Candice Olson

Candice Olson – Life, Career, and Design Philosophy

Discover the life and work of Candice Olson (born 1964), Canadian interior designer, television host, and author. Explore her signature style, major projects, and inspiring design insights.

Introduction

Candice Olson (born October 27, 1964) is one of Canada’s most celebrated interior designers and television personalities. Best known as the host of Divine Design and Candice Tells All, she has built a reputation for elegant, livable interiors that blend clean modern lines with warmth and sophistication.

Through her design firm, media presence, and licensed product lines, Olson has influenced how people think about home décor and made “designer-level” aesthetics accessible to broader audiences.

Early Life & Education

Candice Kelly Olson was born on October 27, 1964, in Canada. University of Calgary, where, in addition to her academic work, she also played for Canada’s national women’s volleyball team.

Later, she transferred to Toronto, enrolling at the School of Interior Design at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), where she completed her formal training as an interior designer.

After graduating, Olson worked for several leading design firms in Canada, honing her craft before venturing into her own business.

Career & Achievements

Founding Candice Olson Design

In 1994, Olson established Candice Olson Design, a residential and commercial design practice based in the Greater Toronto area.

Television & Media Presence

Olson’s breakthrough in television began with Divine Design, which debuted on Canada’s W Network around 2001 and eventually aired on HGTV in the U.S.

In 2011, she launched Candice Tells All, providing audiences with behind-the-scenes insight into her design process and revealing trade secrets.

Olson has also appeared as a guest or contributor on broader media platforms in the U.S. and Canada.

Product Lines & Collections

Building on her design reputation, Olson created the Candice Olson Collection, a line of home décor products featuring furniture, lighting, rugs, wallpaper, fabrics, and accessories.

Her collections are often described as a fusion of classical proportion with clean, modern detail—a balancing of tradition and minimalism.

Books & Publications

Olson has authored several design books. Among them:

• Candice Olson on Design: Inspiration and Ideas for Your Home (2006), in which she shares principles, tips, and case studies.

• Candice Olson: Kitchens & Bathrooms (2011)

Her books are intended to help homeowners approach interior design thoughtfully and practically.

Design Philosophy & Style

Central to Olson’s approach is balance: combining classical proportion, rich detailing, and comfort with streamlined modern forms.

She resists overly “matchy” interiors, favoring contrasts (e.g. mixing different side tables) and placing emphasis on lighting, layered textures, and focal points.

Olson also emphasizes livability. She designs for real people, acknowledging that functional needs must be integrated with beauty. Her television work often involves transforming lived-in rooms, addressing client challenges, and maximizing space, light, and flow.

Her product lines echo her design ethos—offering consumers access to pieces that reflect her aesthetic without having to work through a full custom design firm.

Notable Projects & Impact

While Olson’s television portfolio includes dozens of room makeovers, her broader impact lies in:

• Raising public awareness of interior design as an art form and profession.

• Demystifying the design process for homeowners by showing planning, budgeting, and execution.

• Inspiring many emerging designers and decorating enthusiasts with her distinctive “look” and methodology.

• Expanding her design influence beyond custom interiors into everyday products through her licensed collections.

Her shows continue to be rerun, and her designs remain influential in Canadian and American home décor circles.

Personal Life

Candice Olson is married to Jurij Sennecke, a builder, since 2002. Piper and Beckett. Divine Design.

Olson is described as warm, approachable, and humorous—traits she lets show on camera and in her interactions with clients.

Selected Quotes & Reflections

While Candice Olson is not primarily known for aphorisms, some of her expressive statements reflect her design sensibility:

“The products I design are rooted in my signature fusion of traditional form, scale and proportion with the simplistic beauty and crispness of modern design.”

This quote encapsulates her core mission: to blend timeless elegance with clean modernity.

She often speaks about accessibility in design—how good design should be within reach of more people, not just elite clients.

Lessons & Legacy

From Candice Olson’s career, a number of lessons emerge—useful both for designers and for anyone seeking to cultivate aesthetic vision:

1. Cultivate a signature voice
   Olson built a recognizable aesthetic (often called the “Candice Olson Look”), which allowed her work to be distinctive and brandable.

2. Educate while creating
   Her television work shows that design is not just about reveal, but about process, challenges, and problem-solving — sharing that builds trust, inspiration, and audience loyalty.

3. Expand beyond custom work
   By developing product lines, she extended her influence into homes that couldn’t afford full custom design, democratizing her style.

4. Balance form and function
   Her emphasis on livability as well as beauty is a reminder that good design must serve human needs.

5. Be adaptable
   Transitioning from firm-based design to television and products shows adaptability to changing media, markets, and consumer interest.

6. Embody personal values in work
   Olson’s warmth, humor, and authenticity shine through her shows and client interactions — authenticity builds connection.

Conclusion

Candice Olson is more than a TV designer; she is a design educator, a brand, and a translator between high design and everyday homes. Her work shows that elegance and comfort are not opposites, but partners. Through her transformations, books, and collections, she’s made good design visible, understandable, and desirable.