Quiz:  What absolutely perfect, classic novel was first titled (though never published as) First Impressions ?

Regardless of whether you know the novel (though I hope you do), the point here is that first impressions aren’t always right, but that they do matter.  In the real-life Tessin Rinpoche salon (my home), I’ve been thinking about the first impression my home gives – what do I perceive when I walk in the door, and do I like it?  How can I enhance it?

Ideally, our apartment would have an entryway.  Entryways make coming and going very civilized, and allow one to both contain and control a home’s first impression.  I would love the process of figuring out how I wanted my entryway to be, and then playing with all the details (and in a small, enclosed space, pretty much everything is a detail).

For a couple examples of cozy entryways that I love, see Christopher Spitzmiller’s Upper East Side apartment, featured in New York Social Diary, and Steven Gambrel’s Greenwich Village townhouse, featured in Habitually Chic.

Absent an entryway in my own home, I do have an entry area, and I recently added a detail which is much more impactful than I would have believed possible: potpourri.  

I’m serious.

To give credit where it’s due, the potpourri suggestion came from Rita Konig (in Domestic Bliss, an actual book – no link!).  Her logic, which was good enough to persuade me to at least give it a try, was basically this:

• Entering a home that smells lovely is a luxury worthy of some investment.
• Candles are okay for when you have guests (and even then, I think sometimes a little over-the-top), but they obviously aren’t already lit when you come home from a long day at work, and are most wanting your home to provide some luxurious comfort.
• Even the most high-end, luxurious potpourri really isn’t that expensive relative to the price of literally burning through high-end candles.  Good quality potpourri can provide daily happiness for minimal daily cost.

To be really clear, the potpourri we’re talking about is not the stuff that’s sold at craft stores.  I’m sure it’s possible to make good potpourri yourself, though this isn’t something I’ve tried, but if you’re purchasing it pre-made, this is a case of go big or go home.  I bought Agraria, which makes a variety of different scents, and also sells coordinating “refresher” oils.  Agraria products are sold a lot of places, and online, but if you’re in New York, I’d recommend an in-person visit to Bergdorf Goodman.  Because if you can complete an even vaguely legitimate household errand on the 7^th floor of Bergdorf, why wouldn’t you?

I installed the potpourri in a vase literally right next to the front door.  While its introduction to the home originally resulted in some eye-rolling from Bertessa… a few weeks of subtle, balanced, life-enhancing fragrance as we enter and leave the home has won everyone over to its benefits.  All in the name of (the right) milieu.

Potpourri in the entry area