Heyri Art Village - Scented Muse (Vincent van Gogh Exhibition - Fragrance Experience, Workshop, and Crafts)

 

Scented Muse

Address: 59-58, Heyri Village-gil, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do
Open: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Closed on Mondays)
Phone: 031-948-7926

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I visited Heyri Art Village in Paju, a famous tourist spot! 😊

 

It was a public holiday when we went, and though there were many cars, the parking lot was spacious enough to find a spot.

 

At the entrance, they sell various experience tickets (so many fun ones to choose from!).

 

Heyri Art Village Map

 

It’s a space where you can enjoy museums, exhibitions, and hands-on activities!!

 

We decided to visit Scented Muse. 🎨
We pre-booked the fragrance experience package on Naver (Admission + Diffuser Making for 25,000 KRW per person). You don’t get a discount for pre-booking, so feel free to buy tickets on-site as well.

The good thing about booking in advance is that you don't need to wait at the ticket office, though the line was short with only two groups ahead of us. 😊

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Walking to the left from the ticket booth, you’ll spot Scented Muse.

 

Vincent van Gogh Exhibition

 

Even if you don’t take part in the experience, you can still enjoy the exhibition along with the curated fragrances!

You get to smell the scents while appreciating the artworks with a fragrance kit crafted by professional perfumers.

 

Once inside, to the right, they sell Vincent van Gogh-themed items, and on the left, there’s a cozy café.

 

As soon as we entered, a staff member kindly explained how to enjoy the exhibit, and we received our tickets.

Don’t lose them! (I dropped mine once 😂).

 

They also had a Shrinky Dinks keychain-making experience.

 

We chose the diffuser-making package. Other available activities include fabric perfumes and keychains.
There’s also a perfumery class, which is a bit more detailed than the regular packages. In the class, you choose scents from the base and create a custom perfume, which takes more time and effort.

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Entering the Exhibition Hall

 

The exhibition begins at the entrance. Each artwork has its own unique fragrance strip, inspired by the painting’s story. You can open the strip while admiring the painting, and later, the strips can be used as bookmarks! 📖

 

I picked up a leaflet and started exploring.

All the artworks in the leaflet correspond to the fragrance strips. 😊

 

The First Exhibition Hall

 

The exhibition is spacious, with three floors!

 

The space was huge! The exhibition is spread across three floors, with a variety of Van Gogh’s works.

 

You can experience his life and art through carefully curated scents, allowing you to relive his journey in a new and immersive way.

 

We headed upstairs to the 2nd Exhibition Room.

 

Even the staircase was beautifully designed! 😊

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There’s also a restroom on the second floor, which was clean and well-maintained, with separate facilities for men and women.

 

Exploring Van Gogh’s Art Through Scents

 

There was even a special collection bin for scent strips!

I read a tip to keep the scent lasting longer by leaving the plastic cover on, so that’s what I did 😊

 

Looking down at the art shop from above!

 

The second floor is also spacious, but divided by partitions for different exhibit areas.

 

One of my favorite pieces—there’s warmth in the solitude it portrays.

"The Café Terrace at Night" 🌙

 

I was so excited to smell the fragrance inspired by this piece!

The scent notes were listed on the paper:

SAGE / TEA ROSE / WHITE AMBER

But once I sniffed it, it felt a bit too masculine for me, so I passed on this one 😆

 

"Van Gogh's Bedroom"

 

CASSIS / VIOLET / WHITE MUSK

The moment I smelled this one, I loved it! Normally,

I’m not a fan of white musk, but the violet in it really won me over! 💜

 

"Glass with Almond Branches and Books"

 

GREEN TEA / ROSE / NEROLI

At first sniff, it was just okay, but the more I smelled it, the more intriguing and captivating it became! 🌿🌹

 

Van Gogh’s famous sunflowers 🌻

 

There’s a bench right in front of the sunflower pieces, so I laid out all my scent strips and took a photo! 😄

 

The exhibition space is large, but still feels divided into cozy sections.

 

The lighting seems to have been carefully designed to create a consistent ambiance throughout.

 

 

"The Starry Night"

 

JUNIPER / SAGE / VETIVER

This one was also too masculine for my taste, but I took a photo since the painting is just so beautiful! 🌌

 

Another lovely piece right beside it 💕

 

At the entrance to the second floor, there’s a massive sunflower artwork with seating in front.

Perfect spot to relax and organize my scent strips for the next section! 🌻📝

 

 

Time to head to the third floor!

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On the third floor, they had video exhibits too, which was cool.

 

There’s also an outdoor area, but it was off-limits.

 

First, I headed to the third exhibition room.

 

Looking down from the third floor, you get a view of the sunflower exhibit on the second floor. 🌻

 

This section seemed to showcase Van Gogh’s later works.

 

"Daubigny’s Garden"

 

FREESIA / TULIP / WHITE WOOD

I immediately liked this one! It starts off really fresh and gradually develops into a more charming scent.

