SCENTS of PLACE
Veranda|July - August 2023
IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, WRITER CELIA BARBOUR FOLLOWS HER NOSE THROUGH A WONDERLAND OF FLOWERS AND HERBS TO EXPLORE THE POWERFUL ORIGINS OF NATURAL PERFUME.
CELIA BARBOUR
SCENTS of PLACE

I once decided not to take any photographs at all on a trip through the south of France.

I resolved instead to collect written "snapshots" in my journal-jotting down every intriguing thing that caught my eye. I frequently pulled over to the side of the road to take notes: "kids emerging from woods with berry baskets slung on their arms;" "field of lavender pulsing neon-bright in the sun."

I'm reminded of that experiment when I find myself returning to the same region. This time I wonder whether it is possible to collect olfactory "snapshots" in a similar way-the scent of orange blossoms spilling over the top of a walled garden; the briny zephyrs blowing in from the Mediterranean; the delicious aromas of roasted peppers, basil, and garlic emerging from a bustling café; the dreamy rapture of pressing my face into an overblown rose.

This story is from the July - August 2023 edition of Veranda.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July - August 2023 edition of Veranda.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM VERANDAView All
Should my holiday decor "match" my interiors?
Veranda

Should my holiday decor "match" my interiors?

Even designers aren't immune to joyful chaos. For her home, Atlanta-based designer Katie Wolf is \"all nostalgia, all day long. Bring on the reds and greens, the school-made ornaments and even the multicolored lights!\"

time-read
1 min  |
November - December 2024
SANCTUARIES of JOY
Veranda

SANCTUARIES of JOY

When does a closet become a portal to our passions? We teamed up with three top tastemakers to imagine their pie-in-the-sky storage spaces, from a china-filled entertaining lab to a winemaker's exuberant workshop.

time-read
3 mins  |
November - December 2024
You Are Cordially Invited to a SPIRITED HOLIDAY SOIREE
Veranda

You Are Cordially Invited to a SPIRITED HOLIDAY SOIREE

Join illustrator and bon vivant TUG RICE for a lively, piano-fueled cocktail party, where creatives mingle with whispers of artists past in his Sutton Place apartment.

time-read
4 mins  |
November - December 2024
Will Travel For
Veranda

Will Travel For

Who among us can resist a good treasure hunt? Especially when the prize is an object of singular curiosity. Here, three artful adventurers pursue their obsessions from California to north-central Europe.

time-read
9 mins  |
November - December 2024
BEYOND THE FEAST
Veranda

BEYOND THE FEAST

Thanksgiving dinner is only the beginning for Charleston hoteliers Jaimie and John Dewberry, who extend the revelry with drop-in cocktails at their 18th-century home and a Black Friday boat ride on their vintage Chris-Craft.

time-read
2 mins  |
November - December 2024
TOAST of the TOWN
Veranda

TOAST of the TOWN

At her Manhattan apartment, stationer and Dear Annabelle founder Marcie Pantzer hosts a New Year's celebration as graceful as the lost art of letter writing.

time-read
3 mins  |
November - December 2024
THE LEGACY KEEPERS
Veranda

THE LEGACY KEEPERS

Editor in chief Steele Thomas Marcoux explores how Charleston preservationists are harnessing the city's vernacular to reinterpret the past and forge a richer future.

time-read
6 mins  |
November - December 2024
Now Booking NEXT-LEVEL LUXURY
Veranda

Now Booking NEXT-LEVEL LUXURY

From estate revivals in Genoa and Baja to extravagant villas in Egypt and Bhutan, the year's top hotel debuts are raising the bar with bespoke craftsmanship, garden romance, and all-out escapism.

time-read
3 mins  |
November - December 2024
In To the PINK
Veranda

In To the PINK

On New Year's Day in Palm Beach, The Colony Hotel's Sarah and Andrew Wetenhall welcome friends for a casual courtyard fete, alight in the landmark's signature color.

time-read
2 mins  |
November - December 2024
TRIMMED IN TRADITION
Veranda

TRIMMED IN TRADITION

Fresh-cut Fraser firs, evergreen boughs, and more than 6,000 string lights herald the arrival of Christmas at North Carolina's historic High Hampton resort, instilling the woodsy, old-fashioned warmth of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

time-read
1 min  |
November - December 2024