6 Fresh Ideas for a More Welcoming Home

What You Wish You Could Do: Throw open the windows and let the refreshing smell of the rows of lemon-verbena trees waft in, because—surprise!—you actually live in a Tuscan villa.

You Settle for: Getting that crisp, clean scent from a few strategically placed candles.

Next Time, Try: Swapping out your go-to home fragrance. Clean scents have been very popular over the years—think the cucumber melon-infused '80s, which gave way to the spring rain and linen scents of the '90s—but the latest take tends to borrow inspiration from fine perfumes. People are starting to gravitate toward scents that include hints of amber, musk and wood, says Geoff Medeiros, vice president of brand and product development at Yankee Candle. These notes are so subtle they're usually just mentioned in the candle's description, not its name—for instance, he suggests Yankee Candle's Soft Blanket.