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Some girls grow up surrounded by fairy tales, but little Anais Canlis

By Seattle Mag December 31, 1969

This article originally appeared in the June 2010 issue of Seattle Magazine.

Category: Shopping + Fashion Articles

 

Some girls grow up surrounded by fairy tales, but little Anais Canlis’ nursery has a more realistic narrative.

Crib Notes
Born February 9 to glass artist J.P. Canlis and his wife, Leigh (who runs their gallery, Canlis Glass, and is also a contributor to seattlemag.com’s Balancing Act blog), Anais (pronounced ah-NAY) was welcomed into the world with a nursery that tells the story of family through heirlooms and original works of art. True to their artistic interests and their midcentury-modern Magnolia home, the couple repurposed vintage furniture and keepsakes to create a soothing oasis, down to the room’s focal point: J.P.’s handmade gift to his daughter, a blown-glass fish mobile.

Glass Fish Mobile: J.P. surprised Leigh with a blown-glass fish mobile a month before Anais’ arrival in February. A native of Hawaii, J.P. was inspired by the oama (baby goatfish) that arrive in schools of thousands each summer off the islands. Anticipated for months (just as little Anais was), the oama’s arrival is celebrated by locals during the weeks they appear. Hung at varying lengths from the ceiling with fishing wire in a school formation, the stunning mobile makes a whimsical tinkling noise as the fish swim in the breeze.

BOOKSHELF: Easily adaptable for uses in the years to come, a postmodern record player/credenza discovered at the Fremont flea market provides storage for Anais’ growing book collection. Above it hangs her birthday gift, a hand-drawn art print from glass artist (and family friend) Dale Chihuly, whom the couple met when they were working in his studio.

In The Crib: Leigh and J.P.’s stuffed-animal friends from  childhood nestle up against a needlepoint pillow made by J.P.’s mother, modeled after a modern art piece in her home.

The Nursery: Warm wood furniture, like Leigh’s great-great-grandmother’s rocking chair, accents the room’s gender-neutral palette of ultrapale pinks and tans. The mural in silhouette of the Olympic Mountains, emblematic of Northwest beauty, was one of the couple’s pre-baby weekend projects.

Originally published in June 2010

 

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