Candice Kaye Design have been Shortlisted for Wall Covering Award in The International Design and Architecture Awards 2021. Read more about Founder and Creative Director Candice Kaye below:

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Name: Candice Kaye

Company: Candice Kaye Design

Position within company: Founder and Creative Director 

Website: candicekayedesign.com

Tell us a little about your background in design (education, experience, etc)

Hello! My name Candice Kaye the founder and creative director of Candice Kaye Design. I always knew I wanted to be in the creative industry, I experimented with dance, photography and blogging until I left an interior design program and took a trip to Paris. While in Paris I accidentally, or serendipitously, wandered into a fabric manufacturing warehouse and when I touched the fabrics it was like my hands remembered something my mind had forgotten. After this, there was no back-up plan and I moved to New York City to pursue textile design full-time. 

Long-time friend and owner of Maman Café, Elisa Marshall, asked me to create four custom prints for the café that would become the heart of the brand. This sparked CKD’s influx of bespoke creations for restaurants, cafés, hotels, bars and private residences across New York, Toronto, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and Australia. 

Since launching in 2015, Candice Kaye Design now dreams up custom prints for bespoke clients alongside offering collections of wallpaper, rugs and embroidered linen online. In 2019, Candice Kaye Design collaborated on a CB2 collection transforming her iconic (and Instagrammable) prints to exclusive rugs, bedding and pillows. Looking to the future, Candice Kaye Design continues to push boundaries with new product launches, bespoke creations and collaborations. 

How would you describe your personal design style?

Color, scale and feeling are at the center of the Candice Kaye Design approach. Every print is hand painted with watercolour or with gouache paint technique before the artwork it is scanned into the computer for layout and repeat. 

Where does your design inspiration come from?

Candice finds inspiration from travel and lived experiences whether it be a piece of artwork in a marketplace, a conversation with locals or rugs from a local liquidation sale (as found in her recent rug line). Candice is always seeking to push the boundaries of interior design through innovation and shifting perspective, making home design personal and inviting. 

In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?

Like all design trends, they move in cycles that rotate and comeback. In terms of textile within the interiors, I’m seeing a huge move towards mixing textures and prints. We are moving away from the trendy stark white interior and entering a time of more exploration. 

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in 2021 and beyond.

Scale, colour, texture, space and light.  

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid! Explore and experiment colour and pieces that are outside of your comfort zone. If you’re mixing print on print, play with the different scales and see what feels best to you. 

How important are The International Design & Architecture Awards?

There are so many incredible talented people out there. They should be celebrated and acknowledged!! 

What projects are you currently working on?

There are a few really fun commercial projects on the go within Miami, Los Angeles and Toronto. My clients are pushing the boundaries with these spaces. It’s been such a fun experience. 

I am also working on our first boutique hotel experience with interior design firm Iron and Ivory. The textile will be a holistic, thoughtful and immersive experience from the wallpaper to the rugs to the tableware. 

What was your favourite project to work on and why?

Each project is different which makes each project special with its own adventure! I don’t have a favourite. 

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?

Finding commercial grade upholstery fabric with over 50,000 Double Rubs, stain and water resistant with fire rated quality was a tough process. It took a lot of trial and error and sampling and testing to get it right. But we did it, and the banquettes turned out beautifully. 

Which products/services could you not live without when designing?

Photoshop 

What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?

Candice Kaye Design has been working hard on brand building beyond the bespoke commercial services. I am building out new products like embroidered linen, upholstery fabrics that can be sold by the yard, drapery, tableware and rugs. 

Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself and your daily inspirations:

Your most treasured possession?

Growing up my mom taught us how to truly appreciate moments and pieces that hold value. She taught us about quality, and how important it is to invest in pieces that last and have meaning. Whenever we would travel she would buy us a piece of jewelry to remember that adventure. All of my pieces of jewelry are now a collection of my travels, or from a meaningful moment in my life. 

Your favourite holiday destination?

St Tropez

Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar?

Four Seasons Surf Club, Sel Rrose in New York, Papi Steak in Miami

Your favourite book, film & song?

I am currently reading DVF The Woman I Wanted To Be, Cinderella, Crazy Beautiful Luke Combs

Your favourite food and drink?

Oysters with vodka martini 

Your favourite way to spend an afternoon?

Reading

If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?

If I could sing, I would be a musician 

Candice Kaye Design

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