Portrait of Charlotte Cadé © Victoria E. Paternó

This week, Artsper had the opportunity to chat with Charlotte Cadé, the founder of Selency. We are delighted to learn about her journey to becoming an entrepreneur and the motivation behind her platform for second-hand furniture and home decor. Welcome to the world of Charlotte Cadé!

1. Hi Charlotte! Can you tell us more about your background and what led you to owning a furniture marketplace?

After a very general business education at a business school, I worked for two years in marketing and sales, always around products. Beyond these professional experiences, I've always had a passion for decoration. I discovered the antiques sector during my first summer jobs with an antique dealer in the south-west of France. Since this experience, I've spent my free time looking for gems at flea markets or on leboncoin. The idea then came to me to create a platform that selects the best second-hand items with a whole host of services to save time and make the experience more fluid.

2. Tell us more about Selency's unique offerings!

Selency is an inspiring platform for selling and finding second-hand furniture and home decor. 3 assets that differentiate it from other platforms: Selency is first and foremost a catalog that is enriched every day with thousands of unique pieces carefully selected & authenticated by us. Selency is also an inspiring app (and website) with a 100% decorative approach. And last but not least, it's our customer, payment and delivery services that make the innovative second-hand experience as easy as buying new.

Left: Charlotte's Living Room © ELLE Déco / Right: Charlotte's Kitchen © ELLE Déco

3. What guides your creative process when selecting pieces for your site or working on a project? Are there any design principles you live by?

At Selency, our passion for decoration is reflected in the unfailing commitment of our "selection" team. Every piece added to our platform passes through their expert hands. This selective approach is the very essence of our identity, representing our core values. We strive to offer a rich and diversified selection, embracing all styles and budgets, to satisfy a wide range of tastes. Our standards are based on a few essential criteria: the intrinsic quality of each product, (even second-hand) guaranteeing its durability, and the decorative and, of course, authentic character of the pieces.

4. Do you have a signature color or design piece you always include in your own spaces?

No. At Selency we love to create unique decors, and to refresh ourselves each time for each project is the beauty of the vintage market and the strength of its diversity.

Charlotte's Home © ELLE Déco 

5. Sustainability has recently been adopted across regions as a way of life rather than a trend. How does Selency incorporate storytelling and heritage preservation into the offerings, and how does this resonate with your consumers?  

At Selency, we're passionate about sharing the fact that every piece has a soul, a story. We don't just sell furniture; we offer our customers the chance to make a part of our heritage their own. Every purchase is an immersion in a story, an era, a moment. On our website, but also through our newsletters and social media, you'll discover these fascinating stories, often embellished with juicy anecdotes. Not only does this give substance to our offers, creating an emotional bond with our customers, it also reassures them of the intrinsic value of what they're acquiring. After all, browsing on Selency is a bit like flipping through an inspiring decorating magazine filled with captivating anecdotes.

6. Finally, what's on the horizon for your company? Are there any upcoming projects, expansion plans, or initiatives that our audience can look forward to?  

We recently launched our own decorating agency: Agence Déco Selency. This initiative stems from three fruitful years of working with professionals on various decorating projects. These experiences inspired us to set up an offer dedicated to the specific needs of the professionals we've had the pleasure of working with. Our ambition with this agency? To offer a personalized service to every professional, guiding them in the design of spaces that are unique, authentic and profoundly eco-responsible. Our motto can be summed up as follows: "Creating tomorrow's spaces with yesterday's furniture".