Meet Candice Kaye | Founder and Creative Director, Candice Kaye Design (CKD)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Candice Kaye and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candice, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I always knew I wanted to work within the interior space but there was very little exposure to the textile industry. When studying interior design we were told you go to showrooms and choose from the selection that was available. No one told us that there are artists out there that actually created wallpaper, fabrics and embroideries by hand. When I learned this, everything just clicked. Wallpaper, rugs, fabrics, embroideries, tiles, linens, pillows, drapery. The textile industry touches so many surfaces and that was exciting for me. I knew I wanted to do something different, I knew I wanted to change the perspective of what had been done.

It was 2013-2014 when I would walk into commercial spaces, restaurants and hotels and noticed the textile was always somewhat similar. I learned that at that time, there was low selection for commercial grade wallpaper designs and recognized this was a huge opportunity for me.

Maman Cafe was my first client. We did four bespoke one of a kind prints for the cafe. The prints took over New York. This sparked the idea of bespoke one-of-a kind prints, exclusive to the space, prints that no one has seen before. Bespoke textile attracted a very small niche group of clients that wanted something different for their spaces and from there my business Candice Kaye Design (CKD) was born.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I love what I do. I love creating something with my hands and creating opportunities within the textile industry. I love being an artist, but I also love the business side of what I do. It allows me to be creative in different ways.

The journey is not easy, and it does not get easier. You just learn how to adapt to the pressures and stresses of operating a business. My community, friendship and family, are very important to me. Building a business is fun and you can’t forget to live your life along the way. There’s no rush to the finish line, enjoy the process, enjoy the moments that are tough as well as exciting. It’s all part of the process. I wanted to build my business authentically to me.

Lessons I have learned is take your time when building. Every decision, even the ones that seem small at the beginning, can make a large impact in the direction your business goes. Don’t rush, take your time. Allow for the failures to feel as normal as the wins. There are high, highs with low, lows. And most importantly is get to know yourself. Understand who you are, what you stand for, get to know your intuition. You’re going to need all of these tools when making decisions. So many people will give you their opinions which is great, but make sure these are best for you and your business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love Malibu. I would stay there for the weekend. I am happier near the ocean. For places to eat! Try Little Doms, Sunset Tower (for the martinis and fries), Horses, Angelina for Italian, Bar Stella in Silver Lake. For antique furniture Sunbeam in Highland Park is a great place to go shopping!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Elisa Marshall and Ben Sormonte from Maman, Steven Salm from Planta, David Grutman from Groot Hospitality, Kristin Vincent from Sel Rrose in New York and Montauk, and then every client in between and after them. Together my clients and I built this bespoke concept. They trusted me to do something different, something no one at that time was doing. They saw something in me before I knew what this bespoke concept could truly become. It’s impossible to build something alone. You need support, you need to bounce ideas off of ideas.

And of course my Mom. We would sit for hours going over the business model, trying to understand how to charge, where to find suppliers, how to manage it all. I don’t know if I would have a career if it wasn’t for her.

Website: https://www.candicekayedesign.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_candicekaye_/

Image Credits
First photo (headshot image with orange background) Sophia Schrank (www.sophiaschrank.com)
Additional Images 1-4 Charles Stanislaw Graham (www.cgstanislaw.com)
Images 5-6 Saru Insatgram: @asksaru