Talk Shop: Caroline Cecil // Caroline Cecil Textiles
Photo by Erica + Jon
ABOUT CAROLINE
Always an artist, Founder, CEO, Creative Director, and namesake Caroline Cecil studied graphic design and business at Parsons The New School For Design and received her BFA in Textile Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Prior to founding Caroline Cecil Textiles, her experience spanned from couture textile design for fashion runway collections to conceptualizing mass-market textile assortments for corporate brands.
Wanting to bring her artwork to life – and into thoughtfully designed spaces – she started Caroline Cecil Textiles. These first capsule collections were created from her original India Ink paintings, often working with her grandmother’s brushes. As she explores more art forms, Caroline Cecil Textiles continues to debut new collections with a fresh yet easily layered aesthetic that’s wonderfully one of a kind. She just launched her new collection of pillows, and we are big fans.
Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Caroline enjoys spending her spare time with her husband, 1 year old son, and toy Pomeranian. And to keep expanding her creative horizons, she continues painting, photography, and hiking – taking in fresh inspiration from her new surroundings. We sat down with the multi-hyphenate to talk all things design – check it out below.
Describe your style in three words or less:
Modern, timeless, fashionable.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Growing up in a remote coastal town in Maine. Traveling to Paris with my family as a young girl, where we stayed at the Ritz, which forged my lifelong love for luxury brands. Chapters of my life spent living in New York City and Los Angeles.
How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:
I started Caroline Cecil Textiles in 2014 after having spent a decade working in the textile industry for a number of other companies. My father was an entrepreneur and antique car collector, and my grandmother was a professional watercolor artist, so it had always been a dream of mine and a natural progression to start my own business in the arts. Prior to starting CCT, I spent my BFA studying textile printing, dyeing, and weaving, and went onto create hand painted textile collections for several famous fashion houses, held corporate design positions at large retailers like Target and Levi’s, and worked for two Silicon-Valley based VC backed companies as the Design Director. So after gathering all of that workplace experience I had a pretty far reaching knowledge of the textile industry and the parts I liked and the parts I didn’t like. I knew I wanted to create textile collections that would celebrate the artisan-made, and could be produced in America in partnership with other small businesses.
As a creative person, working for yourself is so liberating since you’re able to get inspired and own the entire process of bringing a collection to life from idea to production to bringing it to market. I also truly love many aspects of the business outside of the creative part, from marketing to operations to production to customer service and while I have a small team helping run CCT, I’m very involved in every aspect of the company. All of our designs originate as my own paintings and while we’re very selective about how often we launch collections (launching only when we’re inspired to, not because the calendar tells us which is fairly wasteful and unnecessary), I try to make painting and new artwork development a regular part of my schedule to stay inspired.
Photo by Erica + Jon
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
Serena Dugan and John Robshaw made big impressions on me early on in my career, and shared bits of advice over coffee that I remember to this day, years later. My late father was also a big influence and demonstrated to me from a young age how invigorating starting and running a business can be.
What does your home say about you:
That I’m a TOTAL clean freak and I like white, haha. When most people walk into my home they comment on how calm it feels, like entering a spa, which I take as the highest compliment since it’s my goal to make my home feel calming and balancing. The greatest luxuries in my life have been trips to destination spas, where you can decompress and find center again, so I’ve tried to incorporate that into our home as much as possible. I’ve used Caroline Cecil Textiles hand screen printed textiles throughout our home as custom window treatments, upholstery and pillows, along with our wallpapers. Our fabrics are all hand printed onto the finest Certified Belgian or heritage Irish linen grounds, so the handfeel and drape is really beautiful upon installation and over time develops a natural lived-in look and feel. For the most part the patterns and colors in our collections aren’t loud, so they make a space feel serene and peaceful, working harmoniously with other design elements.
Where do you find inspiration:
My one year old son, Croi. Travel, my dreams, our garden.
Who are your style icons:
For personal style and makeup, it starts and ends with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. I love her modern, natural look.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
Our home is located in Phoenix, Arizona, we moved here a few years ago after having lived in Los Angeles and San Francisco. What can I say, we got tired of the traffic and overcrowded everything and just wanted more space. The Phoenix neighborhood we moved to was a citrus orchard in the 1950s, so there’s always an abundance of citrus fruit growing. When entertaining, I love using a massive bowl of freshly picked lemons for a centerpiece. Candles set the mood, beautiful table linens, and of course AMAZING food is a must.
Do you collect anything:
I’ve taken up rose gardening, so one could say I collect roses! My favorites are Eden Climbers and Icebergs. I collect crystals for their healing properties and also collect YSL handbags (although it’s a MUCH smaller collection than I’d like lol), Vans sneakers, and paintbrushes.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
Interior designer @erica_gelman, fashion designer @gabrielahearst, style icon @rosiehw, dear friend & artist @bkaspr, and @harrietwestmoreland (yes, I love Rosie HW’s manicurist!)
Photo by Erica + Jon
What design “rule” do you always follow:
Don’t over design.
What are you working on right now:
We recently launched our debut ready-made pillow collection, which represents half a year of work. I’m extremely picky when it comes to taking on new production partners, and so finding the right cut and sew, the perfect fills that would all uphold CCT’s quality standards and brand ethos, took some time. The collection comprises 12 of our hand screen printed fabrics, available in a range of sizes: 20x20”, 22x22”, and 12x21” with gorgeous 90/10 goose down fills. Starting on April 7th, you can explore our pillow collection here. Up next, I’ll be shifting focus to a very exciting collaboration with a furniture brand which is slated to launch this summer.
Wardrobe staples:
I’m a dressy jeans and t-shirt type of girl. Theory ribbed t-shirts, Agolde denim, Gucci loafers, YSL crossbody... Alo loungewear (ahem, COVID).
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
Fabric: TITIK White Natural
Wallpaper: CITRA Grey
Best interior advice you ever received:
Flooring, walls and the ceiling are the canvas. Start with a well crafted and clear one.
Best career advice you ever received:
Don’t take no for an answer.
Photo by Erica + Jon
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Invest in: window treatments, upholstery, pillows, art, bedding, lighting, flooring, furniture… does that leave anything to save on, haha?
Your greatest extravagance:
Pre COVID: traveling to the BVI
Post COVID: getting a glass of wine with a girlfriend
Favorite places to shop for home:
Most prized possession and why:
My home, because it’s a creative expression of my family’s values, our love for art, and our rituals.
Your interiors motto:
Let the textiles and art be the visual anchor.
Your life motto:
My later father once told me to always do what I say I’m going to do, and that living is all about IDEAS and bringing them to life. I hold those ideas dear to my heart.
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Be confident in your ability to be selective. Pick 3 styles you like, identify why you like them, and then borrow your favorite attributes from each o make your own style.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Any breakfast food
Drink: Vodka Martini
Film: Phantom Thread
Hotel: Hôtel Ritz Paris
City: Paris
Bedding: Caroline Cecil Textiles dec pillows, and Coyuchi sheets
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Kona coffee flown in from Hawaii with a little almond milk
Playlist: Sarah Vaugan in Hi-Fi
Weekend Activity: Gardening, hiking, shopping
Design Book: Monochrome Home: Elegant Interiors in Black and White