Atelier Oblique: Bohemian Woods

„To be without a home is to suffer.Fjodor Dostojewski  –

There are questions that remain in my mind for a long time. I think about it, I try to understand, to fathom and yet it is impossible to find a real answer. Such a question remained to me even after my last visit to Atelier Oblique.

What is home?

Many people associate home with something beautiful, with memories from their childhood, with events that have come to pass, with smells from the kitchen or from the way to school. Some people may have a special mood, a time of day or a certain light in their head that means home to them. But what remains if you are a constant traveller? Or was even on the run? How much home do you have then?

I recently had the wonderful pleasure of getting to know the makers of Atelier Oblique. A couple full of warmth and closeness. Mario Lombardo and Vanessa Obrecht are just something to love.

Their little shop on Almstadtstraße in Berlin is geometric and pure. Mario is one of the best graphic designers in Germany and therefore it is clear that the formal language of the products and also the furnishing of the store is beyond any doubt. About a year ago I stood in the store with my wife, but I didn’t know the background and we sniffed through the outstanding scented candles, which smell so full and harmonious that you can’t get enough of them.

Meanwhile Atelier Oblique also offers perfume. So I looked at a small, very fine and exclusive series of fragrances that are so full and lively that you simply don’t need more. There are 5 fragrances. All made in the French Grasse. Each of them is composed outstandingly for itself.

My heart was particularly attached to a fragrance. Bohemian Woods. The first appearance is strong. Red pepper blends with a touch of patchouli to find its finale in warm dry woods and leather with a touch of vanilla. When you close your eyes, you feel a touch of longing and distance.

I said to Mario: „Tell me something about this fragrance, it’s exciting. Somehow different“. I saw his eyes start to glow and still get a wet film. He said, „That’s the smell of my home. I wanted to capture this scent as complex and authentic as I could. When I was 5 years old, we had to leave our home country Argentina due to political unrest and came to Germany. But I always knew that my homeland was different. Deep inside me was always the longing for my roots. When I returned to Argentina after decades, I immediately knew that I belonged here, from here tribes. Actually it couldn’t be, because I had almost no memory of the country and yet I knew that I was right. When I asked my mother if this was my home, she said: „Home is where your heart is“.

Your heart is beating in Berlin, too. There Vanessa and Mario are mostly to be found in their shop and take everyone who is willing on a little journey into the past, future or maybe even home.

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