Last week Luca Turin reported on the new Jean Patou headquarters, and mentioned a very unique smelling device that has been dubbed the "Monclin" after Patou's bottle designer who came up with it. Based on Dr Turin's description, it sounds wonderful; the bad news is that Patou isn't selling them. So I decided, using Dr Turin's description and photograph, to make my own. I used a vase called "Phoebe" purchased at Crate & Barrel in New York, and a diamond point drill bit to make the hole. Below are a few photographs of the results.

I can attest that Dr Turin's observations were correct, the experience is amazing: as he said, like smelling the Platonic idea of each perfume I tested. I tried it before I drilled the hole by simply taping a smelling strip in the bottom of the bowl, and the experience is quite different from the experience when the hole is drilled and the strip is passed through the hole. My theory is that the small draw of air through the smelling strip hole as you inhale somehow drastically changes the smell. Anyway, making the faux-Monclin was easy and definitely worth it.