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A mixture of preparation and perfect timing helped bring to life the colorful, many-layered business that is Klin d’Oeil. Though the business started as a creative agency, it now also includes a boutique, events and workshops, and a café, all conveniently located along the same street in Paris.
The four women behind the business—Émilie, Virginie, Hélène, and Laure—came together naturally over the years, and have built the business gradually with a clear vision to guide them along the way. Read on to learn how Émilie and Virginie made room for happy chances to lead their growth, why the business runs its online presence on Squarespace, and their tips for designing a brand identity.
On starting their creative agency
Launching a creative agency was a natural—and much dreamed about—step forward for Virginie and Émilie. They were a visual merchandiser and independent art director, respectively, and had both long wanted the autonomy and personal anchor of running something of their own.
“The moment presented itself when one day a friend who already had a boutique in the neighborhood called us and said, ‘Come quickly, I've visited a space you'll really like,’” the team said. “We took the plunge, thinking that we'd wake things up!”
The Klin d’Oeil team grew organically as well. Hélène, a graphic designer, and Laure, who manages event production and their store, started out as agency interns. “They immediately understood the spirit of Klin d'Oeil,” Virginie and Émilie said. “It came at a time when we were looking to grow both our boutique and our agency.”
“Over time, Laure became the boutique manager and Hélène, with her graphic design skills, supported Émilie in our creative agency activities.”
A business plan designed around joy and serendipity
That perfect timing is deeply woven into how the team has run and grown Klin d’Oeil over the years. “At Klin d'Oeil, we don't like ready-made plans! We've been growing organically for almost ten years now,” the team said. “By letting life take its course, with its chance encounters and serendipity.”
That’s how the business ended up adding a café to its roster. “The premises were about to become available and we had a friend, Clément, who was looking to open a café. Bingo! The planets aligned, we went for it, and Café Klin was born.”
In fact, it was so serendipitous that the space was on the same street as their storefront/events space and agency office. “This has greatly enriched the Klin d'Oeil experience,” they said. “At our place, you can now shop in the boutique, learn about DIY in a creative workshop, and enjoy a homemade coffee or cookie. Our three spaces are adjoining, like a colorful farandole.”
The team takes a similar approach to their events calendar. “That's how we started, by organizing events dedicated to creativity and young creation,” they said. “Our leitmotif is that every event must be a moment of joy, filled with color, good vibes, laughter…we love it when things go off in all directions, like a great creative fair.”
For Klin d’Oeil, their unique style and way of working tends to attract the partners who are the right fit. “From the outside, I think you can tell, so the creators with whom we click come to us naturally,” they said. “We know we're going to get on well together because we share the same creativity and energy, the same desire to do things. Again, it's very instinctive and organic.”
Bringing beauty and simplicity together with Squarespace
With so many in-person pieces of the business to manage, Klin d’Oeil wanted their online presence to be quick and easy to use without compromising their high standards for great design. Their search ultimately led them to Squarespace.
“At Klin d'Oeil, we like to surround ourselves with beauty. Beautiful objects, beautiful souls, beautiful colors,” they said. “When it came to design, templates, and graphic choices, Squarespace blew us away right away. We were a bit of early adopters, as they say, because we chose this platform several years ago!”
And with Squarespace, they can manage and share the many different parts of their business in one place. “We always have lots of news to communicate at the same time—a designer organizing a pop-up at the boutique, a new DIY workshop to book, a new menu to taste at Café Klin,” the team said. “So there's a lot of updating to do on our website. And Squarespace's ease of use saves us an incredible amount of time. Do we need to put something on the site? A few clicks and it's done. We update it several times a month, no questions asked.”
Advice for designing your own brand look
It’s common for new projects and entrepreneurs to get stuck when it’s time to design their visual identity. That can be especially hard if you’re someone without a design background. As experts in design themselves, the Klin d’Oeil team recommends focusing on feelings first, instead of individual design decisions.
“Our common theme is color. We've built our graphic identity around this palette. We love big splashes of color and when everything vibrates together. Right now, color is making a strong comeback, and that's good, but when we started out, the trend was more towards natural hues, the opposite of what we’re doing today,” they said. “So our advice is not to follow fashion, but rather to ask yourself what emotion you want to convey graphically.”
With that emotion leading your design choices, you can simplify your options and create something that feels unique to you.
Inspired by Klin d’Oeil’s story? Start your own brand or business on Squarespace.