Tuanis Chair and Garden Box - Adding Style to Your living Space

Hola Everyone! How are you all doing? This blog post features a shoot with the Tuanis Chair and Garden Box .

Designed by my company KMD Group (in the Costa Rican office) The Tuanis chair is a stylish tropically inspired lounge chair. It is the perfect piece of furniture for taking it easy and relaxing, especially for times like the current one, where a lot of us are sheltering in place and staying safe at home due to the COVID-19 situation.

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The photos in this blogpost were taken earlier in the year and before the COVID-19 lockdown. I was happy to have social media influencer Segen Misghina join us on this shoot for the Tuanis Chair! Segen’s content creation work is one that is focused on beauty and lifestyle. She describes her work as stemming from her passion of “empowering women to own their true beauty”.

Check out her instagram page or her youtube channel.

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The Tuanis Chair is designed to allow the user to delight in an elevated and stylish lounging experience. It is a piece of furniture that introduces a tropical feeling to a living space. The word “Tuanis” in Costa Rica means cool. The chair is made of high quality Costa Rican teak wood. It is a beautiful and unique statement piece that brings beauty into any space.

The Garden box as seen below is another item on KMD Group’s Furniture Line. The Garden Box is a modular furniture system made of high quality oak wood and consists of floor tiles and planters. The planters come in 3 different sizes and can also be transformed into an Ottoman or coffee table with the use of an accessory lid. The Garden Box system creates a space to revitalize your spirit by allowing you to be in contact with plants and wood. From using it for activities such as Yoga or just lounging, the possibilities are endless.

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Some of my tips for working from home is to do so in a devoted part of your home, The Garden box is the perfect way to carve out a dedicated flexible space that you can even use as a unique office space. As we mentioned before being close to nature is always very healing. As well research has shown that Wood elicits feelings of natural warmth and comfort, that can have the effect to lower your blood pressure and heart rates, thus reducing stress and anxiety.

Creating a sense of movement, the shape of the chair invites you to fully relax just as you would if you were in a hammock surrounded by nature. Once you sit on the chair you will feel your body naturally slide into a comfortable position as the chair has been designed to have an organic form relating to the human body. It is perfect for relaxation. Recently exhibited at the 2020 Toronto Interior Design Show (IDS), the chair was selected by Design Lines Magazine to receive one of their “love tags” indicating that we were one of the favourites at the show. The Tuanis Chair was tested out by a lot of visitors to IDS, who were excited to try it out and gave it the thumbs up for comfort! 

I had a lot of fun taking these images with Segen. Even though we are about 30 years apart, we still both rocked this shoot and had an amazing time together and Karimah our photographer took some cool shots. The three of us came together to create a memorable moment. I truly believe that beauty is ageless and that one can shine if we let our inner spirit glow. There is nothing more attractive than a women who is confident and is connected to her true self.

Okay thank you kindly for joining me on my latest blog post! Can’t wait to share more with you this upcoming year! In the meantime stay safe and wishing you light, peace and love.

-Katia

"SPEC-TACULAR" FASHIONS: SPORTING SOME OF MY FAVOURITE EYE WEAR

Hola gorgeous people! As the last days of summer wind down I can’t help but look back with appreciation for such a lovely season. The weather is getting colder now but believe it or not the sun rays here can be quite strong throughout the year and yes, even in the winter months.

This post features some of the amazing sunglasses. We took these photos in beautiful town of Penentanguishene, Ontario.

Penetanguishene is located in Simcoe County on the Southern part of Georgian Bay. The name “Penetanguishene” comes from the Abenaki tribe meaning “ Land of the white rolling sands”. In 1793 John Graves Simcoe (the first liutenant governor of Canada) saw the potential of the area as a naval base to protect Upper Canada. It is a bilingual community where both English and French are spoken. There are roughly 9600 residents in this town. It is quite a picturesque place with a warm and charming small town feel. Tourism is a major part of the economy and the big draw is that it is located by the Georgian bay. There are over 70 hectares of Waterfront Trails and Inland Parks. There are also lots of natural and cultural heritage attractions as well as seasonal festivals. In the winter the activities of snowmobiling and Ice Fishing are quite popular. The town dock where we took some of these photos has a full service Marina and launch dock for boaters.

