"You go to Paris, Berlin, anywhere—each city has a smell," says Céline Ellena, daughter of Hermès' master perfumer, Jean-Claude Ellena, when we meet in Grasse at the sprawling glass-walled atelier that they share with co-crèateur Christine Nagel. For Céline, New York City smells like a waft of bodega lilies and eucalyptus, a scent that's now available exclusively at Hermès' first free-standing parfumerie, located in Manhattan's Brookfield Place. 

To celebrate the parfumerie opening, Céline dreamed up a candle, lovingly called The Shop Around the Corner, a nod to the bookshop in the 1940 film of the same name (and Nora Ephron's beloved New York story, You've Got Mail). "The way the lily and the eucalyptus come together is wonderful," Céline says. "It's telling New Yorkers to take their time. Take your shoes off and go home. Make your coffee or tea."

Designed to evoke the feeling of home—albeit an exceptionally photogenic one—Hermès' Parfumerie features a marble foyer that leads to a library flanked by geometric bookshelves. At the back is Le Bain, a dreamy beauty enclave with soaps and scents for the hair and body. Like a New York City apartment, every inch of the space serves a purpose. Here, we sit down at what would be the dining room table to talk fragrance with Jean-Claude and Céline Ellena, and Christine Nagel.

Do I need to change my fragrance for fall?

Jean-Claude: You can wear the same perfume the whole year or the whole life without changing. It's your personality. There's a more economical approach. Distributors of perfume would say that you have to change your perfume every season so that you have to buy more.

Céline: What's important is what you feel. If you feel comfortable with an amber note even in summer, it's your own choice. Of course I know that marketing says you need to use fresh fragrance when it's hot, but it's more a question of what mood you are in at this moment.

What's the key to choosing a perfect perfume? 

Christine: Trust your instincts. It wouldn't be as poetic if there were other reasons than instinct. Perfume means a lot. If you took the time to smell more than look, it would tell you more about a person. It's a very intimate thing.

Is there a right way to apply a fragrance?

Christine: Some people just want an intimate thing that they can smell. Some people want to attract the attention of someone far away.

Jean-Claude: The heat of the skin makes the perfume disappear. If you put it on the clothes it lasts longer.

This is weird, but can you see scents?

Céline: When I smell grapefruit of mandarin or citrus, for me it's like juicy green.

Does scent correlate with mood?

If you feel well with your fragrance, it's very positive. 

Hermès Parfumerie at Brookfield Place, 225 Liberty Street, NYC.