Aroma therapy, a way to enhance the ambience of a room

Bahasa Indonesia

For today's edition of Home and Garden, Seputar Indonesia Newspaper interviewed me.


1. Is aroma an important element in visual interior design?

Aroma as an element in interior design is one science that has been developed for thousands of years, since the Ancient Egypt. Aroma can be very interesting to make our interior design more valuable especially in perception. Perception is the feeling we get when entering a room, which can be fun, or remind us to certain beautiful memory in our life. Certain aroma will trigger hormonal secretion related to excitement, even erotic. What is called sensation is impuls of our perceptual senses (eyes, touch, smell) that may create certain feeling. Aroma can also create new sensation, like a feeling of romantic feeling. This is explainable in science.

In the interior design world, aroma can be used to create different sensation for each room. Even for rooms that is close, with different aroma that will create different sensation. This sencation is of course will enhance the sensation of a room aside of visual elements from interior design. If a room has an aroma that fits the room, like a hotel room with flower aroma, then it will enhance the ambience of the room. Even when we are elsewhere and we happen to smell the aroma, our mind can be brought back to the situation and memories we got when we were at the hotel room.

2. Is it necessary for every room inside our home to be enhanced with aroma?

Of course we have to match the need of aroma for each room. Use it in certain rooms only that needs enhancement; like bathroom, bedroom, or living room. If we use too much aroma inside a room, our smell sensibility can be reduced.

So use aroma inside a room, at the right time. For instance; in bedroom when we are about to go to bed to get relaxation before sleeping. Bathroom can be enhanced with aroma before we use the bathtub. Living room with flower aroma to create sensation of flower garden.



3. Aroma inside a room can be obtained from natural source, like potpourri, living flowers, or artificial source like room spray. Is there any certain way, for example for classical style house, the aroma should be from natural source, and from modern can be more flexible?

Aroma has its impact on smell sensation, and not visual sensation. It will be better to use certain aroma at the right room or interior design. We should base the use of aroma on how do we like the sensation be? Do you want relaxful sensation, romantic sensation? or just sensation to remind us about flowers, mountains, or natural waterfall.

Another important aspect to notice is the visual of the aromatherapic ingredients. Like whether a potpourri is suitable to be placed inside a room? Potpourri place can be important too, and should be matched with the interior style. Colors from nature like flowers color and leaves should be matched with the interior style.

For living plants inside a room, we have to notice what kind of plants will be suitable for the room. Some aromatherapy also use artificial flowers to scent the room. Try to suit the shape and size of the flower. There are certain plants only suitable for classical style house, as well as for modern style house.

4. Then it is necessary to pay attention to air circulation inside a room that use aroma?

A good air circulation is a must, when we use aroma. Use normally natural ventilation or artificial one. There are many electronic device can present aromatherapy.


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by Probo Hindarto
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