At Caroline Cecil Textiles, all of our designs originate as our founder’s artwork. It's one of the things that sets us apart, and is at the core of all of our collections. In today's post we'll take a look at some of Caroline's original paintings, sketches, and the early stages of how our designs are developed.

 

 

 

 

“As a textile designer for interiors, I aim to design liveable collections that will enrich homes for decades to come.”

-Caroline Cecil

 

 

PAINTING PROCESS

When designing the ACACIA fabric collection, Caroline went on a solo art retreat for four days in Ojai, California, where she spent her time painting in isolation. Below is a look at some of her original paintings which were inspired by the primitive stone carvings, natural materials and early textiles of Ancient Egypt. ACACIA (pronounced uh-kay-sha), gets its name from the plant praised for its sacred properties, flowers, and seed pods. The painting process can span days, and often amounts to 25-50 paintings to get to a collection of 5 new prints. The overdevelopment process is really important in order to get to the best work!

 

 

 

 

Here's a look at some iPhone shots taken during the painting process:

 

  

MOTIFS, COLOR PALETTE & GROUND CLOTH SELECTIONS

Always working in black and white first, once the initial India ink paintings are developed, Caroline begins exploring color. The ground cloth selection and print color palette are developed in tandem, and always include a balance of warm, cool, and neutral tones. All of our ground cloths are either Certified Belgian Linen, heritage Irish Linen, or Linen/Cotton blends from either Belgium or Ireland. We work with these imported linens as they are the finest in the world, have a superior hand-feel, and support communities of artisan weavers and decades long traditions.

 

 

 

 

"Caroline Cecil Textiles we aim to produce our collections sustainably, by hand, and in a way that infuses our products with soul."

-Caroline Cecil

 

 

Here's a look at Caroline's final ACACIA collection mood board and color palette:

  

 

REPEATS, STRIKE-OFFS & PRODUCTION

Once the collection and color palettes are finalized, the original paintings are turned into repeat patterns, colorways are explored, and the final assortment comes to life. After initial strike-offs are approved, ground cloths ship from Belgium or Ireland to our fabric printer, and the opening production run takes place. To learn more about our fabric printing production process, click here. Inspiring from beginning to end, at Caroline Cecil Textiles we aim to produce our collections sustainably, by hand, and in a way that infuses our products with soul. We look forward to seeing how you use our hand-printed textiles in your beautiful interiors.

 

 

 

Cheers!

Allanah