In an old monastery's library, where shelves of ancient, leather-bound volumes stretch into shadows, the air is thick with the scent of musty parchment and whispered secrets. One fateful night, a scholar discovers a hidden chamber behind a sliding bookshelf, revealing a sinister tome bound in black, its pages filled with arcane symbols and dark prophecies. As the scholar reads, the library itself seems to breathe with an unsettling presence. When he finishes the book, he vanishes, becoming part of the shadowy library forever, leaving only a haunting silence — and the smell of vetiver and dusty pages.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Best worn when you want a scent that feels close, cerebral and slightly uncanny, as if you have stepped out of a quiet archive with dust on your sleeves. It suits intimate rooms and slow conversation, where its paper-and-leather texture can unfold without losing its eerie restraint.
How to wear
This extrait is best applied sparingly in cool to mild weather, where its woody, leathery core can stay defined rather than blur. One or two sprays are enough for a focused, close-to-skin trail; in warmer air it will read drier and more papery, while in cold weather the balsamic base adds a deeper, shadowed warmth.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like literary, atmospheric scents with a dry woody spine and a tactile, old-world feel. It will appeal to those drawn to leather, paper, herbs and resin rather than sweetness, and to anyone who prefers fragrance with narrative depth and a slightly gothic edge.
Release year
2019
The nose
Arina Franzén. A self-taught perfumer with formal certification in natural perfumery, Franzén approaches fragrance as narrative craft: compact, atmospheric compositions that read like scenes rather than abstract accords. Her work for Dark Tales leans into gothic imagery, botanical materials and tactile textures such as paper, wood and leather. Old Library fits that language closely, turning a literary setting into a scent with a dry, resinous, slightly eerie presence.
Collaborators
Tim Franzén, as co-founder and financial director, helped shape the brand’s direction and supported the house behind the fragrance, while Arina Franzén led the creative concept and formulation. Madeline Waring, as production manager, contributed to the in-studio making and continuity of the brand’s small-batch output.
Dark Tales’s story
Dark Tales is a small artisan house built around storytelling, botanical materials and handcrafted perfumery. Its identity is deliberately literary and atmospheric, with vegan, cruelty-free, IFRA-compliant compositions that aim to evoke places, scenes and moods rather than generic luxury polish.
Old Library’s concept
Old Library was conceived as a gothic literary tableau: an ancient monastery library, leather-bound volumes, powdered pages and hidden chambers behind sliding shelves. The fragrance translates that scene into scent, with basil, leather, paper and resinous woods suggesting both the physical space and the unsettling story of a scholar lost to the library’s shadows.
Extra info
Available as a 30ml extrait de parfum and still in production. The fragrance is part of Dark Tales’ story-driven portfolio, where each scent is framed as an olfactory tale rather than a conventional composition.
In an old monastery's library, where shelves of ancient, leather-bound volumes stretch into shadows, the air is thick with the scent of musty parchment and whispered secrets. One fateful night, a scholar discovers a hidden chamber behind a sliding bookshelf, revealing a sinister tome bound in black, its pages filled with arcane symbols and dark prophecies. As the scholar reads, the library itself seems to breathe with an unsettling presence. When he finishes the book, he vanishes, becoming part of the shadowy library forever, leaving only a haunting silence — and the smell of vetiver and dusty pages.
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Best worn when you want a scent that feels close, cerebral and slightly uncanny, as if you have stepped out of a quiet archive with dust on your sleeves. It suits intimate rooms and slow conversation, where its paper-and-leather texture can unfold without losing its eerie restraint.
How to wear
This extrait is best applied sparingly in cool to mild weather, where its woody, leathery core can stay defined rather than blur. One or two sprays are enough for a focused, close-to-skin trail; in warmer air it will read drier and more papery, while in cold weather the balsamic base adds a deeper, shadowed warmth.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like literary, atmospheric scents with a dry woody spine and a tactile, old-world feel. It will appeal to those drawn to leather, paper, herbs and resin rather than sweetness, and to anyone who prefers fragrance with narrative depth and a slightly gothic edge.
Release year
2019
The nose
Arina Franzén. A self-taught perfumer with formal certification in natural perfumery, Franzén approaches fragrance as narrative craft: compact, atmospheric compositions that read like scenes rather than abstract accords. Her work for Dark Tales leans into gothic imagery, botanical materials and tactile textures such as paper, wood and leather. Old Library fits that language closely, turning a literary setting into a scent with a dry, resinous, slightly eerie presence.
Collaborators
Tim Franzén, as co-founder and financial director, helped shape the brand’s direction and supported the house behind the fragrance, while Arina Franzén led the creative concept and formulation. Madeline Waring, as production manager, contributed to the in-studio making and continuity of the brand’s small-batch output.
Dark Tales’s story
Dark Tales is a small artisan house built around storytelling, botanical materials and handcrafted perfumery. Its identity is deliberately literary and atmospheric, with vegan, cruelty-free, IFRA-compliant compositions that aim to evoke places, scenes and moods rather than generic luxury polish.
Old Library’s concept
Old Library was conceived as a gothic literary tableau: an ancient monastery library, leather-bound volumes, powdered pages and hidden chambers behind sliding shelves. The fragrance translates that scene into scent, with basil, leather, paper and resinous woods suggesting both the physical space and the unsettling story of a scholar lost to the library’s shadows.
Extra info
Available as a 30ml extrait de parfum and still in production. The fragrance is part of Dark Tales’ story-driven portfolio, where each scent is framed as an olfactory tale rather than a conventional composition.