Ten|4 Candle Co. Collaboration
In collaboration with Chicago-based Ten|4 Candle Co., Hasty & Co. is developing a custom signature fragrance inspired by the warmth of home, the beauty of everyday rituals, and the quiet luxury of thoughtful hospitality. Designed to evoke a sense of comfort, sophistication, and belonging, this bespoke scent is the first step toward creating a distinctive sensory identity for Hasty & Co.
The Art of a Signature Scent
A Hasty & Co. Collaboration with Ten|4 Candle Co.
I believe that a home should be remembered not only for how it looks, but for how it makes people feel. The warmth of the lighting, the books on the shelves, the welcome extended to a guest—and, perhaps most evocatively, the fragrance.
My relationship with fragrance, however, has not always been so romantic.
In November 2019, a fire destroyed our home, including my collection of perfumes. For months afterward, unfamiliar scents were a source of anxiety rather than pleasure. Rediscovering fragrance became an unexpectedly meaningful part of rebuilding my sense of home.
One of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received was a Jo Malone fragrance sampler from my husband, Eric, shortly after the fire. We spent evenings experimenting with different scents, discovering which notes appealed to us individually and which complemented one another. Years later, during a trip to New York, we visited Jo Malone for a fragrance consultation. We ultimately selected the same base fragrance—a small, lovely coincidence that made our individual scents feel connected.
I loved the idea that our son might someday associate a particular fragrance with us, just as certain scents immediately remind me of my mother and grandmother.
Over the years, I've continued exploring fragrance with increasing intentionality. Two perfumes became particular favorites: Jo Malone's Dark Amber & Ginger Lily, with its rich amber, ginger, and cardamom, and Serge Lutens' Five O'Clock au Gingembre, a sophisticated blend of ginger, tea, and warm spices.
Through sampling and experimentation, I began to recognize a common thread in my preferences: aromatic spices, warm woods, soft amber, and a restrained freshness. Fragrances that feel layered and inviting rather than sweet or overpowering. Distinctive, but never demanding attention.
When I began imagining a signature fragrance for Hasty & Co., I knew I wanted something that could capture this sensibility in a candle.
In October 2026, I approached Ivy of Chicago-based Ten|4 Candle Co., a longtime creative collaborator and supporter of my Chicago Literary Salon, about developing a bespoke scent.
My inspiration was simple: an intimate, beautifully designed boutique hotel on a cold winter afternoon. Polished wood, warm lighting, a suggestion of tea and spice, and the comforting invitation to settle into an armchair with a good book.
I wanted a winter fragrance, but not a holiday fragrance. Something equally at home on a snowy January afternoon or a rainy October evening. Sophisticated but approachable. Warm without being heavy. Quietly luxurious.
The resulting collaboration is about more than creating a beautiful candle. It's an exploration of how fragrance can become part of a home's identity, how sensory details shape our memories, and how something as simple as lighting a candle can transform an ordinary afternoon into a small occasion.
Because at Hasty & Co., the smallest details are often the ones we remember longest.