Saint Anne’s church is another place we stopped by to take some photos. The church was built between 1886 and 1902 and is constructed of limestone. It is one of the two historic churches in the area.

First up are these beautiful Sunglasses by Chanel. I love the stylish frames and the circular shape just make me feel as glamorous as a Hollywood star! We made a stop at the Town dock to get some photos and we did so in perfect timing as it was just nearing golden hour and so the photos turned out quite lovely!

The next few photos were taken just outside the historic Saint Anne’s Church.

These glasses are by far one of the most unique that I have come across. The are something out of a Matrix movie and have a futuristic feel about them. I love the geometrical shape and the fast that you get a little protection for the side of your face as well.

Some more photos from the Marina! There were just so many nice ones!

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Here is Karimah who is the photographer for my blog.

Here is Lais. She works as a project coordinator at my property development firm KMD Group!

After the Marina visit we headed to see more of the town and came across this stunning building. Apparently it is a former hotel known as the Commodore. Word has it that it was sold to a Toronto based entrepreneur who plans to turn the building into a Parisian Style Hotel! Well I have to say I quite liked this building as a backdrop for photos!

I met some friendly locals in the middle of my photoshoot who asked if they could be in the pictures.

My last (but definitely not least) featured sunglass is this beautiful Ferragamo creation! I truly love the colour and it is just so much fun to sport!

Okay everyone this brings me to the end of this blog post! I hope you enjoyed looking through the photos and are inspired by the eyewear styles! I hope you also keep Penetanguishene in mind for a future visit! It is a town that is just full of small town charm! Until the next time have a great one! Love and light always!

-Katia

2019 - Styling The Woman Within

Good Morning everyone from wonderful Toronto! Lovely to have you join me in my latest style post. This is a special style post as it is showcasing some of the beautiful scarves given to me by some lovely people (people that I really care for). I have styled each scarf in a different way and this post is meant to inspire you to use scarves to look beautifully chic while enhancing your inner beauty. In addition to this I get to showcase some styles geared towards the oncoming warmer months. Isn’t it exciting that spring is almost here in Toronto? I have a great feeling about this year’s spring! So check out the post below and get inspired!

With this post I wanted to share a little  bit more of  what is important to me in my life and what things have helped me . One of the persons who has significantly impacted my life in a positive way is my Sifu Emiko Hsuen. She is someone that has changed and contributed to the lives of so many people for the better. One of my favourite quotes by her is the following: “Through training the body and the mind, one learns to harness and move in harmony with the Flow that is ever-present in and around us “ Sifu Emiko Hsuen".

First up is this first scarf was given to me by Karimah’s (the Katia in Toronto Blog’s photographer) Mother. I styled this scarf in a style known as the “muffler”. It is a simple style that looks just a bit more complicated to wrap than it actually is. I am wearing my sequined Stuart Weitzman Tap dance shoes with this outfit.

This Flow is limitless and infinite.  www.joyandfreedom.com/  Thank you Sifu for all your precious teachings. 

Next up is a beachy casual look that one can still rock in an urban setting. This scarf was gifted to me by my lovely sister SIlvia. It is quite long and so for this look I wore it like a skirt and held it in place with a leather belt. I accessorized this look with this earthy toned rattan hand bag from Yaya Women. Add in a simple necklace with a green gem stone and that gave the outfit that little bit of a pop needed to complete the look.

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This pashmina scarf was given to me by dear friend Gretel Lutz. She gifted it to me when we both (along with her husband and some mutual friends) visited the amazing Aga Khan Museum. I love that I can simply drape it over my arms and it just looks comfortably chic. The colour and patterns are also stunningly beautiful. To check out my previous blog post on the Aga Khan Musem then Click HERE!

