Singapore designer Ethan Koh on the luxury of scents and his whimsical artisanal candles

1. When did you start musing on the possibility of coming up with your home fragrance, and how did that come about?

Being an intuitive person who values a sense of place and memories that scents bring, I’ve always wanted to add this dimension to my creativity and share my view of scents with the collectors in the world.

Of course, the journey began in Grasse when I first visited the family ateliers and distilleries and learnt about perfume a decade back.

2. What were some of your inspirations when researching your scents?

The seasons played a major role. I wanted to create scents that were good for both a summer evening and a wintry night where friends would get together for a tete-a-tete.

3. What was the concocting journey like? Did you have to work with a perfumer?

Indeed. I worked with noses and owners of distilleries in Grasse from the very start to come up with unique scent combinations. 

As a designer born in the tropics, I’ve always felt that the East and the West should have a unique blend. Perfume should be about sharing memories, not just seduction.

Although the noses usually have strong opinions, it is ultimately a discussion and collaboration that helps create a unique scent. Creativity is not just invention, but also transformation.

4. How would you describe your final collection of home scents?

A unique blend of fruit, spices and leather notes, redefining sensuality and bringing on feelings of adventure and whimsy.

READ ALSO: 4 exotic fragrances to perfume your home

5. What’s the kind of experience you want your scents to have?

Fantasy. Adventure. Magical. A great scent should elevate one’s mood, evoke strong feelings and arouse new desires.

6. How did your expertise in designing bags carry into designing scents?

Handbags are the second home of a person. The first home is where you’d want to share conversations over a dining table and in living spaces.

A scented candle is the best conversation starter!

Of course, a creative soul needs to express oneself in different ways and one of them is through fragrances! 

7. We need to talk about the fantastic packaging and especially the candle lids. You used really rich colours and bold imagery. Are they part of your design philosophy?

The theme revolves around encounters in a mysterious town hall on the Chelsea Embankment by the River Thames in London, and the shining star on the box represents divinity and infinity.

In line with the key themes at Ethan K, fantasy and nature, I was also inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night and other mystical landscapes.

The candle lids have unique clasps, mostly hedgehogs, representing freedom and adventure.  

8. What’s next after candles? Do you plan on expanding into diffusers or other aspects of home living?

Absolutely. Through the years of living around the world, I’ve had the pleasure of entertaining at home as well as being invited to some of the most fabulous mansions and villas, from Antibes to Mykonos to Ibiza.

Through my creative eye, there is just so much to share and express.

A tableware range might just be in the pipeline as well as various leather objects for home decor. Stay tuned.

READ ALSO: Aromatherapy in Singapore: Fragrances & where to buy essential oils and scented candles

9. Many things in our lives have changed since 2020. How has your idea of luxury living changed and what do you think people are looking for when they envision luxe living now?

From this pandemic, collectors and individuals are going back to true values and emotions and appreciating objects that are timeless, long-lasting and well crafted.

Instead of trends and hype, the luxury industry is going back to its roots of thoughtful, slow luxury with a side of sustainability and objects that are multi-purpose like Ethan K’s candle jar.

In terms of interior and living, comfort also takes a priority as opposed to purely visual designs.

It’s an awakening and there could be a shift in the redefining of maximalism in the post-Covid era. 

To find out more about Ethan K candle fragrance notes, visit www.ethan-k.shop.

This article was first published in Home & Decor.