20 questions with Lisa Canning

Lisa Canning is young, beautiful and filled with an enthusiasm for designing homes that’s positively contagious. She’s got an impressive resume that’s growing steadily – she kicked her career off on HGTV’s Marriage Under Construction and launched her own design business shortly after that. Her modern approach to design was just what I needed when I enlisted her services to update my condo and the result is a fresh space that truly reflects my style and my lifestyle.

We figured it was time to get better acquainted with Lisa to find out about the designers who inspire her and what advice she has for designing a room.

1 If you could shadow any designer for a day, who would it be?
Lisa Canning Kelly Wearstler, Kelly Hoppen, Nina Petronzio. Fabulous, fashionable, fierce women with a distinct point of view.

2 Where do you look for an obscure source of inspiration?
LC Garage sales and thrift shops. Particularly for vintage textiles. I’ve gotten some great drapery panels and handkerchiefs that I have repurposed into unique pillows and accessories.

3 Favourite restaurant?
LC For an evening out, hands down The Boulevard Café on Harbord. It serves authentic Peruvian food (or as authentic as you can get in Toronto!) and the ambiance and staff are as good as the food. I also love Coquine at Yonge and Eglinton (lovely breakfast) and Le Pain Quotidien (amazing
French toast). And Starbucks; does Starbucks count?

4 What’s your favourite room to decorate?
LC Living / dining room combos in tiny condos. I love the challenge of finding appropriately sized furniture and making the space feel like the homeowner’s regardless of budget or space limitations.

5 What’s your current paint colour obsession?
LC Purple. I had my logo recently redesigned by the fantastic graphics team at Sali Tabacchi and they pitched purple and I have been obsessed ever since. I love that it can feel regal and dramatic in deep hues, and feminine and dainty in lighter shades.


Beautiful People Set: An example of Lisa's work, this space was used for Slice TV's show Beautiful People, a great huge loft space converted to an office set.