About

Kiara Journal is an online magazine celebrating sereneness, beauty and refinement. A most delightful triad that we’ve named poetic luxury.

Our finely crafted stories, from feature interviews with talented creatives to personal essays and exquisite musings, offer warmth, authenticity and a new vision of elegance.

Nature, quality, intellect, creativity and meaningful connections are at the heart of this modern elegance, gracing each one of our pages.

Moved by delicateness, we aim to inspire soft living in everything we publish and commit to deliver quality writing that brings tranquility and beauty to the forefront of a remarkable life.

WHAT IS MODERN ELEGANCE?

Today’s elegance is about sustainability. We can’t speak of elegance without considering health, beauty and the environment. Quality, intellect, nature, creativity and meaningful connections are the guiding forces of today’s modern elegance.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

I named Kiara Journal in honour of my mother, Chiara (pronounced Kiara), as an affectionate nod to family, the past and Old World Europe.

Née Montréalaise, I love to be surrounded by the soothing gentleness of water. As a lively child, I wouldn’t come out of the sea unless persuaded. Content to splash around for years, I inevitably kindled a love of nature, beauty and calmness.

Fluent in three languages by age six, I also nurtured an interest in European literature and culture, to which I devoted seven splendid years of university studies. For 15 years, I was a linguist at the federal government, immersed in technical, scientific and military fields.

Right when I felt it was time to return to my first loves, I slipped and hit my head. During the two years spent recovering from a head injury and rehabilitating my eyes, I found solace in the past. Unable to move quickly, use a computer, read from a book or plié with full abandon in a barre class as I loved to do, I turned to paper and artisanal techniques.

I was comforted by how our ancestors wrote everything from heartfelt love letters to full-length novels by hand, in sublime penmanship no less. Reverting to simpler times, I became reacquainted with and fascinated by the elegance, artistic accomplishments and leisure activities of the people who came before us. Unsurpassed for their quality and skills, I found great teachers in the artists, philosophers and writers of decades, even centuries, ago.

I created Kiara Journal in honour of my mother Chiara. I still hold dear the formative first trip I took to Italy in my youth. I glimpsed a world that was once hers—a world of distinguished relatives, cultivated manners, elegant style and deep appreciation for art and literature. I also meandered through my father’s hilltop town; a rural place where he grew up taking care of sheep and making scrumptious cheese in his family’s masseria. Kiara Journal seamlessly connects both worlds.

I believe women deserve better than to be told how to live or think through formulas and quick tutorials. This publication is founded on my confidence that refinement is cultivated over time by developing one’s art or profession, reading, writing, nurturing bonds, and participating in cultural life at home and abroad.

I regard connecting with creatives, interviewing them and sharing their stories to be one of the most fulfilling aspects of the business of writing. Holding community as one of my most cherished tenets, it’s an honour to have the opportunity to highlight the talents of such wonderful makers. I look to the future as we continue to bring sereneness to our readers, and foster a global community of modern elegance.