Our Story

Quiet hands, slow craft, honest light.

Carol Dolinsky has been pouring small-batch soy candles in her Cypress, Texas garage studio since 2018. Here's how it all started — and why we're still in no hurry to grow.

Founder

Hi, I'm Carol.

I grew up in a small town outside Pittsburgh, but every summer my mother would put me on a plane to visit her family in Kashmir. My grandmother's garden in Srinagar smelled like nothing else — saffron drying on linen sheets, roses past their peak, the sharp green of crushed mint. That smell is still my measuring stick.

I moved to Texas in 2003 for my husband's work. Houston has been kind to us. After my kids left for college I started pouring candles in our garage on weekends — partly to keep my hands busy, partly because I couldn't find a single candle in the city that didn't give me a headache. Friends asked for them. Their friends asked for them. By 2019 I had a small wait-list and a name: Kashmira Design, after that garden.

Today it's still just me, my niece Aanya who helps with labels and shipping on Fridays, and a stubborn cat named Pepper who supervises every pour. We're not trying to be a big brand. We're trying to make the best candle we know how to make, and to know the people who light them.

— Carol Dolinsky, founder

How We Pour

Six steps, one tray at a time.

Weigh

Every batch starts on a digital scale. Soy wax flakes, fragrance oils, a single cotton wick — measured to the gram.

Melt

Slow double-boiler melt at 170°F. We never microwave wax — it ruins the throw.

Bind

Fragrance is added at exactly 185°F and stirred for two minutes. Patience is the recipe.

Pour

Cooled to 135°F, then poured slow into pre-warmed jars. Air bubbles ruin the surface.

Cure

Each candle rests for 14 days before it's lit or labeled. Curing is what makes the scent bloom.

Label

Hand-applied kraft labels, signed and dated. If a label is crooked, that's me — sorry.

What We Believe

Five small promises.

100% Soy Wax

American-grown soy. No paraffin, no blends, no additives. Burns 30% slower and cleaner.

Clean Fragrance

Phthalate-free, paraben-free, IFRA-certified oils. Safe for pets, kids, and quiet rooms.

Cruelty-Free

Never tested on animals. Vegan recipes throughout. Beeswax sourced from one Texas apiary we know by name.

Slow Made

Two pours a week, max. We'd rather sell out than rush a batch.

Refillable

Send us your empty Kashmira jar with a SASE and we'll refill it for $22. Glass should outlive us.

In the Workshop

A garage in Cypress, with very good light.

Our studio is a converted two-car garage on Claymont Hill Drive, about 30 minutes north of downtown Houston. Three big windows on the west wall, an old worktop my father-in-law built, and shelves full of jars waiting their turn.

You're welcome to visit by appointment — we love showing people how it all works, and there's always something on the cooling rack. Just send us a note first so we can put coffee on.

Schedule a studio visit →

Kashmira Design workshop in Cypress, TX with shelves of amber jars