Upon moving to a new house Toni and Al had to use different furniture in their new, smaller home, leaving much of their larger pieces behind.

 This was the perfect opportunity to redecorate. We decided on a canvas cover for the futon, which doubles as a couch, with different designs on each side so they could flip the cushion and have two covers in one!

 They had small throw pillows and opted for new canvas covers to go with the futon couch cover as well. Then to bring it all together, a canvas rug that coordinated with the whole package.

 This meant mixing acrylic paints to match the latex I use for the rugs, but the idea was simple, just two colors on each side.

The pillow cushion covers she left to my discretion, and I made some that matched the designs and others that coordinated.

 The specified design for the canvas rug was to match with the fern pattern on the futon cover, centered, to be visible through the glass tabletop.

 The natural canvas material color seemed to blend into the wall, which inspired Toni to paint the one wall in the room to show off the cover. Just painting one wall can make all the difference, to highlight a piece of furniture or artwork, breaking up the room to make a bold statement.

 Now the room has a fresh new look with clean, fresh interior décor: hand painted canvas futon cover, pillow covers, and a canvas rug. Affordable and unique home décor for Toni and Al.

We at Laurel’s Originals are always happy to hear feedback and ideas about our product. Our client, Tamarindo Pacific Interiors, asked us to develop a cloth border for their canvas rugs.One such rug was the tortoise and herringbone design developed for their client's penthouse on the beach.

 The canvas rugs have a sturdy appearance with four coats of polyurethane varnish, and I felt a cloth border would look too flimsy. So taking a strip of the same heavy weight raw canvas I folded it around the edge of the rug so the border is actually three thicknesses.This gives a very luxurious look to the product, and helps it to lay flat.

 My main concern was the durability and ability to remain clean. Here in Costa Rica the maids tend to use a strong bleach solution to clean floors and this often leads to staining of the cloth border of rugs. After tinting the canvas border I used one coat of varnish to seal the cloth and it works well against that problem and still has the natural cloth fiber texture.

 Working on dyes and tints to see what gives the best results for this type of border gives one more option for our clients. The charge is per linear foot so it is an extra expense because of the time and materials involved. New ideas come from friends and clients and it is a challenge we look forward to. They help us expand our product line and explore new venues for Laurels Originals hand painted canvas rugs.

We decorate our lives with accents of color, whether with a new candle or a new dress.

Some of us love prints and floral while others prefer geometric designs, pale soft colors or bold bright colors. A hand painted canvas rug can combine your preferences to bring a room together. If you want help with the design or color choices, I am very happy to give suggestions or guide you towards ideas that resonate with your desires.

 As an example, my home decor has a green and red theme. This may sound like a Christmas theme, but it is not, in fact, it developed around a rug that I fell in love with; the soft sage green of the couch and deep burgundy red of the rug compliment each other. Pillowcases, hand painted with sage green and a deep pine green accent, have a burgundy border to pick up the color in the rug and go with but not match the colors in the couch. These are some of my favorite colors.

 Look in your closet, what is the dominating color or colors therein? How about the colors of items in your home such as lamps, plates, pillows…these are signifiers of what colors draw you. Using these as a basis allows the added décor of a canvas rug, or canvas pillow cushions…or canvas wall art…to fit true to your color(s).

 As you consider adding new detail or making a change, look at what you love, what makes you feel good, and it will make your home feel the same.

 

After a long day of painting canvas rugs and office duties, I like to relax in front of the TV. This is my stamp making time. As revealed previously, design ideas come from everywhere, including TV! However, this blog is about the process of making the stamps used in the design application of my canvas rugs and other home décor items.
                                                                  
Using thin adhesive foam, I draw a design then cut it with an exacto knife to apply to another piece of foam. Cutting very carefully allows the relief left from cutting out a design to become a stamp! Clients love the basket weave design created for a design company, Tamarindo Pacific Interiors, here in Costa Rica.

Stamps can be made out of different things. I use the burlap bag that comes with our famous Café Rica coffee liqueur. Remember making potato stamps as a kid?
One of the favorite stamp designs we use on several canvas rugs are ferns and palm leaves. People always ask, "How do you make them so real?" Well, they are!

Creating canvas rugs involve many aspects of design. The stamps can be applied for borders, give texture, illusions of weaves, and fun detail. Our stamp inventory is constantly growing and we can use the patterns as well as color swatches to help us on the path to making an unique and stunning canvas rug.