It's a lovely thing to be greeted by a delicious scent when you step in the door, and there's an increasingly sophisticated selection to try, writes Rose-Marie Hillier.

What's the first thing you notice when you walk into a room? It's not the colour of the walls, the lighting or artworks, it's the smell. Of all the five senses, scent is the most powerful emotional motivator and has the longest memory. Our ability to recall smells is greater than our ability to remember things we've seen.

The home-fragrance industry is banking on this fact. In 2010, sales of 'air care' products — those that introduce fragrance while eliminating odour — amounted to about $62 million in Australia.

Air care products were once only for the bathroom. But there is a big swing to products such as the Ambi Pur Effects line, designed to scent the whole house. These so-called destination fragrances aim to transport you to wherever you want to be in the world — to Thailand, Hawaii or New Zealand — through prominent notes of fruits and flowers.

Of course, the idea of scenting a room isn't new. In ancient times, myrrh and frankincense (resins extracted from trees) were used to scent the atmosphere during rituals and both can still be found in perfumes today. Later, perfumes were applied to objects in the home, such as furniture, and fragrant apple wood was burnt in the grate (a far better option, I think, than the stringent first-generation bathroom deodorants of my childhood).

Today, the home-fragrance category includes room sprays, plug-ins, diffuser reeds, gels, potpourri, essential oils, wax melts, incense, candles, sachets and drawer liners. While incense is enjoying a revival, scented candles remain one of the most popular forms of home fragrance. By day, they are decorating accessories in their own right. When lit, the gently flickering flame creates a relaxed mood while the aroma permeates the room to soothe the senses. And newer types of wax — palm wax is preferred in Europe, soybean wax in the US — have given candles a healthier image.

The newer aerosols on the market are at the forefront of a global trend: fragrance that gives your home 'feelings'. "It's all about what information the fragrance gives to your brain about the space you are in," says Chandler Burr, former New York Times perfume critic. Now consulting to Ambi Pur, Burr says destination fragrances are a way of transforming your surroundings, no matter where you live. "The scent you choose conveys clues about you and your room, reflecting both your personality and mood."

And there's a world of fragrance choices at your fingertips.

The website of prestige candlemakers Glasshouse Fragrances invites you to browse for your ideal fragrance by destination. You can make your choice from a list of places that reads like an airport information board. Offerings include Sistine Chapel (a blend of gold, frankincense and myrrh), and Bora Bora (a coriander and orange zest scent inspired by island holidays). Elsewhere, Santissima Amalfi, a candle by Jonathan Ward London (www.ecoluxe.com.au) is a blend of summer tomato and warm incense, inspired by a Florentine church.

While we're hardwired to love vanilla-based scents, tonka bean has recently come to the fore. It's reminiscent of a blend of vanilla, cinnamon, almonds and cloves and features in Glasshouse's Rodeo Drive blend.

Ultimately, the home-fragrance choices you make depend on how you want to feel. Gather things you love and create a mood board — holiday snaps, fabric snips, flowers or chocolate wrappers — to help define the scent you're after. A pleasant-smelling home has moved beyond a special event to become an everyday pleasure. So if the potpourri is a little dusty, it's time to act. Who knows where you'll end up?

Expert notes "I love Ambi Pur's Air Effects Thai Dragon Fruit," says Chandler Burr. "It's like Chanel when it calms down. It doesn't yell at you and is extremely wearable.

"Vanilla remains popular, especially Ugandan vanilla, which gives a smoky, earthy smell to a fragrance. Rose can be overpowering in a home fragrance, but I love it combined with black tea extract, which I put on my sheets and pillows.

"The combination of edible, raw materials — such as lime, cinnamon, mint and grapefruit — into fragrance is one of the biggest trends."

Fragrance notes

To relax, try lavender, ginger, mint, eucalyptus, sandalwood, green tea and ylang-ylang.
Musk intensifies sensuality.
Jasmine promotes feelings of wellbeing.

Looking for more indoor inspiration? Check out our Indoor section.