Question:
Let me define the characteristics of the houses the way I see it:

Serge Lutens - they have defined their "niche", that is, arabian-inspired oriental scents. For sure, there is no other house which makes fragrances like them, but as a result of this focus, many of their fragrance can smell similar because their perfume design base (candied fruits, amber and benzoin) is quite heavy and can overwhelm their subtle variations on standard note themes (florals, sandalwood, leather, etc). There are some which dont conform to this "metamodel" so to speak (Iris Silver Mist, Muscs Koublai Khan, Encens et Lavande), but most do. If you love rich heavy orientals, Serge Lutens should be on your list.

Montale - they have two product lines, and the Aoud line is the most attractive. Its similar to the Serge Lutens approach in that aoud is their "base", and can at times overpower the composition. But it is their niche focus, and their ouds are amongst the best around.

L'Artisan, MPG, Bond no. 9 - like Creed, they seem to have more variety and aren't as focused on a standard "theme". Well, Bond no. 9 claim to bottle up NYC, but the connection between the juice in the bottle and the Big Apple enviroments is tenuous at best. Having said that, their juice is often very well made. I dont consider L'Artisan to have "mind-bending creativity" as claimed by others; while Creed try to recreate more "fresh" environments like mountain air, valleys, beaches and tropical islands, L'Artisan recreate more oriental/asian/mediterranean environments like budhist temples (Dzongkha), west africa (Timbuktu) amongst others, alongwith renditions of standard notes like tuberose, sandalwood, patchouli, musk, amber and vetiver. I would want their juice to be stronger, but the new organic line might be one to look out for.

You might also want to look at Santa Maria Novella (supermarky can perhaps help here), Parfums D'Empire, and Lorenzo Villoresi.

Answer:
Invaluable information from all.. Iv now got a great deal to work with..
Thanks to everyone for taking time out to reply..
Great stuff

Answer:
i would start with Creed (M. Imperial or Silver Mountain Water)
or Bond No. 9 (Wall Street).
Do you like more sweet or fresh scents and how old are you?

Answer:
I do like fresh scents and im 35 years old

Answer:
To be honest, I prefer designer. I'm not too up on my niche, but I'd roll with:
Himalaya
Acqua di Parma - Colonia
Mure et Musc Extreme
Nomad

Answer:
Deck - not sure if you're near London but you'll find a lot of niche brands in the shops there.
Liberty (Regent Street) stocks Artisan, Creed, CdG, Serge Lutens, Miller Harris, Annick Goutal and many others. The SAs aren't overbearing and they have lots of tester strips to try fragrances on.
Selfridges also has a wide range of stuff but on a weekend I find it unbearable and the SAs are a lot more in your face. I prefer to shop elsewhere.
Les Senteurs is a small shop in Belgravia (5-10 minutes walk from Victoria station) and stock Creed, Lutens, Frederic Malle, Knize, Annick Goutal, Parfums de Rosine and more. They are generally very helpful and happy to give samples.
Harvey Nichols (Knightsbridge - also about 5-10 minutes walk from Les Senteurs) stocks the Bond line as well as others.
If you make a day of it and do Les Senteurs and Harvey Nicks, there's also a Chanel boutique between the two where you can try Les Exclusifs (if Chanel is your bag - it isn't mine, to be honest).
Otherwise, Les Senteurs does a sample service so you can try out the Creeds and Lutens at your leisure before buying.

Answer:
If you like fresh scents Creed is good at making green, floral or marine fresh scents. For me the Lutens are the most satisfying niche experience as far as 'my' experience goes.

Answer:
Originally Posted by Indiscreet Deck - not sure if you're near London but you'll find a lot of niche brands in the shops there.
Liberty (Regent Street) stocks Artisan, Creed, CdG, Serge Lutens, Miller Harris, Annick Goutal and many others. The SAs aren't overbearing and they have lots of tester strips to try fragrances on.
Selfridges also has a wide range of stuff but on a weekend I find it unbearable and the SAs are a lot more in your face. I prefer to shop elsewhere.
Les Senteurs is a small shop in Belgravia (5-10 minutes walk from Victoria station) and stock Creed, Lutens, Frederic Malle, Knize, Annick Goutal, Parfums de Rosine and more. They are generally very helpful and happy to give samples.
Harvey Nichols (Knightsbridge - also about 5-10 minutes walk from Les Senteurs) stocks the Bond line as well as others.
If you make a day of it and do Les Senteurs and Harvey Nicks, there's also a Chanel boutique between the two where you can try Les Exclusifs (if Chanel is your bag - it isn't mine, to be honest).
Otherwise, Les Senteurs does a sample service so you can try out the Creeds and Lutens at your leisure before buying. I live in SHEFFIELD and the best i can test is designer.. Anything up to Chanel!
Thanks for the info though..
BK for swap!!