RENOVATION NATION

We are full speed ahead on a kitchen renovation in our new home. The kitchen was brown. Really brown. And black. And did I mention brown? This image is where we are today. Click through for before pics. 

This past week the Ipe floors were stripped, sanded and refinished resulting in a beautiful matte vibe. 

Next week appliances arrive and the drywall folks, electrician, plumber all do the tango to get this wrapped up. We had the existing cabinets professionally sprayed. I will post about that process with some tips and advice at a later date. 

BEFORE/DURING

(crappy photos please excuse)

What we did: 

- chopped off the bar height island and created counter height island

- removed wall oven tower and upper cabinets, replaced those with open shelves

- removed tile backsplash behind stove and installed a slab of Silestone Statuario quartz 

- removed black countertops and installed Silestone Statuario quartz 

- spray painted cabinets (professionally) 

- installed white farmhouse sink

Design decisions still to come:

- deciding between brass or polished nickel hardware for the cabinets

- replace pendant lights

- choose a paint color for entire room, shifting from heavy cream to a warm but whiter white 

Stay tuned for refinished floors, finishing touches and final paint choices. White paint choices are keeping me up at night. 

CANVAS INTERIORS LATELY: FRESH AIR

Put away the fur blankets, open the windows or in our case the garage door - and take a deep breath. Spring is on its way and we are switching up the floor.  It feels light, bright and fresh.  I love it when the garage doors are open and creative breezes flutter in. 

Find these and other lovely goods on our website 

follow us on instagram

or shop the post here: 

Jade end table (foreground)   //  Orsay dining table  //  Degas occasional chair (peeking out on the left)  //  Helena dining chair 

BEACH HOUSE DREAMS

Much of the country is frozen right now and we are experiencing 'cold' FL temps. This is when my mind drifts to the beach. I start reading Australian fashion blogs and looking at summer clothes down under. Which in turn inspires me to think about the Canvas Interiors vibe for the coming spring/summer season. We've been loving moody grays and bits of silver this winter with a dash of charcoal faux fur. 

Here are a few snaps of the floor as it looks now.  All of these items can be found on our website, canvasinteriors.com, or if you are reading locally you can visit one of our three locations which you can map  here. 

My inner voice is telling me to get back to my Cali roots by way of Micheal Kors' East Coast beach house. Make sense? Time to do a few mood boards.

this image: vogue

STYLING A VINTAGE ARMOIRE WITH CHAIRISH

In our vernacular at Canvas Interiors, we believe style comes from putting things together that come from different times and places. Collections evolve as you do which is why we like to deconstruct a look and reconstruct it with our Canvas Interiors vibe in mind. And then I run off to a flea market and find vintage bits to use for display to add a bit of history and authenticity to our mix (oh Rose Bowl Flea Market how I miss you).  

So when the talented folks at Chairish  reached out to me and asked if I would pick a vintage armoire of theirs and style the top of it I said yes, yay, ok sure! I used accessories from our Canvas Interiors collection and do believe that it is a fabulous mix of old and new.

1. Add one bold statement piece.

- Drake dragon root sculpture

2. Layer in a little romance and rustic charm. Use items of different heights and finishes. Wood, rusted iron, a piece of art leaning on the wall as a backdrop. 

- Finn wooden urn

- Lille wire baskets

- I love you art

3. Glam it up with gold hurricanes. Group them together for high impact.

- Luna tall hurricane 

- Luna short hurricane

4. Make it dramatic with black and white photography leaning on the wall. Add a collection of smaller items in front like books wrapped in white paper or your milk glass collection. 

- Drew Doggett fine art photography (available in many sizes and framing options)

I have an old gentleman's armoire I bought at the Rose Bowl flea market many years ago. I proudly displayed my budding white McCoy pottery collection on it.  It moved with me from LA to SF and now resides in our guest room in FL. Not only does it serve a purpose for our guests but it looks great with a few stylish items on top.

Thank you Chairish for the opportunity to play with you!

CANVAS INTERIORS LATELY: LETS GO TO MILL VALLEY

Today lets head to a place near and dear to my heart... Mill Valley Ca. where I have spent many a cozy evening tucked in to a comfy sofa with dear friends and wine. This is one of my most happy places. If I were designing a home in Mill Valley it would be a little polished, a little undone, and decidedly comfy. 