Funny enough, I don’t usually like woody notes, but here they worked for me!

 

"Almond Blossom"

 

GARDENIA / WHITE FLOWER / MUSK

This scent is lovely, but a bit gender-neutral. I can see it being hit or miss depending on personal preference!

 

"Wheat Field with Crows"

 

BERGAMOT / OAKMOSS / CEDARWOOD

This one had a mysterious scent that really matched the painting—it made me think of crows!

But as a diffuser scent, I had to pass on it 😅

 

There are many theories about how Van Gogh’s life ended, and the third exhibit room explores that.

The exhibit ends with Van Gogh’s final days.

 

4th Exhibition Room

 

Here, they displayed letters exchanged between Van Gogh and his brother Theo.

There’s also another video exhibit.

 

The auction prices for Van Gogh’s pieces… wow!

 

Some of them exceeded 150 billion KRW! 😮

 

You can even touch replicas of his original works via 3D scanning. Amazing!

 

I went back down to the second floor and sat on the bench in front of the huge sunflower artwork to make my final decision on which scent I liked best. After much deliberation, I made my choice! What do you think I picked? 😊

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Heading down to the first floor, I found the workshop area!

 

They had samples of keychain crafts as well.

 

I was already familiar with Shrinky Dinks, so I didn’t choose that, but after seeing them, I kinda wanted to try it! 🤭

 

The staff guided us to pick one scent from the options we had tested earlier.

Although I had pre-selected my favorite, I sniffed them once more to be absolutely sure before making the final call.

 

And I chose the scent inspired by "Daubigny’s Garden"! 🌸

 

This space seems to be where you create your own custom fragrance!

 

Our spot was all set up for us.

 

We took our seats at the designated table (so exciting! 🥰).

 

They bring you everything you need right to your seat.

First, you choose two additional scents that will complement the fragrance you already picked.

 

I selected Peony and Cassis: Peony – Pink, sweet, and refreshing Cassis – Green, fruity, and fresh, with a hint of grass

I must like fresh scents 😄

 

Then, we attached the sticker of the artwork associated with our chosen fragrance to the diffuser bottle.

 

My friend picked "Almond Blossom" 🌸

 

Next, we placed the beaker on the scale and set it to zero.

 

We poured in the fragrance we had picked, aiming for 90g.

 

After that, we added the two complementary scents, one drop at a time. We could tweak the fragrance as we went, smelling it along the way.

 

And we cleaned our noses with coffee beans between tests!

 

I added four drops of Peony and two drops of Cassis to keep it fresh and sweet.

 

Lastly, we filled the bottle up to 380g (I added a tiny bit extra, hehe).

 

We stirred the mixture thoroughly with a wooden stick.

 

Finally, we poured the blend into the diffuser bottle, sealed it with a silver cap, and it was done!

 

They even wrapped it up for us! They included the artwork as well 😊

 

The staff advised us to wait 3-4 days before opening it at home for the best scent results.

 

Exit!!

"Filling everyday life with the fragrance of art." 🖼️

Such a satisfying experience! 😊

 

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Art Shop!

• Coasters: 2,500 KRW

 

 

• Automatic umbrella (3-fold): 33,000 KRW
• Mini calendar: 6,500 KRW
• Table calendar: 12,000 KRW

 

• Wireless mouse: 20,000 KRW (I was tempted...!)

 

• AirPods case: 9,000 KRW

 

 

• Portable battery: 25,000 KRW

 

 

• Arch-shaped poster (A3): 12,000 KRW / (A2): 23,000 KRW
• Modern canvas (50x40): 60,000 KRW / (22x27): 20,000 KRW

 

 

• Mini canvas: 18,000 KRW
• Hand mirror: 4,000 KRW

 

 

• Phone grip: 6,000 KRW
• Coloring page: 1,000 KRW

 

 

• Postcard: 1,000 KRW
• Mini notebook: 4,000 KRW

 

 

• Gold-embossed notebook: 5,000 KRW
• Medium notebook: 4,500 KRW
• Weekly planner: 6,500 KRW
• Premium magnet: 5,000 KRW

 

 

• Sachet (1+1): 5,000 KRW
• Diffuser: 25,000 KRW
• Fabric mist: 15,000 KRW

 

 

• Cube (1+1): 13,000 KRW
• Desk mat: 18,000 KRW (This one was especially pretty!)

 

 

• Premium masterpiece stool: 80,000 KRW
• Masterpiece cushion (1+1): 30,000 KRW

 

 

• Masterpiece glass frame: 70,000 KRW / 100,000 KRW
• Vase with Zinnias and Other Flowers by Van Gogh: 567,000 KRW

 

Feeling content with the exhibition, I spent some time strolling around Heyri Art Village.

 

Once I got home, I set up my diffuser. I completely forgot they said to wait 2-3 days before opening it… oops! 😅

But it’s already smelling great, so I’m happy with it! 💖