Archive copy by Jenni Baden Howard

‘Having my own perfumery is the fulfilment of a childhood dream - I feel like I’m playing shop, surrounded by all my favourite scents,’ laughs Harris.

As well as selling her new fragrances from the shop, Harris will also run her existing bespoke fragrance consultancy on-site. Until now, the word-of-mouth service has been available at her Primrose Hill laboratory, for private clients seeking the ultimate luxury of having their own, one-off perfume blended especially for them.

‘I love helping people create their own signature smell,’ says Harris. ‘We have a relaxed chat and then I take them into the lab so that they can smell all the different raw materials and understand, on a very simple level, how it all works. The idea is that they are creating the fragrance with me, it’s not about me just churning something out. I want them to leave with something special and unique to them, which captures their personality, lifestyle and memories.’

Harris has been passionate about fragrance for as long as she can remember. Growing up in Yorkshire, she would frequently visit her grandparents’ cottage in the Scottish highlands and revel in the smells of their large walled gardens.

‘It was like The Secret Garden, full of flowers, herbs and vegetables,’ she recalls. ‘I spent many happy summers playing among the roses, geraniums, foxgloves and sweet williams. Everything smelled just exquisite. Only the other day, I had some fresh peas and the smell and taste immediately took me back to those days and getting smacked for picking peas too early. I can also remember the smell of the damp long grasses by the stream at the bottom of the garden and the sheep in the neighbouring field.’

Such unexpected smells often find themselves creeping into Harris’ tailor-made concoctions, along with the more obvious floral and herbal notes.

‘Bizarre things often trigger memories, like the smell of paper, clean washing, or the pencils you had when you were a kid,’ she explains.

The details of each bespoke scent are recorded in a handwritten “fragrance library”. ‘People come back to have their scent tweaked,’ says Harris. ‘For example, they might want a lighter or zestier version for summer.’

It was working with the London-based company Aromatherapy Associates, Harris’ first foray into the world of fragrance, that nurtured her fascination with the link between smell and the emotions.

‘A lot of perfumers go into aromatherapy afterwards, I did it the other way around,’ she explains. ‘I learned about science of natural ingredients before going on to learn about “aromachemicals” at perfume school in France - something I’d always wanted to do.’

Harris studied the traditional art of fragrance-making with two eminent “noses” in Grasse.

‘Suddenly, I was introduced to thousands of new raw materials to work with and it just blew me away. My teaching was very much the old school style of French perfumery. Sadly, I think we’ve lost some of that today. The scientific advances are all very exciting but I believe it’s important to keep things as pure and simple as possible and to balance the old with the new.’

Her enthusiasm fired, Harris went on to combine her knowledge of natural aromas and synthetic ingredients, creating scents for companies like Liberty and Fresh.

‘I always knew that I didn’t want to go into the big world of commercial fragrance,’ says Harris. ‘There’s a lot of interest now in the more individual “niche” scents and the revival of classic fragrances.’

Grasse remains close to Harris’ heart. She turned to its famous fragrance manufacturing house Robertet to help her develop the Miller Harris collection.

‘The formulas have been bubbling away for a number of years,’ she says. ‘As a perfumer, you always have your own scents which you work on inbetween projects.’

The range comprises three clean, sheer, highly covetable fragrances, available as an Eau de Parfum (£49) or Eau de Toilette (£35): Coeur de Fleur, a fresh and feminine floral with sweet-pea, mimosa and Egyptian jasmine; Citron Citron, a citrusy scent with a spicy edge, and Terre de Bois, a warm, sophisticated blend which includes vetiver, patchouli, verbena and Indian spices. ‘Basically, I wanted the perfect citrus scent, a posy of all my favourite flowers and a gorgeous Frenchman!’ laughs Harris.

The striking packaging of the products, featuring an eighteenth century print of botanical plants against a mossy green, burnt orange or mustard yellow background, was designed by Alex Cox, an ex-Conran buyer and personal friend of Harris, who also designed the interior of the shop.

‘I didn’t want to do anything too minimal,’ she explains. ‘I want people to feel comfortable and be able to relate to the fragrances and the shop.’

Clearly, it’s the one-to-one contact with her clients that inspires Harris the most. ‘I learn so much from working with people and finding out what they like. It helps me go forward,’ she says.

‘Each new day awakens a new idea or a new smell.’

Lyn Harris’s tips for choosing and wearing scent

• When testing fragrances, try no more than three to start with. Don’t be blinded by the marketing: walk away and you’ll know if the smell still “clicks” with you.

• Never shop for scent in a rush. Do it when you’re calm and relaxed, so you’ll be more receptive.

• Apply fragrance to your pulse points and try dotting some onto your clavicle, too.

• Don’t make the mistake of getting used to a perfume and applying more to compensate. Simply stop using it for a for a week, perhaps switching to a lighter cologne. Like taking the same bus route every day, sometimes you need a change.

• Store fragrance in its box, away from sunlight, and replace the lid tightly, so the alcohol doesn’t evaporate.

• Miller Harris fragrances will be available exclusively from the new shop, due to open in mid-July , at 14 Needham Road, London W11; all inquiries, tel: 020- 7221 1545.