Project Description

"“Smell of Home”

""Smell is the memory that lingers longest.""

Smell of Home is a small, open-air garden and kitchen corner designed to awaken the warmth of childhood memories through smell, texture, and ritual. Inspired by the sensory world of a mother’s village kitchen, the space blends the earthy charm of clay stoves, bamboo baskets, and hanging pots with The heart of the space is a mini herb and spice garden with plants whose scents instantly recall home: tulsi, coriander, mint, bay leaf, turmeric, ginger, lemongrass. As the wind moves through them, familiar fragrances rise, transporting the mind to moments of comfort and togetherness. Bamboo baskets and earthen pots are hung as tactile cues, while a simple open counter invites the act of preparing food — not for sustenance alone, but as a ritual of love.

This design is rooted in placemaking theory, environmental psychology, and the concept of therapeutic landscapes, where space itself can hold and return care. Here, healing operates at three scales: for people, by reducing stress and evoking a deep sense of belonging; for the community, as a shared nook for conversation and cooking; and for the planet, by restoring biodiversity through native planting, cooling the micro-climate, and supporting pollinators.

Smell of Home does not recreate a room; it recreates a feeling — that the air itself can carry memory. It is a personal refuge, a communal gathering point, and a small ecological act, proving that even the most intimate emotions can find their place in the world the fresh, aromatic presence of tulsi, coriander, mint, bay leaf, turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass.