Good Scents Make Great Sense!

There are a lot of things you can do to make your home more beautiful, arrange the furniture, change the lighting, even clean the windows, but they are all visual things, why not trying to appeal to a different sense?

That's why I created Mark Cutler Scents, a line of candles for the home, they are simply packaged but create a great impact. There are three scents that make up the first collect called the "Garden Collection", Rose, Jasmine and Gardenia. What I have done is take the three most common scents and reinvent them in a new, fresh way, they are the embodiment of my design Philosophy, reinventing tradition for a modern time.

Jasmine: this scent is based on one of my favorite childhood memories, breakfast at the beach on a bright Australian summer morning in the shade of a Jasmine trellis. The mix of the ocean and the perfume of the Jasmine, will stay with me for life and I hope you feel it too as you light my candle.

Rose: this is my sporty, daytime fragrance, it is traditional English Tea Rose mixed with a light citrus, creating an effervescent perfume, unlike any other Rose on the market, if you are looking for something to freshen up your morning room or for a luncheon, this is perfect one for you.

Gardenia: an evening quiet descends when you light this candle. The heady scent of Gardenia, mixed with subtle oriental fragrance creates the perfect mood for a quiet evening of romance or the perfect companion for a long soak in the tub.

Tip for using candles: I love to entertain in the summer, I live in Los Angeles, so it is the perfect climate for that, but sometimes my garden doesn't live up to the expectations of its blooms, so I have been known to light my whole backyard with tea lights, but I will mix in a few of my scented candles and next thing you know it is a fragrant floral paradise.... try it you will see what I mean.

If you want to try a candle, they are available at :Colburn Schwartz in Los Angeles (310) 358 9025

These candles are expensive, but you are worth it!

The First Post

This is the first of what I hope will be many, many posts in the time ahead.

You might wonder what is the goal here, well I think that this is a great medium to bring my philosophy of design to a large audience. I plan to post images not just of my work, but also images that I find that highlight particular design ideas, and I plan to discuss issues that people face when trying to create environments for themselves.

I hope you enjoy.

The image on the right is a project that I recently completed in Los Angeles. I will post more images in the days and weeks ahead but for now I think this image of an Entry Hall is a great picture for the entry to my Blog.

The floor is a pattern that we saw at the entry to Banana Republic in San Francisco and fell in love with. It is made of three different stones and i think creates a very dramatic entry to the home. The chandelier is one of my personal favourites, it was designed by Fuse Lighting (http://www.fuselighting.com) and is made of thousands of Capis shells strung together and is held up with leather straps. The whole effect is quite magical when there is the slightest breeze, it becomes like a giant wind chime. At night it is possibly the most elegant, shimmering chandelier you could imagine.

I am particularly fond of the tension between the light airy chandelier and the heaviness of the stone. Great design exists in that space of tension.

Most of my design work is an eclectic mix of periods and styles, I firmly believe that design should be like a portrait and should speak volumes about the people who live there.