, you'll detect the dominant guava note and feel like you're in a tropical paradise. As much as I wanted to be skeptical about the idea of scents that interpreted color schemes, I have to say I'm starting to become a believer. After all, this was my favorite candle and I have a bright red couch with a painting above it that has blue, green and yellow colors. Coincidence? Perhaps. But it's enough to make me wonder!
Next, there's the Earth Tone candle, which smells like dark chocolate. Technically, the candle contains notes of mahogany, sandalwood and dark chocolate against a backdrop of patchouli, cedarwood and vanilla, but you'll really smell the chocolate note above all else. Chocolate seems like an obvious olfactory interpretation for earth hues, but it does work nicely. I do wish, however, that some of the woody notes were a bit more prevalent here. Still, when the aroma of dark chocolate fills the room, there's a sensuality and a warmth created that's very alluring.
The Gray Tone candle is centered on the crisp, refreshing scent of mint. A floral bouquet of fressia, cyclamen, jasmine and muguet, along with notes of amber, clean musk, and hints of citrus, give the scent a more feminine sensibility, but the guiding note here is definitely mint, so it's perfect for those who want to create a mood that's clean, crisp and simple.
The Jewel Tone candle includes such notes as sparkling orange, iced pineapple, and a citrus and berry blend, combined with amber, vanilla and sheer musk. Out of all the scents, this might be my least favorite — it made me want to cough as soon as I took a sniff. None of the notes reign supreme, which is slightly confusing since, as an end result, the scent feels a bit confused and off balance. But hey, the wonder of this collection is that it offers something for everyone.
Palettes by Tod Young, then, not only offers something to correspond to every color palette, but it speaks to each consumer's distinctive palate.
For more information, visit TodYoungInc.com
These sound great! Is there any way to tell which is which? In the pic?
The candles actually all look the same — they’re white, soy wax candles poured inside a clear frosted glass (like the one pictured above). The difference among them is simply the scent and the box which features a square with mosaic-like color tiles in the “color theme” of that particular candle — whether it’s Earth Tones, Primary Tones, etc. Cool, right?