Here is a collection of Canvas Interiors pieces that echo the spirit of this most special place. Take a look at our other collections as well. They are designed to help you shop with ease. We collect, curate, edit ... so you can spend more time curled up on a comfy sofa with wine. 

Shop our Mill Valley collection here 

LETS GO TO MALIBU

I spent a little time updating the collections on our website. It is a great creative exercise to pretend I am in a location and design a space in my head.  Hmmm yes. Sitting in an airy spot in Malibu staring out at the ocean. Don't need a whole lot of color when nature is your backdrop. Warm tones, plenty of cushy seating, and a kick ass outdoor chair to watch the sunset. That's all a girl needs. 

There is a little cross over between the collections but I really try to capture the vibe of the place and give each collection its own personality. Running throughout is our Lee Upholstery which we can special order in a wide array of fabric and finish choices. 

Find all these items on our website or stop in and see us in one of our 3 locations.

Winter Park, Altamonte Springs and Jacksonville FL. 

Shop the Malibu collection 

CANVAS INTERIORS LATELY

We are gearing up for a busy fall and super excited about it.  Yesterday we moved the whole floor around in Winter Park and it was like Christmas morning. Everything looks fresh and new and the whole space feels vibrant and ready for fall.  

Here is a peek at a few snaps from around the store pre-floor move. Can't wait to share post-floor move with you once the dust settles (literally).

Visit us in store or online 

canvasinteriors.com

GO ASK ALYS

I am a big fan of all things Alys Beach.  Light, white, and Moorish details give this slice of Florida a very different feel. When I finally had the time to look at this stunning home Elle Decor designed by Architect Michael Imber and Interior designer Lynn Myers knew I wanted to share it here.  It is an inspiring look at a different take on a beach house. 

Simply gorgeous. The images speak for themselves.

Um. And yes please this:

This image goes on my 'someday beach house' pinterest board immediately.

images: elle decor / photographer: Richard Powers

ISLAND TIME

It is no secret here on this blog that Harbour Island is a special place for Mr. K and I. We got married there 10 years ago and go back yearly.  Why Harbour Island you ask?  I can't explain it. I just knew it was where we needed to wed.  I had never been there, was reading about it from my kitchen table in San Francisco and planned the wedding from afar. The first time I set foot on the island was with my wedding dress in hand 10 days before our wedding. I was calm. Happy. Totally content. Thank goodness Mr. K is easy going and game.

I'm feeling nostalgic since our 10 year anniversary was last week so here is a peek from the pink sand nuptials.

It was only after our wedding that I put two and two together and realized that the lovely India Hicks called Harbour Island her home.  

Over time we uncovered threads that made me feel more connected to the island. Kids on the island who went to my tiny private school in Toronto. An old friend from said school owns a home on the island. Did not know that until years after visiting the island and reconnecting with her on good old Facebook. We have met wonderful new friends there who we will see again this summer. Layers of my past and future all coming together on a Bahamian beach. 

So it makes sense then, that we circle back years later to offer India Hicks' new lifestyle line in Canvas Interiors.

When we opened Canvas Interiors the first book we stocked was India's Island Life and we peppered the store with Briland shells we have brought home over the years. There is an authentic thread of this island that runs through our history as a couple and a great part of what inspires our Canvas Interiors style. One of our collections is named after Harbour Island and a few pieces in the collection have special names of things we love  there.

Some time ago I reached out to India to see what new business she was teasing us with on Instagram. In March we were delighted to host her at Canvas Interiors for a launch party  of her new India Hicks lifestyle collection.

Today we are hosting an India Hicks Island Escape pop-up-shop in our Winter Park Location and introducing a few new pieces in her collection. We will have the products in-store (only in-store, not on our website) for 2 weeks after each party and then pop up from time to time again when a group of new products are released.  It should be a fun way to have a few parties and we are excited to continue the feeling of creativity and camaraderie that India brought to our lunch.

Here are my personal favorites from the collection:

We just got back from San Francisco (celebrating 10 years of wedded bliss) and I had all of these items with me. The scarf is a divine cozy piece on an airplane, the beetle bag was perfect for all of my cords/headphones/chargers in my carry on, the perfume roller ball made airplane travel smell better and the Love Token reminded Mr. K who's boss. Happy Anniversary honey! 

