There’s no shortage of home fragrance brands vying for our attention, but the intricate illustrations which decorate the porcelain vessels housing Told London’s candles and diffusers make them stand out. And once your attention been caught, the fine fragrance within will soon work its magic. I caught up with founders Chris and Lillie Edgar over Zoom to learn more about their mission to bring fine fragrance into our interiors.
Tell me about Told London…
Chris: We started Told London because it felt like, as consumers of home fragrances, we had to choose between a good fragrance and something that looks beautiful – that actually elevates the space and looks special in the home. We thought, ‘can't we make a brand that does both things well?’.
Our first collection is about the feelings and emotions we get from the different places we've been lucky enough to have experienced. We worked with really good perfumers to bring those places alive; and there was an opportunity to reflect those locations on the vessel as well. We worked with the artist Kerry Lemon, who started her career as an illustrator to design the motifs and then Lillie had the fun of placing them on the vessels to bring them together for the various formats.
Conjuring a place through fragrance makes intuitive sense, but what are the nuts and bolts of doing that?
Chris: It's about trying to bring you to a feeling about a place rather than [anything] too literal. For example, Dancing Light [inspired by Lake Como] has obviously got that lovely aquatic note, but it's more than that. The whole area makes you feel calm and uplifted, and we wanted to bottle the feeling we have when we're here looking at the lake. It’s very tranquil but yet, you feel quite elated.
We worked with five different perfume houses, and they all responded very differently to the briefs, so we were spoiled for choice. The different perfumers all had different takes, and some are things we wouldn't have thought of. Like with the Highland Retreat fragrance, they used a lot of cinnamon and vanilla, so it's got that gourmand nature and feels like a warm hug. That came from when we talked about the warmth of Scottish hospitality, and particularly coming into a cosy pub after a really cold walk. Their take on it was bringing in some of those gourmand notes which really touch that moment; that comforting, cosy, lovely feel.
Lillie: And I just love that other people seem to love them as well. For example, a friend of mine ordered the Seychelles candle and had no real connection with the Seychelles, but she remembered Cape Cod. For her, it was a different feeling yet she was able to relate to it
How does Told London differ in what is quite a crowded market?
Chris: It comes back to doing both aspects really well: having a beautiful object for the home as well as a lovely fragrance. Also our larger candles and our diffusers are both refillable.
Lillie: It's really important to have something that's sustainable, [and that people can] repurpose a lovely thing in their homes. I've always been inspired by beautiful interiors, and every little motif has been carefully thought out, how it represented each place. And then, the fragrance is really beautiful – I would gladly splash it all over myself. I wanted people to think of it in the same way they would when they apply fine fragrance, and how they want their home to smell the same way. My grandmother had a really large collection of perfumes, so I think that has really influenced me.
Is there a wrong way to use fragrance in your home?
Chris: Personally, I don't think so. If you get a certain emotion or feeling from a fragrance and you want to use in a certain way, do. I don't think it should be prescriptive. I think that links into how people use fragrance now. People want a fragrance wardrobe, they don't want a single signature scent.
Lillie: It’s very mood related as well, it's about how you're feeling. If I'm feeling a little bit down maybe I'll put Dancing Light on. If I just want to curl up with a book I'll put on Highland Retreat. We gave our daughter a diffuser of Glorious Gardens, and the minute you enter her room, it's so beautiful and floral. I've come to associate it with her and her bubbly personality.
Chris and Lillie’s picks…
For welcoming people into your home?
City Grandeur. It's really elegant, and it makes me feel like I'm walking into a hotel… even though my hallway is not quite like a hotel, with three children and a dog.
For creating calm?
Highland Retreat has got that ability to take some stress away and make you feel a little bit better about all the nonsense going on around you. It actually won Silver for Best Wellness Product at the Pure Beauty Awards last year.
For setting a romantic mood?
Glorious Gardens. But if you want it to be a bit spicy, Night Blooms could be romantic. It's a floral, but it's a spicy floral, so it's got a real depth to it as well.
For uplifting your space?
Dancing Light is very uplifting. It’s been nominated for the Best Interior Fragrance in the 2026 Fragrance Foundation Awards.
For when you feel you need to get away from it all?
Island Breeze is very escapist. It's lovely and warm and balmy, and it's got amber and frangipane, so it's got that warmth as well as a tropical feeling.
To explore the full range, visit toldlondon.com
