Let's smell again!
HUF HAUS
Mr. Müller-Grünow, you have been working with thousands of fragrances for years. Do you have any immediate favourites?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Yes: sea, forest, Brazilian jungle!
HUF HAUS
Wow, that was fast, why are these such easy choices?
Robert Müller-Grünow
I associate these smells with my childhood and my favorite vacations.
HUF HAUS
Have you always linked scents with memories or did you have to train yourself to do this first?
Robert Müller-Grünow
The smells of vacations in northern Spain have stuck in my mind since I was a kid. I think everyone has this ability, I also did it more subconsciously. Only in hindsight did I understand why this is so.
HUF HAUS
Is there a way to summarise that process?
Robert Müller-Grünow
The sense of smell is more closely linked to our memory than any other sensory stimulus. We smell constantly and everywhere, completely unconsciously. Especially when we perceive smells more often, our brain stores them for the right situations, people or places. The problem is rather that we have forgotten how to smell and use it far too seldom consciously.
HUF HAUS
Why is that?
Robert Müller-Grünow
In today's very visual world, smell isn't essential because we don't really need it to survive. It still matters when we smell fire, for example, but when it comes to food, everything has an expiration date. Our nose seems superfluous. In contrast to primitive peoples, who had to ensure their survival through their sense of smell.
HUF HAUS
What can we do to improve our own 'untrained' noses?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Firstly, smelling everyday things! Everything smells, there is nothing that doesn't smell. It may sound banal, but start small and recognize herbs or fruits with your eyes closed and without touching them. That's complex enough. Second, smell more consciously. Just go out and take in the surroundings. With these two exercises you will have a much more practiced nose after a short time.
HUF HAUS
… but never as practiced honed as that of a dog?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Dogs smell a million times better than humans. But there are researchers who believe that we humans could too. If only we trained our noses well enough.
HUF HAUS
So, do you think should smelling should be taught at school?
Robert Müller-Grünow
There is no harm in training the senses and raising awareness in early childhood. More space should be given to the olfactory, also at school.
HUF HAUS
As an appreciator of smells and how they affect us - do you still fall for the baker's trick?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Yes! When I'm hungry and the baker has freshly baked, ... then I can't defend myself either. I'm wearing analytical glasses, but I still like to be seduced.
HUF HAUS
So smell is an important tool to promote sales? Who would you say are your most regular clients?
Robert Müller-Grünow
I could list all industries! There isn't an industry we don't work with. Insurance companies, telecommunications service providers, Deutsche Bahn, car manufacturers, fashion labels, amusement parks, dentists...
HUF HAUS
Do companies develop fragrances for different areas of application – and are separate branded fragrances often commissioned? How does this work?
Robert Müller-Grünow
First of all, we need a detailed briefing to understand the brand values and brand personality. Then we ask ourselves the question in which context the fragrances should later be used and who the target group is. This then creates a perfume concept. A translation of the brand into fragrance notes, so to speak. But that's not enough, because these fragrances have to go together. Then it's time for fine-tuning and presentation to the customer.
HUF HAUS
How do you find a prevalent winner/favourite? Scent is very subjective.
Robert Müller-Grünow
That is precisely our know-how! The clearer the brand profile, the better. But then the scent has to work everywhere. When it comes to a brand that is active in several countries, we have to develop a creation that evokes the same associations, which are as positive as possible, everywhere. Whether in the USA, India or China. We look closely at which fragrances have overlapping potential and which fragrances best reflect the brand attributes.
scent marketing
HUF HAUS
What was your first impression of the HUF house?
Robert Müller-Grünow
You always perceive with all your senses. Visually, the clarity and transparency with the surrounding nature were first impressions, it was just spring. Olfactory, I remember green, woody and natural notes.
HUF HAUS
And from that you designed created the components for the HUF fragrance?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Exactly. Superficially, of course, through the characteristic materials of wood and glass. In the second step about the brand values such as harmony, innovation and tradition.
HUF HAUS
Should fragrance play a greater role in architecture?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Fragrance is an essential part of architecture. It makes perfect sense to think about how we perceive a space. Because as long as we breathe, we smell and as long as we smell, fragrance has an impact on our well-being and how we behave. We can control scents, so we can change how things are perceived in space.
HUF HAUS
…any pointers for the architect?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Not just paying attention to good materials, but trying to enhance the olfactory profile of a room through visual design elements.
HUF HAUS
Every home has its own scent. Where does that come from and should it be covered up, or masked at all?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Absolutely! Every house has its own smell. Shaped by the people, the materials used and all the things that are there. This is a concise and not always pleasant scent that you don't smell yourself because your nose has long since adapted to it. Therefore, always ventilate well and also scent according to taste.
Architecture and Scent
HUF HAUS
What should you consider when choosing a room fragrance?
Robert Müller-Grünow
There's a lot of good stuff! I would value two things: high-quality raw materials and technology - for example fragrance sticks or reed diffusers for selective scenting or scenting systems for larger rooms. What I would advise against is to use scented candles all the time. They're not healthy. It's all a matter of dosage, but burning fragrance creates soot particles that you inhale and that's carcinogenic.
HUF HAUS
Would you describe the targeted scenting of rooms manipulation?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Yes! Because every design decision is manipulative. What light we choose for a room, how to cut our hair or how to dress. You want to express yourself. The only problem is, we have forgotten how to smell. If we walked through the world with an open nose and became more aware of it, then the argument would be overturned!
HUF HAUS
Is there still hope for our noses?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Definitely! I've been doing this for almost 25 years and more and more people are interested in the topic of scent communication. We haven't made acquisitions for years, we only work on recommendation. This shows the initiative, which is much more pronounced than a few years ago.
HUF HAUS
How do you imagine the future might smell?
Robert Müller-Grünow
Smell will play a big role. It is the sense we have neglected the most. There is a lot of catching up potential for everyone who communicates in some way. This will also drive the technology industry, for example the integration of fragrances into the digital world. Augmented reality, virtual reality, what will I do in ten years when the car drives itself... All of this will certainly also be related to the use of scents.
HUF HAUS
Is your nose insured?
Robert Müller-Grünow
No - But that’s a good question! I've been thinking about that recently, because losing my sense of smell would be a disaster!
