Rami Mekdachi is a true artist. A renaissance man who excels in capturing the poetry of life through music, photography and most importantly, scents from his rich well of experience. Approaching scent like a story teller, his candles and room sprays are designed to evoke the feelings of a place, and his creations have become the scents that help a certain place leave its own indelible mark.
“Scents are linked to memories and rituals, composing essential oils is really the art of composing emotions.”
Mekdachi was born in the 70’s in Beirut, Lebanon, raised in Paris with a few years in Lancaster, UK and around the San Juan Islands, USA.
Rami’s ability to harness point of view into a visceral experience has made him an intrinsic part of some very iconic brands. Beginning his career with a custom scent created for Hotel Costes, a collaboration that subsequently made Mekdachi an in demand perfumer. His twenty year career has seen collaborations with some of the world’s best known brands, such as L’Oreal, Colette, Lacoste and Chloe.
In June 2013, Lola James Harper launched their collection of scents on rue on Saint-Honoré in downtown Paris at the legendary Colette Concept Store.
Lola James Harper is a family effort. The name is a collaboration with Rami’s children, and the collection is a diary of their travel, personal experiences and special places. The scents like Music Studio and Surf Shop were made to encourage your imagination to experience new things, even if the places featured are somewhere you have never been.
While the Lola James Harper offerings are simple (candles and room spray) there is a very intentional purpose to how the scents should be used.
Rami suggests
Candle – Burn for 2-3 hours to leave a ‘foundation’ of the scent.
Room Spray – Use the room spray every few hours after burning the candle to ‘refresh’ the scent in the room
Your favorite scent can transform a space into an experience. If you are a frequent traveler, you can bring your favorite room spray to carry a little bit of the familiar comfort of home with you. Or you can curate scents that evoke the memories of travel to infuse your daily life with the memory of adventure. Scent is a powerful tool and an easy way to alter your mood and perspective.
Below is an guide to each of the Lola James Harper scents we carry at Harbour, since one of the great challenges of the online world is the absence of in-person experience and the ability to smell one of these for yourself.
Music Studio – nice for cozy winter days
Vinyl Store – cool dusty wood indoor vibes
Promenade – fresh and green
Surf Shop – fresh, energizing summer scent
Woody Office – cozy handsome woody
213 Rue Saint Honoré Air – the iconic scent of Colette in Paris, the legendary fig
Harbour is a family business, and we help create the spaces where memories are made. Our furniture pieces are things you will welcome in your ‘home’, they will live with you and your family for many years, and become the backdrop for your life. When we look to work with artisans to expand our lifestyle portfolio, we want products that also have an ethos and a vision for an ideal way of life.