Ever walk through the stony, tourist-choked halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and think, ‘gee, I wish my home could smell like this’? Well, weirdos, you can now whiff away, thanks to the museum’s newest collaboration.
Last week, the “smart fragrance” company Pura released six new scents loosely inspired by some of the Met’s most beloved artworks and rooms. For $89, you can infuse into your living space with the aroma of the institution’s Astor Chinese Garden Court, say, or its Greek galleries.
Each set comes with one of Pura’s proprietary fragrance diffusers, which plug into wall outlets and are controllable via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Your Temple of Dendur scent starting to smell a little too Sackler-y? A dedicated app allows purchasers to customize fragrance intensity, schedules, and the light of the diffuser unit.
“As fans of Pura, we are excited to launch this unique home fragrance experience which adds a new dimension to art appreciation,” said Josh Romm, the Met’s Head of Global Licensing and Partnerships, in a statement. “Art has the power to create connections and transport people across time and place, and this program provides a new and exciting opportunity for fans of the Met to experience art, history, and cultures of the world from the comfort of home.”
Pura’s new Terrocotta Rose scent, inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Greek galleries. Courtesy of Pura.
The Met does indeed boast many fans, but it’s hard to imagine that even the most devout of the bunch would be able to identify the museum through Pura’s products. The company’s six scents aren’t exacting recreations of the institution’s essence, but more like generous interpretations.
The aforementioned Astor Court fragrance, for instance, contains notes of bamboo, orchid, plum blossom, and eucalyptus. A Spiced Woods scent, meanwhile, evokes Himalayan art through hints of balsam, cypress, and sandalwood. Together, the two products make up the Asian Set.
Other offerings include Perfume Immortelle, a fragrance redolent of the Met’s Roman marble statues; Egyptian Sandalwood, meant to evoke the titular country’s landscape; and Blue Water Lotus, which includes notes of water lily, jasmine, frankincense, and myrrh in an homage to the flowers depicted on the Temple of Dendur.
Pura’s Greek & Roman Set. Couresy of Pura.
For $249, you can take home all six scents in one package.
“We were so excited to work with the Met to develop scents connecting back to their inspiring collection of art,” said Pura’s chief fragrance experience officer Mara Dumski. “Aiming to evoke moods and tell a story, our collaboration offers an entirely new way to experience the Met collection of 5,000 years of art while also creating a sense of home and personality through art-inspired fragrance.”