I loved the hues of this two toned scarf the minute I saw it. Of all of the scarves this one has the most special meaning to me as it was gifted to me by my beautiful daughter and best friend Carolina. We have had so many adventures together and we have learnt so much from each other throughout the years. The relationship between mother and daughter is priceless. I definitely think it is something every woman should do their best to cultivate. Children are our best teachers., they teach us the meaning of true unconditional love. I would like to thank Caro for continuously being an inspiration in my life. Her strength and noble heart has taught me that what you thought was impossible to achieve is actually possible.

The neutral gray colors of this scarf with the vibrant red definitely gives off a cool vibe.

This silk square scarf by Carolina Herrera was gifted to me by lovely team at KMA Design Costa Rica. I styled this scarf in two different ways. The first image is “The cape wrap” and the second was a Reverse “Double wrap French knot”. These vibrant colours are a pure reflection of the amazing people that are a part of my team. Their unique creativity, talent and determination to contribute with fantastic designs has been a valuable asset to my firm.

This next look features pants that are almost architecturally inspired. The shape of the pants is beautiful and paired with a black top. It is super cool. These pants were bought in Japan and designed by the famous designer Issey Miyake.

I accented the look above with a beautiful gold necklace. I originally bought the turquoise gem in Cappadocia, Turkey and then I hired a local Costa Rican designer in San Jose, Daniella Baltodano, to design something special for me. She utilized some of my old gold pieces by melting them to create a new shape resulting in the creation of an original piece. A long gold chain makes the piece look casual but elegant at the same time. The gold in the chain was originally bought in Thailand at a Gold Market. To see more of Daniella’s Jewelry design work you can visit her instagram at the following link: https://www.instagram.com/elhajoyeria/

Next up we have this beautiful dress by French Designer Jacques Molko. I decided to pair it with the bright yellow bag to create a colour blocking effect. I bought this dress around 15 years ago and am happy to say it is just as timeless as ever. I really love this colour because it is feminine and refreshing as well as sophisticated. It also can awaken the creativity of those who behold it.

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This beautiful dress below is from Brian Bailey, and is the perfect dress for an elegant evening out. Paired with the two toned shawl I am wearing, it really makes for a bold look. The two toned shawl is my own creation! I found two different coloured (black and purple) pieces of fabric I liked and had them stitched together! There is a little fashion tip for you! To complete this look I put on my lovely black pair of Prada Shoes. The necklace i donned with this look is from Tiffany’s. It is a drop of crystal with little diamonds inside.

Love the movement one can achieve with this scarf! When it comes to red carpet fashion for events such as Gala’s and weddings. I would highly suggest that you always go for something comfortable that makes you feel confident and beautiful both inside and outside.

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This wide brimmed hat by Eric Javits is excellent for a Sunny day out! It’s just so fun and sure to put tons of smiles on your face! Perfect for the beach, it can also be worn to go daytime shopping. I am definitely a Hat Woman! Since I was a young kid my mother ensured I was protected from the hot Costa Rican sun by giving me a wide brimmed hat and tons of sunscreen in order not to get sun burnt. This family tradition has grown on me, making me fall in love with hats and the various designs that are available. When it comes to hats, The bigger, the better as it creates a huge shade that protects me especially when I take long walks at the beach.

The style below utilizes another Pashmina scarf which can just simply be thrown over an outfit to add that extra bit of warmth. This particular scarf was given to me by my lovely daughter in law Fio and my son. They picked it up during their travels to India and I am happy to have been the recipient of such a beautiful piece of cloth!

Orange is such an amazing color to compliment the positive vibes that the Spring months bring! With this outfit below I paired the orange top by THEORY with black basics and shoes from Prada to give that fabulous urban look!

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The white top I am wearing below is another stunning creation by Japanese designer Issey Miyake. I paired it with some black basics and it just looks like a very polished look but is comfortable at the same time. I bought the top in one of my many travels to Japan. Japan has a special place in my heart as it is where I have studied the martial arts and have made some wonderful lifelong friendships. Through my travels I have come to appreciate the amazing design thinking that the Japanese have cultivated. There is so much thought put into everything they design and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to visit the amazing country.

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The scarf below is from Amet and Ladoue and is one that I loved so much when I first saw it, that I just had to gift it to myself!

