FEATUREZIA ALLAWAYQ
How did your interest in
fragrances evolve into Parterre?When David inherited his parents’
farm in Hampshire, we toyed with
the idea of setting up a cut-flower
business. Then we went on a trip
to Grasse in France, famous for its
perfume industry, and that sparked
the idea of growing the ingredients
for our own range of botanical
fragrances. But we found the site
and soil in Hampshire wasn’tquite
right for the plants we wanted to
grow, so we side-stepped into Dorset.Q
What’s your new concept at
Keyneston Mill?We bought the property in 2015 and
set about creating our new botanical
garden. We’ve pulled together a
great team, with fragrance industry
expert Virginie Daniau helping us
to identify plant ingredients for our
perfumes, and botanist Nanette
Wraith working with us to grow
them. Jacques Chabert in Grasse
creates our unique fragrances. We
planted the gardens in 2016 and
distilled the oils from our first crops
later that year. We’ve also become a
destination for The Scented Botanist
bistro, various events and a shop.Q
What were the ideas behind
the garden design?With Nanette, we have designed a
series of different garden rooms at
Keyneston, each based on a concept
related to art, architecture and the
different perfume families. The
Padua Garden is modelled on a
16th-century Venetian botanical
garden and includes plants withfloral scents, while the Spice Garden
is inspired by the work of Kandinsky.
Nanette also helped us select
plants that offer year-round interest,
so there’s never a dull moment.Q
Have you always been in the
perfume business?After gaining a degree in graphic
design and photography, I worked
in advertising and for a luxury
Caribbean villa rental company
before David and I moved to
Keyneston Mill to set up Parterre.Q
What do you love about the
alchemy of perfume making?It’s very exciting to grow the plantsand then see those natural
ingredients distilled into the oils
that go to make our perfumes.
I also love the way we can brief
our experts on the sort of fragrance
we’re looking for, and they then
conjure up a wonderful scent from
our description. It’s really magical.
My favourite eau de parfum is
Run of the River – a splash of
refreshing lemon and lime which
mingles with aromatic elements
of bergamot, mint and lemon
thyme layered on clary sage and
orange flower.QKeyneston Mill Botanic Gardens
and the The Scented Botanist bistro
are open to the public all year.
For details of the gardens, and
Parterre limited-edition perfumes,
visit parterrefragrances.com.&A large dome sits at the
centre of the Padua
Garden, based on a
16th-century Venetian
botanical garden.“EACH YEAR WE PRODUCE A SMALL QUANTITY OF
OILS FOR OUR PERFUMES, SO OUR FRAGRANCES
ARE ALL NUMBERED LIMITED EDITIONS”
LIFESTYLE