Meet Michelle Kanberg

My Journey

Hello & welcome to my website Living De Novo! Thank you for your interest in getting to know more about me! I'm Michelle Kanberg; the artist, curator & blogger behind Living De Novo. I fancy a lifestyle of Living De Novo by choosing old over new whenever possible. I often incorporate preloved, vintage, antiques & upstyles into my surroundings, creating an aesthetic space full of character & history; a space unique to me. As a furniture & home decor "Upstylist" & lover of our romantic history & all within it, my mission is to inspire creativity through reimagining, transforming & giving life to fatigued furniture & home decor; as well as to curate & share sweet secondhand wonders; a collection of unique & artistically charming items with stories to tell! 


I discovered chalk paint several years ago & had no idea the passion for creating I’d unleash within myself. It all started with me wanting to give my preloved bedroom decor, purchased at a Saturday garage sale in my neighborhood, a fresh new look. Raising five children didn’t leave much financially to always have pretty new things. My home was filled with hand-me-down furniture from family, garage sale finds & low cost items from budget furniture stores. As I looked around my home, I found that while these items were functional & serving their purpose, none of it represented our family or myself in a connected or creative way. I felt detached from my surroundings. 


Ahhh, It Feels Good To Be Home!


In my endeavor to be creative & make things within my surroundings my own, I discovered something I had long forgotten...ME! How could I possibly begin creating a space authentic to me, let alone know how to create a new look for a piece when I had no idea what my aesthetics were, or what colors & styles inspired me.  While I had a few wonderful pieces from my grandparents that I knew I could never part with, these items didn’t fit with my own style, so I experimented with paint, color & design making them my own, all the while discovering for myself more and more of what speaks loudest to me, getting to know myself in a way I underestimated. Before I knew it, my passion for chalk painting had me looking at everything in my home as a blank canvas. My creativity unleashed itself!  I desired to update my surroundings with things that brought a feeling of meaning, warmth & connection, so that I no longer felt like I was just living in a house, but in a home, one that sparked that, "ahhh, it feels good to be home" feeling! One that I could look around & see pieces of myself & my family’s story within;  mixed with reminders of loved ones & topped off with things that I truly loved & connected with that represented my style & brought a smile to my face. This emotional connection is what I enjoy returning to daily! 


Sweet Secondhand Wonders


Through this journey I also discovered a passion for all things vintage & antique. I’ve always loved history & enjoyed walking through antique shops, looking at things & wondering who it had once belonged to, what stories surrounded it, who once loved it & so on. There are also many items I’ve come across that aren’t an antique or vintage item, but deserve a second chance no less. Chalk painting & dabbling in vintage & antiques go together like peanut butter & jelly, simply because the journey of  finding new & interesting pieces to paint often lead those of us that enjoy chalk painting straight into the belly of the beast. I'm certainly not an exception, so naturally this is where the other part of my journey began, curating & rehoming these sweet secondhand wonders! By passionately devoting myself to doing so, my hope is these distinctive items will find permanent new homes where they will be celebrated & loved as they are, rather than ending up in a landfill. I choose to curate & list only items that intensely inspire me with their history or creative design, with hopes that they will help others embarking on their own journey to create an emotional connection to their own surroundings, & enjoy not just a house but a home; one that evolves with them & truly represents their story. Most of all, one that has them returning to a home that evokes that, "man, it feels good to be home!" feeling!


Why "De Novo"?


I chose to include "De Novo" as part of my business name because in Latin it means; anew; afresh; again; from the beginning. In a sense, we are all "De Novo", recreating ourselves throughout our journey as we grow, evolve & become a new version of ourselves again, & again. As I’ve evolved, so have my surroundings. Suddenly the painting on the wall I used to love no longer expressed my taste or view of the world; just as the local band flyers I collected from old wooden lamp posts along the streets of Seattle, & used to decorate my bedroom walls as a teen, no longer expressed my interest as an adult & mother. Instead, I was drawn to florals, until they were then replaced with amateur paintings & family photos framed in black and white. Now I have a variety of wall decor; mirrors, paintings & old framed French menu’s I came across in a tiny thrift store in Eureka, MT. What I enjoy now isn’t one style, but a collection of different looks & things. If I had to choose, I think I’d go with saying my style is eclectic. Presently, if I love it, it goes up!


A New Look, A New Beginning


I don’t have anything up that I don’t love & I love that I’m able to express myself this way. I also learned that if I love something but don’t love the current colors or frame, etc. I can simply upstyle it, & with a little chalk paint & a few other supplies, give it a new look that’s exactly what I want! By experimenting with my own home, decor & furniture, I’ve come to love & enjoy the challenge & satisfaction of taking an old, fatigued preloved piece of home decor or furniture & give it a completely new look (aka upstyle); & with a new look, a new beginning! I think of all these items as being De Novo; because they’ve been refreshed, renewed, recreated & given a new beginning!  Any item I’ve ‘upstyled’ (given a new look to) that is available for sale in my store is listed as a "De Novo Glamtique”.




De Novo; anew, afresh, from the beginning, over again, second time.