Interior Design Toronto - Spotlight on Collection Cécile

Collection Cécile carries a wide variety of brands in their pre-loved & antique collections. Store founder Gabrielle Gagné sources Collection Cécile’s product line from her favorite antique stores, thrift stores, flea markets, online marketplaces, and estate auctions spread over multiple years!

Currently, Collection Cécile is focused on decorative objects, artwork, photographs and small memorabilia. By the time summer arrives (post-COVID), Collection Cécile is looking to expand into light fixtures, larger objects, and small furniture. Gabrielle will pursue larger pieces of furniture only on rare occasions.

Store Locations

Launched in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Collection Cécile is currently an online-only business. Post-COVID, Gabrielle is considering pop-up showcases in select local stores.

Company History

Like many small businesses, Collection Cécile has a unique origin story.

Started in January 2021, Collection Cécile is the brainchild of Gabrielle Gagné. Gabrielle’s background is in furniture-making, interior design, and graphic design.

Prior to launching Collection Cécile, Gabrielle was the Director of Operations for a property management company that specialized in furnished rentals for the film production industry. Homeowners who own multiple properties or are moving away for work would come to us to find a tenant and keep an eye on things. Actors and film crew didn't want to stay in impersonal hotel rooms for months on end. They came to Gabrielle’s employer for unique accommodations in the best Toronto neighbourhoods.

In 2018, Gabrielle’s employer decided to expand their services to clients with unfurnished investment properties.

“They would give me the keys to their properties and I would design the space for them as a turn-key service. The company eventually changed owners and started aiming for quantity over quality. They wanted the same formula for every project with a quick turnaround and their new approach went against all of my core beliefs. Ultimately, I decided to move on last January, right before the pandemic started.
It was always important to me that every project was special and that required extra time. With a smaller budget, it is always quite a challenge to transform a home from a blank canvas into one that felt alive.
The idea of applying the same formula over and over again while stripping away all instances of creativity and identity was crushing me artistically. That's what I aspire to help eradicate uniformity and unlock everyone's unique point of view in the homes that they live in. What makes you unique is your personal background, interests and beliefs. There are no two persons that are the same and I wouldn't have it any other way!”

This led Gabrielle to quit her job in January of 2020. And as we all know, COVID came to Toronto soon after.

With small-businesses taking a beating during Ontario’s COVID-19 lockdown protocols, I felt it imperative to help spread the word about Collection Cécile as far & wide as I possibly can.

If you believe in supporting small businesses (especially during COVID), please share this article and spread the word about Collection Cécile.

What makes Collection Cécile unique?

In Gabrielle’s own words…

My background certainly brings a different perspective on things. Since high school, I started thrifting with my girlfriends after school. It was and still is exhilarating to find that special piece of garment or object.
My passion for thrifting grew to find all kinds of objects with unique stories associated with them. It always fascinated me how items could change hands many times and quite literally travel through time to be found again one day. I have come to realize that I aspire to educate people in developing their own, personal aesthetic to combat the tendency of large-scale corporations mass-producing and imposing certain aesthetics at an excessively low-cost. The true key to making your home aesthetic distinctively yours is to be true to who you are. Not only will it be beneficial for our planet in helping to reduce mass-consumerism but every home will be punctuated with things that are (closely or remotely) connected to the homeowner's singular personality. I understand that not everyone has the time or the patience to look for interesting things and that's why Collection Cécile, along with many other small businesses, are starting to curate unique home decor by sharing their passion to others. All that is left for the consumer is to form his or her opinion based on what they like and dislike before building from there.
Every item that I purchase is something that I would want to decorate my own home with. I say this because it’s important for me to only purchase items that represent my own views and inspire me rather than following a trend or trying to make a sale. For that reason, I decided to offer an on-demand framing service for convenience. I thought, no more excuses! It could be a real deterrent in the purchase of wall art. It’s also something that I simply never had the time to do previously while juggling multiple projects.

Plans for the Future

As Collection Cécile is a brand-new business, asking them about their plans for the future seems a little unfair. Especially considering Gabrielle launched Collection Cécile during the pandemic.

However, as a true entrepreneur, Gabrielle has plans to expand with a curated series of affordable high-quality art reproductions & help others benefit from their rare beauty.