New Canvas Rugs and Canvas Bags Orders, Big Event, New Designer's Website...

...a crazy, busy month, indeed! With an order for 2 large custom canvas hotel rugs and a bushel of hand painted canvas bags orders; contact from an interior designer hired to decorate three model homes for the upscale Hacienda Pinilla residential project in Guanacaste...I've hardly had time to take a breath.

Let me share a little about the interior designer for Hacineda Pinilla.  Silvia Kohn, a lovely Tica, specified three rugs to be on display and an invitation to attend a three day open house to introduce and talk about my canvas rugs to interior decorators and designers and/or potential clients.  The date had yet to be confirmed so we moved forward at a rapid pace to be ready when the call came. 

My marketing director and graphics artist put together a post card/mailer showcasing a photo of an octagonal canvas rug inside a hotel lounge area. The thinking was we'd use this same postcard to announce our new interior designer's website.  The next day after meeting Silvia, I got to work on the rugs she needed as part of the decor for the three model homes at Pinilla.

Although I questioned who would attend a 3 day open house at the coast during Costa Rica's Semana Santa (Holy Week), it kind of made sense as that is where everyone goes for the week...the beach! It's packed with vacationing locals and tourists. So, we are hopeful the turn-out presents opportunities for new connections.

The order of two large, custom canvas rugs for the Finca Rosa Blanca hotel were completed and installed this month.  I took a couple before and after fotos that will be added to the interior design for home & hotel page soon, hopefully next week.

In the midst of all this, we received an order for another 3 area rugs...2 Mexican Tile and 1 striped all with a bright slate blue color.  This tile is proving to be a popular design!  I have it on my to-do list to research some Costa Rica tile designs as we see them in many of the historical buildings, including churches, throughout the country.

Finally! The new canvas-rugs-cost-rica.com website has launched. Now, please understand: the new site is not replacing this one. It was created primarily as a tool for interior designers and interior decorators in Costa Rica to introduce canvas rugs to their clientele. The features most prominent are the Design page, which shows all standard designs and the Custom page highlighting custom canvas rug projects.  Most importantly it is complete in both English and Spanish.

That's it!  If April wants to be another crazy, busy month....bring it on!  Happy Easter to all who celebrate.  ~ Laurel

Mexican Tile Design: Popular Costa Rica Hotel Decorates with Canvas Floor Cloths

The phone rang. A client stated clear as a bell, "Laurel, I want to cover the hotel in Laurel's Originals Canvas Rugs." Some, refer to these rugs as floor cloths, but that's not the point of this post.

I'd been waiting to hear those very words...truly. About a year ago I realized that to help signifigantly grow my business, there would need to be that ‘first' big order. And by big, I'm not referring to rug size. Once completed, it would allow me to introduce and show other designers and interior decor professionals in Costa Rica how well canvas rugs (or floor cloths) are suited for both private and commercial decorating.

The owners of this boutique hotel, Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation & Inn, had ordered last year canvas rugs for both the hotel and their private home. The hotel sported an octagonal canvas rug in the bar lounge, and a 4' x 6' rug in the hotel lobby. They wanted to test the durability of the rugs before going further.  

Our Mexican Tile octagonal canvas rug is a popular design. Finca Rosa Blanca is a special and unique place not only due to its beautiful Costa Rica mountain setting and stunning architechtural elements, but also for its eclectic art and decor. The Mexican Tile design fits well into the overall design theme.

And that is where this order starts: with two custom 8' x 8' octagonal floor cloths that will be placed in the circular entrances of two very special rooms. The owner opted for the Mexican Tile design utilizing Sherman Williams' Flower Pot color, (we refer to it as terracotta) for the base.

Rugs of this size require joining two pieces of the cotton canvas material together. Next, two top coats of terracotta paint are applied, followed by a cream border; this border around the perimeter is where the tiles are "laid."

The individual Mexican tiles are hand drawn and hand painted. (I've thought of using stencils but for custom rug sizes the tile size will vary keeping in proportion to the size of the rug). Offering a more authentic, antique look, the tiles are given a final soft wash.

Upon completion of the painted tiles, I had a creative itch to add a stamp design on the center portion of the floor cloth. Why? Because the rugs will lay (lie?) at entrances void of any furniture atop them; the stamping element thus adds texture and depth. Trusting my creative license the owner gave my stamp idea the go ahead.

Next up: building yet another table for the studio to fit these two Mexican tile custom sized design floor cloths / canvas rugs for their final stage of varnishing. And once placed, a professional photographer! I'm thinking: Su Casa!