Founder of Candice Kaye Design, Artist and Creative Director, meet the mastermind behind the booming bespoke textile brand.

Candice’s unique creative flare and love for texture and intricate detail is evident in her brand ethos which resonates deeply with our latest additions to our ‘Villeggiare’ collection.

Explore LA and the best hotel tips with Candice on the journal:

My name is Candice Kaye, founder, artist and creative director of Candice Kaye Design. CKD is a textile design studio that specialises in bespoke one of a kind wallpaper, fabrics and rugs within the commercial and residential space. Our work can be seen in restaurants and hotels within Toronto, LA, Miami, New York, Dallas and most recently Las Vegas!

Every piece created comes from a feeling. I guess this is very much how I live my life. I am intentional with who I spend my time with, where I choose to live, how I spend my days. It has to feel aligned with who I am as a person.

I love hand painting and how the hand painted details show up on the wallpaper when printed. It’s that attention to detail that will evoke a feeling. Every element matters when putting together a wallpaper print, a rug or a fabric. When creating a rug for example, we look at every yarn, weave type, and knot count of the rug to give my client the perfect piece for the function needed. Our rugs are handmade in Nepal. Every yarn is dyed by hand, every knot hand knotted by our weavers. When the piece is complete you can feel that attention to detail through the pieces. It is special.

I have fallen in love with Los Angeles. I love how creative it feels, the ocean just thirty minutes away from a city. It has an energy that I have not felt anywhere else. Similar to New York, you can’t really duplicate the energy of New York anywhere else. It is one of a kind.

Eat:

In LA, I love to get a martini and oysters at Sunset Tower. Nobu in Malibu is also a beautiful spot to watch the sun go down. After a long day I’ll get in my car, blast my music and drive down to Malibu. It’s my time to unwind. Great White both in Venice and West Hollywood are great. Barre Santos, Mother Wolf, Jones, Angelini. Felix Trattoria in Venice.

Stay:

At; the Petit Ermitage Hotel. If you’re a member of the Soho House, Soho Warehouse & Holloway House. Kelly Wearstler’s Proper Hotel in Santa Monica is stunning! I have always been a huge fan of hers.

Shop:

I like to walk down Melrose and search through the vintage pieces. Bode is a stunning store! The decor and the pieces are really different. I can sit in bookstores forever. Beautiful design coffee table books have been an obsession of mine for a long time. Alice Temperley’s True British was actually how I discovered the textile industry! Maison Plage in LA sources the raddest collection of books. This is top secret!

My playlist is so random! It has now become a mix of my time spent in Tulum, Mexico, LA. It has everything from chill vibes to R&B, to Jhene Aiko, to SZA.

There is nothing I love more than staying in a hotel I can lean into and feel at home. Some of my favourites:

– Coqui Coqui locations in Mexico

– Hotel Cotes: Paris, France

– The June Motel: Sauble Beach (a project I have worked on)

– Langdon Hall Country House: Ontario, Canada

– The Goodtime Hotel: Miami, USA

– Proper Hotel: Santa Monica, USA

– Belles Rives: Cap D’ Antibes, France

– The Ritz: Montreal, Canada (newly renovated and beautiful)

– Soho Beach House: Miami, USA

CKD’s newest bespoke mural created for Maison Kasai is one of my favourites! Level 8 is a multi-venue experience located at the Moxy/AC Hotel downtown Los Angeles. Working with Michael Morris, Mark Houston and Jonnie Houston on this project was a dream. The concept was French art deco and the guys let me have fun with it. My goal was for this wall to feel luxe. I did not want to compete with the art deco accents already in the space, I wanted to create a piece that would compliment them in a subtle yet effective way. We hand painted art deco inspired ladies, played with the scale and experimented with tone on tone gold reflective printing to bring this wall to life. We left moments like the black gloves, red lips and earrings printed in colour to add some highlight to the piece. I really love how this turned out.

I have always felt that if I were bringing a new product into this world I have a responsibility to make sure that we are paying attention to the sustainability of that product. All of our wallpaper grounds are eco-friendly. Fabrics, inks and dyes are also eco-friendly.

Fashion was my first love. I would change my outfit 3-4 times a day when I was younger, and then hide my clothes in my closet so my mom wouldn’t find out. As I got older I became fascinated with couture. I would watch the makings of a piece for hours. Every bead placed for a purpose, every flower placed by hand. You can feel the craftsmanship of the piece through the screen. My personal style has always been my own. I dress the way I feel. When I moved to New York in my 20’s I would grab my camera and join the street style photographers during fashion week. The street style fascinated me more than what was on the runway.

I love to see the authenticity through how someone puts themselves together. The pieces I styled were very much me. Pieces that I would take out of my closet and wear to a party with cowboy boots, my hair naturally curly and light makeup. On the go with black loafers. Attending a chic LA party in the Hills in a long black dress and black sunnies.