the story

the perfumer

I got into fragrance at a time in my life at which I was struggling deeply with self expression. I had always had a deep connection with scent, but never imagined how it would change my life.

Summer of 2024, I began to accept that I perhaps was not just non-binary, but trans-masculine, and that realization scared me down to my bones. It wasn’t a new discovery per-se, but this was the first time I began to feel like I could actually accept it.

Expressing this , however, was difficult. I struggled to understand how to express all the different lives and personas I wanted to embody. I suddenly was overwhelmed at the possibilities of who I could be once I accepted who I was.

Then I found scent, all different kinds of scent, and suddenly that expression was possible. I could be a lighthouse keeper smelling of salt and brine, I could be a posh english gentleman smelling like freshly washed linen shirts, or I could be a dirty rascal smelling like smoke and dirty wool. Whatever I wanted to be, I could.

This influenced not only me, but my wardrobe began to feel more myself, my hairstyles began to feel like my own. Everything began to connect and intertwine.

I am still slowly understanding myself, but I would not be where I am without scent, and the beautiful community it has gifted me.

C.M.

Why the house?

I am starting this project with the hope of creating something resonant and distantly familiar. I want this house to feel full and warm, alive with the many versions of our dreams all taking shape.

I have, like many others, been told a home is out of my reach, yet my fingers twitch with the anticipation of a place to belong. A place that feels like my own. In this large big world, I wanted somewhere that felt safe. Somewhere I could crawl home to on my knees and know the door would always open for me.

There is a lack of safety in the world right now, for so many. This is simply my selfish way of offering what I can to those who’s hearts feel like mine. Heavy with grief, desperate for understanding, and hoping to be welcomed into the arms of another. You are welcomed here.

I want you to come here, and learn suddenly things you never knew about yourself. To discover a version of yourself you never thought to touch. To grasp the visions of yourself you see in dreams. I want us to watch each other bloom like irises in the garden in early May.

I hope you like my humble house. I hope you call it home, too.