Key points
Top notes: the arrival
The first impression. Where a building can say contemporary, crisp or bright.
Heart notes: the character
What people sense as they move through and spend time in the space.
Base notes: the foundation
The settled backdrop that lingers. Where heritage, warmth and permanence live.
A building’s story, told in three layers of scent
A fine fragrance has structure, and that structure can tell a story. Top notes register first, on arrival. Heart notes carry the character as people move through the building. Base notes settle into the space as a lasting backdrop. Each layer can express a different part of who the building and its owner are.
That means a scent can hold more than one idea at once. A crisp, contemporary top can sit over a relaxing, old-world woody base: a modern tower with an established institution behind it.
From brand values to notes
The brief starts with the building and the brand, not with a fragrance. We identify the qualities the space should convey, then match them to families and notes, using cross-modal congruence so the scent fits the materials and light it will live in. This is how a scent identity becomes part of a building’s sensory identity.
Worked examples
How brand stories become compositions, created through our signature scent service.
Modern tower, heritage bank: yuzu and bergamot over cedar and sandalwood
Calm, planted campus: green leaf and white tea over soft vetiver
Precise, design-led headquarters: mineral citrus over clean musk
Warm, hospitable hotel: osmanthus and tea over amber and woods
How the story is composed
Three steps from brand to scent.
Define the story
What should visitors feel on arrival, while they stay and after they leave?
Assign the layers
Arrival qualities go to the top notes, character to the heart, foundation to the base.
Compose and test
DROM’s perfumers compose to the brief, and we test the result in the building.
Frequently asked questions
1. Can a scent really express a brand?
Yes. Families and notes carry associations, and a layered composition can combine several of them, as a brand does.
2. Why use different notes at different layers?
Because visitors meet them at different moments: the top on arrival, the heart as they move through, the base as the lasting backdrop.
3. Can a contemporary scent also feel established?
Yes. A crisp top over a woody or amber base is one of the most effective ways to express both.
4. Who decides the story?
You do, with us. The brief is built from your building, brand and audience.
5. Is the result exclusive?
Yes. Every signature scent is created for one client and never shared.
6. Where do I start?
With a site assessment and a conversation about your building.
Get started
Tell your building’s story in scent
Request a site assessment and we will begin the brief for your signature scent.