More Fashion Vendors from my looks above:

Black T-shirt: Majestic Filatures Paris

Black Shoes: https://www.prada.com/ca/en

To end off this blog post I will once more quote my Sifu. She says it is important “To strive big in order to significantly contribute to others peoples lives”. Most People are focused on always improving themselves professionally but they forget that the most precious git in life is to improve yourself as a human being and that is something I will always prioritize.

The best style advice I could give you as a woman is to always strive to become the best version of yourself, and then you will be able to shine from the inside and give the best of yourself to humanity.

Okay so I hope you enjoyed this style post and found some inspiration for your own wardrobe! Until next time friends love and light always!

-Katia.


-Katia

Summer Casual

On a summer day's outing I like to wear comfortable items that are also stylish. Denim Jeans are some of my favourite pieces of clothing for their versatility. Here I paired my denim jeans with a Louis Vuitton Belt, a black t-shirt and  a white vest. In terms of footwear, since I knew I would be doing a lot of walking on this day, I went for one of my favourite pair of sneakers by Cole Haan.  Below you can find the complete list of where I got my clothing items from.

Where To Get Katia's Pieces

Shoes: Grand Pro by Cole Haan

T-Shirt: Eddie Bauer

Vest: Club Monaco

Jeans: Cop Copine

Belt: Louis Vuitton

Baseball Cap: Columbia

 

A Pop of Colour for Spring!

Hola! I am so excited that spring has finally arrived! Here is my latest style post taken at my home! I hope you will be inspired by my colourful outfit and decor pieces!

A stylish chess board I got at one of my favourite stores (NEAT in Bayview Village) sits on my dining room table.

I love the wobbly design of the chess board!

I created a beautiful bracelet using an  heirloom piece  passed down to me from my grandmother. The golden Tiffany ring matched nicely so I wore it with the bracelet.

When I need a place to sit  for a quick stretch.   I love my pouf from restoration hardware. I can sit facing the window and enjoy the beautiful view of Toronto

I absolutely enjoy wearing this colouurful  Valentino shirt! The pattern is unique and the colours are beautiful!

WHERE TO GET KATIA'S FASHION PIECES:

Inner Shirt: Issey Miyaki

Shirt: Valentino

Belt: Ralph Lauren

Pants: Vince

Shoes: Tod's

Pouf: Restoration Hardware

Jewelery: Heirloom Pieces from Grandma

Chess Board:Umbra Wobble Chess Set found at

Golden Ring: Tiffany and Co.

 

 

Winter Fashion!

Hi Everyone! Winter is here! As should be expected this time of the year! Today's style post is of me sharing some of my winter clothing essentials for surviving the winters in the cold white North known as Canada (more specifically Toronto, Canada)! I share some of my favourite toques and outerwear that I am styling with this season!

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WHERE TO GET KATIA'S FASHION PIECES:

Black Puffy Coat: Mackage

Red Toque and Mittens: Lole

Belt: Ralph Lauren

White/ Black Autumn Cashmere sweater:  Andrews

 

Boho Chic!

I am a huge fan of warm weather and I am just loving the summer months in Toronto. Of course that means when it comes to style I most often opt to wear free flowing clothes that are stylish but still keep me comfortable. I would define my latest style post Boho Chic! This style is great for a day of shopping out on the town or for a summer concert/ festival. You just can't go wrong!

WHERE TO GET KATIA'S FASHION PIECES

Shoes are from Robert Zur

Harem Pants: Charan Creations

 

Spring Chic: Going For a Walk in the Park

Spring in Canada is that time of the year where it's exciting that the weather is getting warmer but where you also have to be prepared with a chic spring coat as there is still a cool chill in the air. I had a fabulous time visiting the Aga Khan Museum Grounds last week and this is the style I rocked!

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WHERE TO GET KATIA'S FASHION PIECES

Spring Coat from: M0851

Sunglasses by Dior from Eyelike Optical

Black Shirt from Eileen Fisher

Boots are from Stuart Weitzman

Handmade Leather Belt

Necklace purchased in Singapore (Mini Gold sculpture of Ganesh)

Orange Bag from Longchamp