Interior Designer's Decor Hack Updates Potpourri for the 21st Century

As a 90s kid, there was a long stretch of my childhood where just about every other home I visited had a bowl of potpourri in the bathroom - especially if the home belonged to an older relative. But over time, bowls of loose potpourri gave way to the rise of scented candles, then Glade air fresheners, then essential oil diffusers, and eventually potpourri became a dated, if charming, relic of the past.

Professional interior designer Anni Vanderbeek still has a soft spot for those cozy bowls of potpourri we all grew up sniffing, but she agrees that the now-dated concept needs a little reworking to make it "hip" again. Here's how she updated potpourri for the 21st century:

I gotta say, this hack really "rocks!" Terrible puns aside, I was definitely intrigued by @annivanderbeek 's novel take on the traditional potpourri bowl. Considering that this was an updated version, I didn't expect Anni to simply break out "that crunchy stuff from the 90s," but I was surprised when she filled her accent bowl with a bunch of lava rocks instead!

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OK, obviously it wasn't just a bunch of lava rocks. The other half of Anni's recipe was a dropper bottle full of fragrance oil - she used the Hotel Diffuser Oil Inspired by the Delano Beach Club from AirScent Diffusers. Anni didn't go overboard with the oil, though; only saturating about five or six rocks from the entire bowl. It took about fifteen minutes for the scent to fully diffuse, but after that, Anni claims she was shocked by how well her lava rock "potpourri" worked!

How Lava Rock Diffusers Work

Obviously, Anni isn't just using any kind of igneous rock here - I doubt this decor hack would work as well if the bowl were full of obsidian glass instead. Anni is using pumice stone, and if you've ever held a pumice rock or used a pumice foot scrub, you'll know they're not your average rocks!

Pumice is extremely lightweight and porous, laced with a network of tiny air bubbles. When you drop essential oils into pumice, they seep into the tiny pores inside, slowly spreading throughout the rock. This helps slow their evaporation, allowing the oils to gently, steadily release their scents as they diffuse into the air. In a big bowl like Anni's, the oils can eventually diffuse further throughout the rocks, really helping the scent last for a long time. No need for candles, wax melts , plug-in diffusers, or, again, "that crunchy stuff from the 90s." RIP, traditional potpourri.

If you don't like the look of pumice stone, commenter @truegenevieve pointed out that you can also create the same effect with salt! According to Himalayan salt supplier Ittefaq Salt, salt and oil have differing polarities , causing oil to break down into tiny droplets and slowly diffuse when applied to salt. You can do this with sea salt, Epsom salt, or, if the manufacturer allows, even add oils straight onto a Himalayan salt lamp!

In my heart, I'll always have a soft spot for homemade potpourri , but the traditional crunchy stuff just wouldn't work in my home - the last thing I'd want is for my cats to try snacking on it. Speaking of, a lot of essential oils can be toxic to cats if they come into contact with them, so always be cautious with any kind of essential oil diffuser, and keep it well out of reach if you have pets. Having addressed that caveat, Anni's lava rock trick is stylish, simple, long-lasting, and the perfect way to give the classic potpourri bowl a much-needed update!

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