Looking for a new signature scent for your home? Founders Lisa Potter-Dixon and Lia Briamonte from Velvet Smoke might have something for you. Inspired by their passion for interiors, champagne, and one hell of a good time, they looked back at the debaucherous 70s disco scene to create Filthy Rose, a scent that epitomises sexy, smokey dance floors.

Encased in luxurious, leopard-print-inspired Murano glass, these fragranced candles blend notes of damson rose, tobacco, saffron, amyris, and black pepper, setting the stage for a room destined to host memorable moments. Here, Wonderland catches up with Lisa and Lia to delve into their journey, inspirations, and what lies ahead for Velvet Smoke. Keep reading…

Hey Lisa and Lia! How has the beginning of 2024 been for you both?
An absolute whirlwind! We launched our homeware brand, Champagne & Smoke on 1st March and by April 21st we had to rename it. More on that in a minute!

Our first product launch was our Filthy Rose Scented candle. We sold out within 24 hours which was wild! What was wilder was the process after. Thousands of candles in Lisa’s kitchen being packed up by all our friends and family fuelled by pizza. It was overwhelmingly wonderful.

The candle has taken us over 2 years to create. We were adamant that we wanted the highest quality ingredients. Think hundreds of Damson Rose petals in each handblown vessel, combined with handfuls of saffron, tobacco and black pepper, to name just a few of the epic ingredients, We wanted her to fill a room within minutes and that’s exactly what she does. In fact, we managed to include 15% oil. Most premium candles have between 5-12% so achieving this has been amazing.

So back to the name change. We love Champagne so much that at this point, it’s 100% running through our veins. Although it turns out that Champagne (that massive region in France) doesn’t quite love us back as much. Here’s a pub quiz question for you ‘In what year did Champagne become a protected word’? The answer? 1891. Who knew? Clearly not us. So Velvet Smoke it is. Same, same but different.

What inspired you to create the Filthy Rose scent?
Filthy Rose was inspired by our love for the disco and the energy of a bloody great party. We wanted to take that feeling of sexy, smoky 1970s dance floors and fill your home with that scent. Both Lia and Lisa’s favourite fragrances are rose-based so we knew it had to have rose, but we wanted it to be dirty, almost masculine.

Can you tell us more about how Velvet Smoke was born?
We both love mid-century furniture. Lia owns Anemone Interiors, a mid-century furniture reseller and Lisa is her best customer! It was over the purchase of an epic 7ft Tomasso Barbi palm floor lamp that we bonded. We discussed the possibility of working on something together. Lia had always wanted to make a candle, but Lisa’s ideas were even bigger — Lisa proposed a homeware brand rather than only candles. With our combined love for 70s homeware and a good time, Velvet Smoke was born.

How did you decide on the specific combination of scents for Filthy Rose, such as damson rose, tobacco, saffron, amyris and black pepper?
We work with an amazing scent specialist and we described our love for the disco and a party. We were certain we wanted it to be rose-based mixed with tobacco, the smokiness adds that masculinity. Lisa has lots of experience with fragrance and we’re both massive fragrance lovers. We love that a scent can take you to a time and a place. We imagined a beautiful woman entering a 70’s night club. She’s blinded by disco balls. Her sequinned catsuit is moulded to every curve. She’s late to the party. Her entrance is captivating. The alluring scent of musky rose entwinned with the aroma of tobacco follows her across the dancefloor. She drinks, she dances, she exits. They call her Filthy Rose.

What role does the heavy glass container play in conveying the essence of your brand, particularly with its leopard print inspiration?
Leopard print is a symbol of opulence, it has been for generations. Our vessels are all hand blown, and the quality of the glass was really important. We show many examples of how you can re-use the vessels, whether it be a coffee cup, to hold your makeup brushes, pasta or your favourite lipstick collection.

What challenges did you encounter during the 18-month process of creating Filthy Rose, and how did you overcome them?
The challenges have been real! Other than having to change our company name, the biggest issue was keeping it sustainable and keeping it all-UK based. Our candles are poured in the UK in small batches. We’re relying on many suppliers, so if there is a delay on one ingredient of the oil, we then miss our pouring spot so that creates even more delays. We intended to launch in February but because of these delays it was March. But do you know what? Everything happens for a reason, right? You’ve just got to go with the flow.

How do you envision consumers incorporating Filthy Rose into their homes?
Whenever our customer needs to be transported to the best party of their life they can throw on their favourite tune and light Filthy Rose. We hope she scents many a dinner party.

What sets Filthy Rose apart from other scents on the market?
We’ll allow our customer to answer that one! The feedback has been phenomenal. We were adamant we wanted to use only natural oils and achieve the maximum oil ratio in a candle of 15% (most candles are between 5-12%). Our repeat customer purchases is outstanding which makes us so happy.

Can you share any future plans or developments for Velvet Smoke?
Loads of plans! In between Lia and Lisa’s full time jobs, they’re designing new products. We have beautiful glassware coming and are currently working with glass artists in Murano which is so cool! We have beautiful linen prints inspired by Lia’s summers in Sorrento coming alongside our ‘I quit in 1984’ cigarette vase and our limited edition prints which are all art directed by Lisa, who has also done all the makeup too. We are designing pieces that we would want in our home. Talking points that will last forever. Over the vibes of a Gwen McCrae song, we dream of hearing the words; ‘OMG, where’s that from’? ‘Velvet Smoke, of course’.

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