CAROLINE HECKEL
There will be Light
After a first professional life in the media and communication, Caroline Heckel reconverted to decoration, her lifelong passion, before embarking on an entrepreneurial adventure as luminous as it is eco-responsible...
On a regular basis, Chardon Paris asks women and men to "literally empty their bags" and share their daily habits. In the "city girls in a hurry" series, I ask for Caroline, a successful entrepreneur who switches from media to interior design with taste and talent. Caroline runs around all day with her bag under her arm, when she's not creating lights in her workshop. She introduces us to "okaou", her faithful companion and through him her busy daily life...
Who are you?
My name is Caroline, I'm 44 years old, I'm married and I have two very nice teenagers, in short I'm lucky. We live in Meudon, a stone's throw from Paris, where we enjoy the peace and quiet of our flat on the ground floor of a pretty 1930s millstone. After working for more than 15 years in marketing departments for large groups (media and industry), I decided to change my professional life to become an interior designer. It's not very original, I had my mid-life crisis! I keep telling myself that you only have one life, and I'm lucky enough to have been able to invest myself fully in this first professional reconversion thanks to my husband who encourages me to do what I love. "In the worst case we'll go and raise goats in Larzac, we'll find solutions, don't worry! ».
I have always liked to rethink spaces, to find design solutions, to play with the smallest corners of a room, to give an interior a new look, because I think it is essential to feel good at home in order to recharge your batteries. My family and friends encouraged me to listen to my desires and I took my courage in both hands to leave a routine that had become less and less fulfilling. I already had some experience in the field of interior design but I preferred to go back to school to have a solid foundation and benefit from the expertise and knowledge of professionals in this field. I graduated in 2016 (Ateliers Grégoire / La fabrique CCI Paris), and I launched myself into this new activity with some beautiful projects from friends and family who trusted me.
And then at the end of 2018, I felt like mixing my passion for decoration with my desire to create everyday objects from scratch. With my head full of ideas, I started to create lighting fixtures mixing old and new elements. I'm very happy, I spend my days creating in my workshop, finding wonders and I'm lucky enough to meet incredible people every day. You can find my world on insta @caroline_heckel, on carolineheckel.com or in real life during the sales I organize with other designers several times a year!
Which bag(s) do you use on a daily basis?
The "Okaou" bag! photo©Caroline Heckel
My leather bag offered by my best friends for my 35th birthday! I love it, it's very practical, it has lots of pockets inside and outside, it's got a patina with time and I think it's beautiful with its cognac colour, a bit vintage
What do you take with you?
Everything for my survival outside the house. If I had to give it a nickname, my bag would be called "Just in case" or "Okaou" because there is a lot of stuff in it "just in case".
What items do you always carry in your bag (your must-haves)?
I always carry my wallet of course, a small purse, a small bag with make-up, plasters, aspirin, refreshing wipes, a pencil to make sketches in my spiral notebook, my kutsch to make plans directly to scale, a measuring tape in case I find a piece of furniture or anything else that could correspond to a need on a building site, my keys, my phone (with a lot of memory to take pictures of everything that inspires me for my projects), the business cards of my friends who have also set up their own company in case I could give them a hand...
I also have my Ipad, a USB stick, some dry cakes just in case (yes I know I'm rarely lost in the pampas), a hair clip and my hands free kit, yes I hear it's forbidden but sometimes it can be useful!
And it's important to note that I often carry my sports bag with me, an old canvas bag that I put my stuff in to go running, in case the idea of running comes up during the day (which never happens)!
How do you find your keys?
Inside "Okaou" photo © Caroline Heckel
I shake my bag and I find them by the sound, they are never in the same pocket, yet it would be simple to assign one to them...
An anecdote (a (mis)adventure with your bag ...)?
I forgot my bag on the train one day, I was loaded like a mule and I forgot my darling bag with my whole life in it. I realised it on the platform, went back into the carriage, there it was, still under the seat, phew!
Your next holiday? What will you take with you?
The light version of okaou, the little bag that I can carry over my shoulder because it's more practical on holiday. This one is grey, made of leather, it's been through a lot too but I like it like this. Inside there is a mini kit for my lip stick and a sample of my perfume. My notebook and my black pencil that I never leave, in case I come across THE thing of the century and a sketch to do. The same goes for my phone, which becomes a full time camera on holiday. Digital detox on holiday, yes, but photos are not the same!
Lighting designs by Caroline Heckel