Ambient scenting has long been used by retailers to influence our emotion and direct our buying dollars.

Much like the elevator music we hear in grocery stores, scent is used to modify our behaviour and is the most powerful way to trigger memories. If you are in an environment with a successful, diffused scent it can influence your mood instantly!

There are six primary ‘colours’ of scent that are grouped together and each category is designed to create a distinct feeling or mood.

It may be a sneaky trick to use in your home whether you want more peaceful evenings, to romance your significant other or trying to get your children off the couch.

Ambient scenting in your home is the perfectly inexpensive way to create the environment you desire.

Citrus is the first category. Linked to brightness and high energy it is used in high end fitness facilities and often in creative based business such as advertising firms.

Grapefruit (my favorite), lemon and lime all give us a mental burst of energy when we experience this dazzling smell. People undergoing stress tests showed decreased anxiety and better digestion while being exposed to orange oil.

It’s like opening that first mandarin orange at Christmas, the first spray of the oil from the peel and we dive into countless years of memories.

Floral scents are used in posh clothing stores and at beauty bars.

There is nothing like walking through Neiman Marcus experiencing the wafting of luscious perfume as you test and sample.

Depending on your mood of the moment you can indulge in lavender which will help you relax and unwind or spritz lily of the valley to put you and your loved one in a frisky mood!

Roses and lilacs strongly imprint on our memory and just a whiff can carry us back to a loved one or favorite place.

Outdoorsy and Ozone scents take us to the highest peak on an invigorating hike.

We stand at the top of the world and breathe in pure air and the scent of the ocean as it crashes against the rocks below. It is both relaxing and empowering and can bring you back to the days of mom drying sheets on the clothesline outside.

How you played around the fresh dried linens breathing in their one-of-a-kind aroma – just before she yelled at you to stop touching the laundry!

Fruity scents are different from the citrus category but are also used to reduce anxiety.

Apple, pear, and strawberry all create a hunger and are scientifically proven to make us salivate more when experiencing these delicious fragrances.

They are a popular choice for kitchens and stores which sell kitchen gadgets as they make us want to slice, spice and place these scents in a piecrust or crumble.

Possibly a favorite among women is the Gourmand category, inviting us to savour all things chocolate, coffee and caramel-related.

These delicious offerings are the scents of pure extravagance as we say yes please to just a little more caramel drizzle and crack through a perfectly torched Brule crust with our spoons in anticipation of the sweet crème beneath.

So play with fragrances in your home and prepare to be delighted with the results!

You can be the conductor in your own orchestra as you diffuse your way to laughter and relaxation.

Kim Wyse is an interior designer with Carpet Colour Centre in Red Deer.