Why Italy?

Every so often, something captures your attention in a way you can’t quite explain. For me, that has been Italy. It’s become a bit of an obsession, despite the fact that I’ve never been there. I have shelves lined with cookbooks, save photographs of tiny coastal villages, lose myself in documentaries, and find myself reading about Italian traditions when I should probably be doing something else. The more I learn, the more I realize that what draws me in has very little to do with geography. It has everything to do with a philosophy of living.

What fascinates me is the reverence for ordinary life. There is a sense that everyday moments deserve to be experienced rather than hurried through. Meals are not simply fuel; they are an opportunity to gather. Coffee is not consumed while answering emails in traffic but enjoyed as a pause in the day. Fresh bread, local produce, flowers on the table, and conversations that linger long after dinner all reflect a culture that seems to understand something many of us have forgotten: life is not measured only by what we accomplish, but by how deeply we experience it.

Perhaps that idea resonates because life has become increasingly demanding. We move quickly from one responsibility to the next, convinced that productivity is the same as purpose. We answer messages while eating lunch, schedule our days down to the minute, and often feel guilty when we stop long enough to rest. Somewhere along the way, many of us have begun treating our own wellbeing as something to earn rather than something to protect. We tell ourselves we’ll slow down after the next project, the next season, or the next milestone, but those moments rarely arrive on their own.

As I began thinking about the future of Chantel Funk + Co., I realized I didn’t want to create a salon that simply offered beautiful hair. There are many talented salons that do that. What I wanted was to create an experience that felt different from the pace of everyday life. I wanted people to walk through our doors and feel as though they had permission to exhale. Not because we offer anything extravagant, but because we’ve chosen to be intentional about the details that so often go unnoticed.

That intention can be found in simple things: taking the time for a thorough consultation, serving a warm coffee, surrounding ourselves with natural textures and fresh flowers, or designing services around long-term hair health instead of quick results. None of these decisions are particularly revolutionary on their own. Together, however, they communicate something important. They tell our guests that they are worth our time and attention, and perhaps more importantly, that they are worthy of giving that same attention to themselves.

In many ways, I have come to think about the salon in the same light. For some, an appointment is simply another task on the calendar. For others, it may be one of the few occasions when someone else is caring for them instead of the other way around. Our chairs have witnessed celebrations, grief, career changes, new relationships, growing families, and quiet conversations that never leave the room. Hair may be the reason someone books an appointment, but it is rarely the only reason they return. People are looking for connection just as much as they are looking for beautiful results.

That realization shaped every decision behind our refresh. The Italian names, the slower pace, the emphasis on rituals, and the thoughtful design of our space are not attempts to recreate another country or borrow someone else’s culture. They are reminders of a philosophy I hope to carry into my own work: that beauty is not found in excess, but in intention; that craftsmanship matters; and that caring for ourselves is not an indulgence but a necessary part of living well.

I still haven’t visited Italy, though I hope one day I will. Until then, I continue to be inspired by what it represents to me – a life that makes room for beauty, community, craftsmanship, and presence. If even a small part of that feeling can exist within the walls of Chantel Funk + Co., then this reimagining has accomplished exactly what I hoped it would. More than anything, I want our salon to be a place where people remember, if only for a little while, that life is not something to race through. It is something to savour.

-Chantel Funk