The Surprising $7 French Find That Makes My Home Smell Amazing

Our homes are bound to have some odors from time to time, especially in the kitchen. (Cooking three meals a day in there adds up!) I for one — and I’m sure I’m not alone — do not love spending time in the kitchen when I can smell last night’s salmon or a stinky sponge that’s been by the sink for too long.

Just about everybody appreciates a home that smells good. So, I was pretty excited when I recently found out about Papier d’Arménie. What is it? Well, it literally translates to Armenian paper. It’s a little booklet of scented paper, which you burn like you’d burn incense. Invented by a Frenchman traveling through Armenia in the 1800s, the product is a riff on the Armenian practice of burning tree resin called benzoin to fragrance and “cleanse” the home. The paper, in fact, has been produced for more than 120 years in Paris’ suburbs!

I discovered Papier d’Arménie through Flotsam + Fork, a cute kitchen and décor shop in Minneapolis that specializes in European imports, but you can also find the papers on Amazon. (I like this starter set!) I tried both the Arménie-Bleu and the traditional scent, and there’s a rose scent, too. To use it, you tear a perforated strip of paper from the booklet, accordion fold it, place it on a heat-safe dish, light it, and then blow the flame out so it burns slowly. The result is a noticeable, heady scent!

To be honest, I didn’t expect to love these papers as much as I do. At first, the similarity to incense had me thinking it wouldn’t be a product I’d use long-term. But the scent that lingers after the paper stops burning is less of a burning scent and more of a pleasant, perfume-y fragrance that’s surprisingly perfect. I found myself remembering and almost craving the scent long after it faded. 

I also have come to really enjoy ripping off the paper, folding it, and lighting it. It’s a grounding ritual that gives me the opportunity to pause in the hectic, dinner-to-bedtime routine.

I also got this beautiful, but popular ceramic burner that comes in terracotta (currently sold out), taupe, and white. While it’s not necessary for burning the scented paper (it can be burned on any heat-safe surface), it’s a nice touch that contains the burnt paper, funnels the smoke, and makes a nice visual tableau.

Another unexpected perk is how lovely the paper itself smells before it’s even burned. Every time I open the drawer where I keep the booklets, I’m greeted with their scent! I’m planning to put little slips elsewhere in the kitchen and between the pages of my one-line-a-day journal, too! Can you tell I love these scents?

I do! And now that I know about Papier d’Arménie, I’m pretty eager to share the joy it brings!

This post was originally published on Kitchn. Read it there: The Surprising $7 French Find That Keeps My Kitchen Smelling Amazing