Between the labubu, colorful beads and red brick walls of the creative space, I chatted with Kano and Cindy, the creators of Bunny House.
The boutique-workshop is still almost a secret, on the second floor of a semi-ancient building on Guy Street, and feels a bit like stepping into the bedroom of the coolest girl in class-the one with the trinket we’d seen in Cool or Teen Vogue and the first to perfect the art of winged eyeliner.
What we loved about this girl was her individuality and effortless femininity . In a world where we’re once again obsessed with collectibles and personalizing our looks to stand out from the international uniformity fueled by social networks and mass marketing, Bunny House is an oasis.
Le decoden – the happiness workshop
Kano and Cindy are those cool girls from school for whom everything seems easy – even though they’ve worked extremely hard to create their business. They opened Bunny House in July, and their workshop has been busy ever since – with children, daddy-daughter duos, groups of friends, Montrealers getting into today’s fashions, families and those who semi-secretly collect cute figurines and keychains.
They created Bunny House because they wanted to create their own decoden objects . “Decoden” comes from “deco denwa” –decorated telephone in Japanese. The craft was born in Japan in the early 2000s, and it’s a decorative craft that consists of covering a telephone case, a mirror or a jewelry box with colorful ornaments.
It’s hyper-customizable, conducive to overkill, exhaled femininity and childhood nostalgia.
In addition to decorating objects with the decoden technique, Kano and Cindy wanted to create a quality space and experience – pleasant, positive, not chaotic and out of whack. Because they understand that it’s not just an artistic activity to pass the time, and because they tell me they work together because they have a similar work ethic.
In the studio, they focus on quality – not quantity – and are there to guide the experience of those who come to Bunny House. And, for those who are anxious about having to create with their hands, don’t panic – they finish the bead chains so that they endure on our bags – they are precious objects, after all.
Collectibles, blind boxes and individuality
Much of what we create at Bunny House includes a collectible figurine from a blind box.
In addition to decoden items, Kano and Cindy offer several workshops for making chains and key chains from colorful beads. What’s more, they offer the possibility of attaching a figurine (which can be bought on the spot for a surprise, or brought from home for a special place on your bag or belt).
For many, the taste for collecting began in childhood with ty plushies, snow globes bought on vacation, Pokémon cards and Lip Smacker lip balms .
While since childhood, the world has unified around universal designs that standardize us (sometimes unwittingly), in recent years we’ve collectively turned to collecting rare objects and accessories that we can wear to remind the world of our individuality.
The girls tell me that they have a Hello Kitty altar at home, and that as children they collected what Cindy calls“emotional-support figurines”.
In recent years, figurines from Popmart, an Asian toy giant, have become the figurines to collect – for their rarity in North America, their variety and for the surprise of buying a blindbox that will randomly smile at us and reveal the rarest figurine or disappoint us with a figurine we already have.
Right now, the hottest figurine on the Internet (and on the bags and belts of the city’s coolest Montrealers) is the Labubu. And, of course, Bunny House is one of the only places in Montreal where you can buy one.
Bunny House – practical info
Kano and Cindy have created a space that exudes femininity and nostalgia, and welcomes children young and old to exercise their creativity and individuality.
Here you can see all the objects you can create or decorate atthe Bunny House workshop;
- phone cases, for $45
- key rings with or without figurines, from $30
- hairbrushes, from $30
- photo frames, from $20
- heart-shaped mirror, for $45
- hair clips, for $20
- jewelry boxes, from $45
and bundles to create your own nostalgic survival kit…
In the workshop, which is open Saturdays and Sundays, you can reserve a place (for a date, an outing with your sister, brother, cousins or friends…) for a decoden workshop or to create a beaded object, with or without a blindbox.
You can also drop in to store for the figurines sold at Bunny House or to do a workshop, but the girls recommend reserving your place so as not to be disappointed if the house is full.
When? Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where? Studio 204, 1241 Guy Street
How? For more information and to book, visit the Bunny House website , here!