Aroma therapy

Paddington’s reputation as the scent centre of Sydney has been cemented with another fragrant new arrival in the ultra-luxe Libertine Parfumerie, which has opened on Oxford St.

The store, with a design by Paddington interiors queen Tamsin Johnson, is a temple of fragrance so potent that if you walk down Oxford St towards the city, you can smell the store before you see it.

“Establishing a flagship in Sydney is a momentous occasion for Libertine Parfumerie,” says owner Nick Smart, who started the label in Brisbane before taking the leap into the Sydney market. “The Sydney flagship stands as a timestamp of our journey so far.”

For Smart, it was a natural choice to work with Johnson on the store’s design.

“Tamsin was the perfect design partner to ensure Libertine Parfumerie makes its mark among like-minded, luxurious labels in Paddington,” he says. “We wanted to create a space that hasn’t been seen in Australian beauty retail.”

The store has representations from some of the world’s biggest luxury brands, including Amouage, Creed, Roja Parfums, Astier de Villatte and Trudon, as well as Italian homewares brand Fornasetti, soap and body products by Compagnie de Provence, and body fragrance collections from Juliette Has a Gun, Floris London, BDK Parfums, La Perla, Matiere Premiere, Mizensir, Parfums de Marly, Xerjoff, Obvious, Maison Tahité, Carrière Frères and UK label Clive Christian. Products range from candles to hand creams to perfumes.

Johnson says the design of the store reflects both the international nature of the products and the historic setting of the space, located across from Victoria Barracks.

“I set about researching a lot of classical European druggists and other stores and reflecting upon them as inspiration for this project. One of my favourite things to do is explore classical pharmacies overseas, particularly those very old ones in Milan, Vienna and throughout France. They are so dignified and ornate. I wanted to recreate that feeling here.

“Visitors to the store should feel transported yet at home. The intention was to take shoppers on a journey of discovery, where they can make their way through the space in a paced way. But it also has that feel where you want to pause and settle in,” she says.

Libertine joins a host of other high-profile fragrance, scent and candle houses that have made Paddington home during recent years, from Santa Maria Novella nearby in The Intersection to Bondi Wash and Wyalba, further up on Oxford St.

Libertine Parfumerie

6/134-140 Oxford St