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By Debbie AndersonOctober 28, 2020No Comments

Keep Calm

By Meda Kessler
Photos by Meda Kessler

Those words have been our mantra for the past six months and likely will stick with us through the new year. While most people have some method for achieving a level of tranquility, we rely on our olfactory sense. Certain aromas make us feel good: fresh coffee, roasted cumin, just-cut grass and burning wood. We’ve also stocked up on our favorite candles and diffusers, and we’ve become a fan of incense again. Once a month, we smudge our house by burning a stick of palo santo, enjoying the wafting of its bold scent, sweet with hints of citrus and herbs. Fragrant even before it is lighted, this “holy wood” from South America is rooted in sacred ceremonies. Some deride its trendiness, but we’ve created our own cleansing ritual (one that’s personal and will never show up on Instagram). We also make sure we source products from ethical producers, as palo santo’s popularity has led to overharvesting. Love the aroma but not the smoke? There are candles and diffusers available that typically use a blend of essential oils to evoke the scent of the real thing. Here are a few of our favorites. 

Above: Pickwick & Co. layers notes of cypress, sandalwood and mint, along with eucalyptus and sweetgrass. $25, Wrare

A six-stick box of sustainable sourced wood, $18.50, and custom holder from Fort Worth’s Kendall Davis Clay, $35, are available at Gifted. Each is sold separately but can be packaged together as a gift.

Studio Stockhome’s Chasing the Sun candle blends palo santo, saffron and golden amber. The scent is powerful, so use this one in a large room. $34, Ballard Designs or studiostockhome.com

Prefer a flameless option? Try a scented oil diffuser in a simple glass bottle with rattan reeds. 6.5 ounces, $39.50, Pottery Barn

THE DETAILS

Ballard Designs The Shops at Clearfork, 5122 Monahans Ave., 682-316-2901; Preston Royal Village, 6025 Royal Lane, Dallas, 469-914-8146; ballarddesigns.com Gifted The Foundry District, 212 Carroll St., Fort Worth, 682-250-5963, giftedfw.com Pottery Barn University Park Village, 1616 S. University Drive, Fort Worth, 817-332-5707; Southlake Town Square, 1440 Civic Place, 817-251-0290; multiple locations in Dallas; potterybarn.com Wrare The Shops at Clearfork, 5266 Marathon Ave., 817-885-8881, wrareonline.com