*see and shop the: India Hicks collection and feel free to email me with any questions*

CANVAS INTERIORS LATELY

This past month has seen a lot of activity in our Canvas Interiors family.  We've completed an update to our first baby, our store in Altamonte Springs, opened a new location in Winter Park and hosted a Lee  event in our Jacksonville location.  

We have hosted parties, lunches with the fun and fab India Hicks, and have more party planning up our sleeves. All in all it has been a fantastic whirlwind of growth, change and most of all fun. 

Thanks for coming along!

We've added John Robshaw bedding to the mix, I stashed a few of my white vintage vases in our black Canterbury cabinet, we've used the heck out of our Aqua bar and have put just about anything we can on our MC mirrored tray.  

Personally I can't wait for the next shindig.

DREAMS

If you have been reading for a while you know I love a good flea market. I grew up cruising around in the back of my parents' Country Squire station wagon stopping at antique stores and barns in the countryside north of Toronto. My sister and I would wander off and explore on our own as my parents browsed. That feeling of exploring, uncovering treasures and imagining the past has never left me. 

This brings me to France. I know - big leap but my dream vacation would be to go to France and drive around to the brocantes while basing out of a fabulous old French Chateau. Mr. K would probably call that a nightmare (the brocantes part) but I say dream. 

Which brings me to restoring a French Chateau.  Now there's a dream. I would be in absolute heaven with a project like that in my realm.  

There are two instagram feeds I want to share with you today. One I just found this morning as the lovely Julie of French_Manoir followed Canvas Interiors' instagram feed and instead of blogging I sat and looked at her images. The other is Chateau Gudanes which I have blogged about before.

CHATEAU GUDANES

FRENCH MANOIR

Two families, dreaming big and restoring magical homes in France.  They are both from Australia. I have no idea if they know each other and it is totally random that I found both of them but I am living vicariously through them. 

Canvas Interiors on Instagram

Canvasstyle on Instagram

MINTED PINK

Must be the grey weather we are having but I just enjoyed a very lovely and soothing visual journey of pink. I took a little trip on Minted and bought an art print... this one to be exact. 

It was just so calm. Had to have it. Then I decided I am missing my Cali roots so I threw this one in the cart too. 

I collected a few more pink moments for you and mushed them all together to give you a little warm bath of pink.

note: each one of these is an individual piece and I curated them in pairs

You can find these and many other beautiful pieces by going to the Minted Art Marketplace.  Expand the filter choices and search away. There are an abundant number of size and framing choices allowing for anything from an affordable little art treat to a large statement piece. 

I simply clicked 'pink' as a filter choice and found these lovely gems.  If you like the foil map above and want to see others, expand the filter choices and under 'type' click 'foil pressed'.  Happy hunting! 

Find the MINTED ART MARKETPLACE here

GREY MATTERS

I am wearing a grey sweater, looking out the window at a grey day, and looking through pics I shot at the store last week.

Feeling, well, grey. In a good way.  

Here is our new Maggie Sofa. We searched high and low for a tufted sofa that feels like us. Hopefully you like Maggie. We think she's pretty cute. 

(Please excuse the distorted art in the background, the camera is funny that way)

see the Maggie sofa here

Here are Maggie's friends (the throw pillow isn't on our website yet but you can email the store at hello@canvasinteriors.com  if you are in love).

clockwise from top left:  Ashford shelf  //  flower art  // Maltino rug  //  Manhattan throw

TOTALLY RANDOM TUESDAY

It has been a while since I have done a 'totally random Tuesday' post so I thought I would bring it back. Yesterday I felt like viewing, not creating content. Some days it is good to step back and explore. It re-fueled me and I found some random things to share.

TOTALLY RANDOM TUESDAY:

1.  headboard/fabric combo... cozy and elegant and just enough without being too 'pavillion' like.  Q this one's for you.

2. I love the handmade aspect of paper...check out SUPPLY PAPER CO.

3. I am a sucker for an oversized cozy sweater and love how this looks with heels, boyfriend jeans and clutch.

4. Grey nails have been around for a while but I am just embracing it now and slightly obsessed.

5. found this shutter pic on Supply Paper Co. site and it is pretty and ties in with the grey thing I seem to have going on both with my home and my nails.

totally random resources:

find a headboard like this at Canvas Interiors 

cozy sweater / boyfriend jeans / clutch

grey Essie Power Clutch Nail Polish

read about the Provence shutters on the Supply Paper Co.'s site

images found: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5