Jo's Scent Notes: La Maison Diptyque
Photo: © Jo Fairley
Diptyque and I go back a l-o-n-g way. On a French exchange at the age of 15 (when a Métro ride into the centre of Paris often proved way more tantalising than familiarising myself with past participles in a Sceaux classroom), I would go to buy Rhodia’s orange-covered, chequered writing pads at a store called J. Gibert, near the Sorbonne, convincing myself that it was OK to abscond because… well, I was buying school supplies.
15-year-old me yearned to be been one of those Gauloise-smoking students, drinking strong coffee in one of the cafés nearby, probably discussing Sartre or Proust or Hemingway. But actually, while fantasising about being part of Parisian intellectual café culture, in truth, this import from the London suburbs was even more fascinated by a nearby shop at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain. Among lots of decorative objects, paintings, tassels and antiques, it showcased scented candles in the window. I’d never seen them before, and I was fascinated by their quirky typography. The Parisian allowance from my parents certainly didn’t stretch to one, but I never forgot, and I’ve had a love for Diptyque ever since.
That was the brand’s first store, founded by a trio of artistic friends – Desmond Knox-Leet, Yves Coueslant and Christine Montadre-Gautrot – who truly changed the way we fragrance our homes. Wearing my hat as Editor of The Scented Letter magazine, I’ve been ‘backstage’ in that Saint-Germain store several times, always rather pinching myself, to look at their archive and peer into the founders’ former offices, discovering all sorts of fascinating background to the brand – including the design for the labels, an echo of an 18th Century medallion, suggesting the shields of Ancient Rome, and first used on a fabric design by Desmond in 1961.
Look closely, though, and you’ll see the letters don’t quite read logically. The idea was British-born Desmond’s: During World War II, he’d worked as a code-maker, which was the springboard for the spot-it-at-100-paces graphic design we know and love.
Well, last week, I stepped inside Diptyque’s latest – and grandest – store to date, La Maison Diptyque on Bond Street, which completely blew my mind and set my senses a-tingle. It isn’t just a shop; it’s really a bit of a Diptyque museum, too, with a long stretch of cabinetry showing artefacts from the brand’s history, alongside vintage packaging designs, the founders’ paintings (they would holiday as well as work together) and other items brought over from Paris, which will stay in this store.
It's utterly dazzling. It spans three floors - the basement is an event space, with all sorts of activities planned, from workshops and classes to exhibitions and artistic experiences. (While I was there, the glass window was being painted by British artist Clym Evernden, who designed the packaging for Diptyque’s latest candle collection).
You could happily spend HOURS exploring the rest of La Maison, meanwhile, because pretty much everything in the collection can be sniffed and enjoyed, from scented candles and room sprays, wax discs for the wardrobe, home fragrance accessories (I have Diptyque’s car diffuser in my car, in their iconic scent Baies – find it here, priced £85).
There is bodycare – which you can play with at the most fabulous sink, above, adorned by gold swan taps… The home cleaning collection is here (its bestseller status is described as ‘surprising’, by the brand – but it’s definitely no surprise to me, even if I do have to keep it under lock and key so that it’s not casually used by anyone else in our house.)
I love that there’s a little department devoted to helping you upcycle your Diptyque packaging – and I very much applaud that we can now take advantage of a wide selection of refills for both candles and 15 liquid fragrances. I’m not sure if my favourite Tempo is refillable – a seriously patchouli-ish patchouli, which transports me back to other episodes of truancy, closer to home, when I’d bunk off buy vials of the essential oil in Kensington Market, a far more pleasurable way to spend games afternoon than getting my shins blackened in hockey. See my paean to Tempo, here.)
Lots of items can be personalised, all can be gift-wrapped (each candle has its own ‘code’ of coloured tissue, used for wrapping it) – and for a really haute experience (for instance, choosing a bridal fragrance or candles for a special event), there are private salons which make you feel as if you’re in a Parisian apartment, rather than the bustling West End. And I am very much looking forward to special ‘candlelit evenings’, four times a year, when the store will be lit by flickering candles.
Last but not least? There’s a pop-up space which for now has been converted into a gorgeous little French café. It continues the theme of Diptyque’s latest candle collection, Café Verlet, which offers a choice of four ‘foodie’ scents (some I find a little too ‘gourmand’, but my just love the coffee-scented Café itself, priced £59 for the classic candle, here).
This is currently a wonderful place to enjoy a madeleine and a drink (takeaway is also on offer), on woven wicker chairs, catching up with a friend, or just reading.
More likely Vogue or Stylist than Sartre, I reckon, in my case – and in the end, unashamedly, that’s who I turned out to be.
107 New Bond Street, London W1S 1ED
