I am the restless type. Every eighteen months, I get thoroughly fed up with our living quarters — the creaky floors, the electric stove and lack of water pressure, that bathroom window that won't open — and decide we should move. My husband puts much less stock in clean slates, being a skeptic with a good memory. He resents the higher rent and costs associated with changing residences, but he always acquiesces with the faint hope that I will keep the new apartment cleaner. (Ha!) And so, a couple of springs, falls and high summers over the last decade, we've spent our days packing clothes, dishes, Playmobil figures, perfume and one metric ton of books into boxes. Even after ruthless purges¹ and some inevitable breakage, it seems we end up with more stuff in the new place than we had in the old. Since our last move two weeks ago, I've been wandering through the chaos aimlessly, moving papers and knick-knacks from one pile to another.

One of the few pleasures of re-locating is finding things of interest you never knew you lost. Around here, things of interest fall into three categories: 1) perfume samples; 2) books; and 3) jars of gourmet condiments and jams we will never use. Push back the couch and a dusty vial of Bois 1920 Sushi Imperiale rolls out. Dismantle the bookcase and both a sample of Divine L'Homme de Coeur and a copy of Robertson Davies' The Rebel Angels emerge. There is an atomizer of Histoire des Parfums Noir Patchouli in the desk drawer with the income tax documents. Ah, old friends! With more than two new fragrances released each day now, it sometimes seems as if I first encountered these scents in the ancient past, rather than only a few years ago. With forgotten favorites in hand, it's easy to start feeling pretty testy about the rate of release in the perfume industry. But wearing the finds is the best cure for my scent cynicism: they still smell wonderful and they remind me of all the treasures in my collection. Without spending another penny, I could probably spend years surprising and enjoying myself with the samples I already have.

If you've been interested in fragrance for a while, you don't need to go to the expense and trouble of moving to remind yourself to re-try perfumes you're already encountered...

Andrée Putman is one of France’s best known interior architects. She has designed everything from home interiors to furniture to tableware. She redesigned the interior of the Air France Concorde jet, and she was responsible for the interior of the Pershing Hall hotel in Paris. For her first fragrance, Préparation Parfumée, which was released in 2001, she worked with nose Olivia Giacobetti, who...

...immediately understood what I wanted and succeeded in transforming my own personality into olfactory notes. We spoke about wood, wet wood, wood after the rain, driftwood, about water lilys and coriander leaf. I wanted it to be light and fresh, to be a fragrance for women, for men and even for children...I hope this fragrance evokes the same serenity and discretion present in all my other creations. (via cached copy from andreeputman)

Préparation Parfumée has notes of driftwood, grey pepper, water lily and coriander leaves...