For those who have visited the Grand Palais recently, it seems as though the scents of Versailles have drifted all the way to Paris—but how?
To unravel the mystery, begin by approaching the fountain beneath the glass dome. Somehow, the water gives off the olfactory impression of walks through castle gardens and the Grand Trianon. Now consider the fact that scenting an indoor fountain is a worldwide first, and you might guess (correctly) that the man responsible is master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian.
For the 27th edition of the Biennale des Antiquaires, interior designer Jacques Grange paid homage to French gardens, filling the space with flowerbeds and foliage. He left it up to Kurkdjian to translate sight into scent.
“The true modernity of my job is to use perfume in unexpected circumstances, and I am very familiar with the castle and its gardens,” says Kurkdjian when asked what attracted him to the project. He is referring to the years he spent at Versailles’ school of perfumery, the times he performed at the palace as a ballet dancer and the many collaborations he’s had with them in the past (including perfuming the pool of the Orangerie in 2006).
“I’ve had the opportunity to see the garden evolve over nearly 20 years,” he adds, “I can close my eyes and travel between the groves of elms, boxwood parterres and groves veiled by plant palisades.” The resulting composition of freshly cut foliage and delicate rose is vibrant, dreamy and carries you toward the Versailles of the past—he describes the effect as “floral dew” and the whisper of silk taffeta left by the Queen's hurried footsteps.
It’s a charming image, but now I’m curious about the fountain itself. He tells me that the jets serve the same purpose as the spray of a perfume bottle: “The fragrance oil is incorporated within the water of the fountain. It seems very simple, but it’s not; there are many technical issues to pass by. The first one is the trickiest: oil and water are incompatible.” So how does he work around this problem? A certain technique, he replies, one he spent more than 10 years refining—and as I might have guessed, an undisclosed trade secret.
I do know this, however: if you venture out to Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s 5 rue d’Alger boutique in the 1st arrondissement, you can pick up a box of his dinner candles and take that same scent to-go. The limited edition Côté jardin tapers come three to a set for €28, and if the design on the box looks familiar, you're likely recalling the patterned flowerbeds that André Le Nôtré created for King Louis XIV.
As for the scent: gorgeous. A single candle fills the surrounding air with visions of hornbeam hedges and ancient statues, conjuring up the grandeur of Versailles wherever you choose to light it. A simple creation compared to the Grand Palais’ impressive fountain, perhaps, but one you can enjoy long after the Biennale is over.
The 2014 Paris Biennale takes place from September 11-21.
