Christina Hermes Atelier is a small candle house on 76th Avenue where every vessel is poured by hand, wick by wick, in batches of forty or fewer. We work with California soy wax, ethically sourced essential oils and a very patient timer.
Every candle in the atelier belongs to one of six seasonal chapters. We keep the range small on purpose — we would rather do a handful of scents very well than a hundred adequately.
Green fig, bruised leaf, a whisper of black tea. Best lit at 4:47 p.m.
$42
Bergamot, cotton musk, cedar. The scent of a bedroom that has been aired.
$38
Burnt sugar, tonka, a fireplace two rooms away. For long reading nights.
$44
Our studio is a converted print shop on the edge of the Fruitvale district. Tariq — the founder — writes each fragrance himself and pours the first batch of every season. The rest of the team is small and stays small: two apprentices, one very good cat named Odessa.
We keep our supply chain intentionally short. Wax from Central Valley farms, glassware from a Sacramento maker, cotton wicks from a fifth-generation American mill. When we cannot verify where a material was made, we do not use it.
Meet Tariq & the team →110% cotton wicks and a wax blend tuned for a full melt pool without soot. A 9 oz vessel burns for 55–60 hours.
Essential oils from named farms in Grasse, Provence and Sonoma. Full ingredient list on every label.
Return your empty glass to the studio (or by mail) and we will refill it for 25% off. Vessels are meant to stay with you.
No beeswax, no palm, no animal testing. Ever. Certified by Leaping Bunny since 2021.
Glass, aluminum, uncoated kraft paper, soy-based ink. Even the shipping tape is paper.
Every candle ships with a small card noting its batch, pour date and the initials of who poured it.
I bought Linen Room on a whim at the Grand Lake farmer's market and now I keep a spare in the cupboard. It smells like the first Sunday of spring.
The Fig Hour is the only autumn candle I've found that doesn't smell like a Halloween store. Restrained and grown-up.
Tariq refilled two of my old vessels in the studio. Ten minutes and a small cup of coffee. Perfect afternoon.
Some scents are better as a memory than a monthly candle. A short essay on knowing when to stop.
What a Tuesday looks like when we release a new batch: 6 a.m. wax melt, 11 a.m. wick set, 3 p.m. labels.
Tariq drove to Firebaugh to meet the farmer who grows the beans we use. Notes and photographs.
