The Kahana Designs Journal

The Journal

The Kahana Designs Journal

Stories of Hawaiian culture — the akua, the islands, the flowers, the food, and the language. Written from our studio in Kailua-Kona.

Aerial view of a turquoise Hawaiian coastline with a sandy beach and green mountains, Hawaiʻi
Is Hawaiʻi Expensive? A First-Timer's Budget Guide
Is Hawaiʻi expensive? A first-timer's guide to visiting Hawaii on a budget — realistic costs for flights, lodging, food, and cars, plus free things to do and money-saving tips. Read more...
Tunnels Beach Kauaʻi Hawaii oil painting canvas wall art, a Hawaii art gift idea
Hawaii Art Gift Ideas: Meaningful Prints for Island Lovers
Looking for the perfect Hawaii art gift? A guide to choosing meaningful Hawaiian wall art and canvas prints for island lovers, with the newest additions from our Native Hawaiian-owned studio. Read more...
Oʻahu coastline with green sea cliffs and a turquoise beach cove, Hawaiʻi
First Time in Hawaiʻi: Things to Know Before You Go
First trip to the islands? These Hawaii travel tips cover island-hopping, weather, costs, culture, and what to pack so you arrive ready to enjoy every moment. Read more...
Hawaiian travel poster of Garden of the Gods on Lānaʻi, Hawaiʻi — a piece for a Hawaiian gallery wall
How to Build a Hawaiian Gallery Wall
Learn how to build a Hawaiian gallery wall step by step — choosing island travel posters, planning a layout, spacing, framing, and mixing prints for a coastal, island-inspired room. Read more...
A shark silhouetted from below against the sunlit ocean surface
Manō: What the Shark Means in Hawaiian Culture
In Hawaiian tradition the manō (shark) is often an ʻaumakua — an ancestral guardian who watches over the family. Here is what the shark truly means in Hawaiian culture. Read more...
Aerial view of a palm-lined white-sand Hawaiian beach with turquoise reef water
Your Hawaii Travel Planner: How to Plan the Perfect Trip
A simple Hawaii travel planner to help you choose an island, pick the right season, budget, and build a day-by-day itinerary — from a Native Hawaiian–owned studio in Kailua-Kona. Read more...
Aerial view of Diamond Head crater and the turquoise Oʻahu coastline in Hawaiʻi
How Many Hawaiian Islands Are There?
How many Hawaiian islands are there? Eight main islands most people mean — but the full archipelago has 137. Here's the complete, clear answer. Read more...
Vintage-style pictorial map poster of the Hawaiian Islands showing Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island with ships, whales, and a compass rose
Pictorial Map Posters of Hawaiʻi
A Hawaii map poster turns the whole archipelago into wall art. Here's what makes a pictorial map poster of Hawaiʻi special — and the newest map prints from our Kailua-Kona... Read more...
Aerial view of a golden-sand beach and turquoise water on Maui, Hawaiʻi
Best Time to Visit Hawaiʻi: Weather, What to Pack & Fun Facts
Wondering about the best time to visit Hawaiʻi? A first-timer's guide to island seasons and weather, what to pack, and fun facts to know before you go. Read more...
A surfer riding a longboard on a turquoise wave with other surfers in the lineup, Hawaiʻi
Vintage Hawaiian Surf Posters
A vintage Hawaiian surf poster bottles the aloha of a blue wave and hangs it on your wall. Here's what makes the retro surf-poster look timeless and how to choose... Read more...
A rainbow (ānuenue) arcs across the misty green mountains of Hawaiʻi
Ānuenue: What the Rainbow Means in Hawaiian Culture
In Hawaiʻi a rainbow is never just weather. Discover what ānuenue means in Hawaiian culture — a sacred sign of the gods, ancestors, and the aliʻi. Read more...
Hawaii Ohana Family Hawaiian t-shirt design in black
Best Hawaii T-Shirts for Men & Women
A guide to the best Hawaii t-shirts for men and women — place, culture, food, and flora designs from a Native Hawaiian–owned studio, plus how to pick and care for... Read more...
Hideaways Beach Kauaʻi felt-pennant Hawaii poster for a beach house wall
Best Hawaii Posters for a Beach House
The best Hawaii posters for a beach house — coastal travel-poster prints of island bays and beaches, plus how to style them for a breezy, collected coastal look. Read more...
Tunnels Beach Kauaʻi turquoise water, Hawaii beach canvas wall art
Hawaii Beach Canvas Prints for Coastal Homes
A guide to Hawaii beach canvas prints — turquoise-water oil-painting canvases of Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, and Big Island shores, and how to style them in a coastal home. Read more...
Maluaka Beach Maui Hawaii poster print ready to frame and hang
How to Frame and Hang Hawaiian Posters
How to frame and hang Hawaiian posters — choosing frames, mats, and sizes, building a gallery wall, and protecting your Hawaii travel prints so they last. Read more...
Nā Pali cliffs under the Milky Way, Hawaii landscape canvas wall art of Kauaʻi
Hawaii Landscape Wall Art: Volcanoes, Cliffs & Coastlines
A guide to Hawaii landscape wall art — canvas prints of Nā Pali cliffs, snow-capped Mauna Kea, lava coasts, and island overlooks, and how to choose and hang them. Read more...
Kauaʻi Nā Pali Coast Hawaiian t-shirt design of the Garden Isle
Kauaʻi T-Shirts: Wear the Garden Isle
A guide to Kauaʻi t-shirts — designs celebrating the Nā Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Hanalei, and the Garden Isle's wild chickens, from a Native Hawaiian–owned studio. Read more...
Hawaiian sea turtle (honu) rising toward the surface, honu canvas wall art
Honu Wall Art: The Hawaiian Sea Turtle in Home Decor
A guide to honu wall art — what the Hawaiian sea turtle means, why it belongs on your wall, and how to choose and display honu canvas prints at home. Read more...
Rainbow Falls Hawaiʻi Island vaporwave travel poster print of the Big Island
Big Island Posters: Travel-Poster Art of Hawaiʻi Island
A guide to the Big Island poster — travel-poster prints of Kīlauea, Rainbow Falls, Kona's bays, and Hawaiʻi Island's black- and green-sand beaches, and how to frame them. Read more...
Waimea Canyon Kauaʻi wood-marquetry travel poster print of the Garden Isle
Kauaʻi Posters: Travel-Poster Art of the Garden Isle
A guide to the Kauaʻi poster — travel-poster prints of Waimea Canyon, the Nā Pali Coast, and the Garden Isle's waterfalls and beaches, and how to frame them. Read more...
Ala Moana Oʻahu atomic mid-century travel poster print
Oʻahu Posters: Travel-Poster Art of the Gathering Place
A guide to the Oʻahu poster — travel-poster prints of Waikīkī, the North Shore, Ala Moana, and Oʻahu's best beaches, and how to frame and display them. Read more...
Twin Falls Maui watercolor travel poster print of the Valley Isle
Maui Posters: Travel-Poster Art of the Valley Isle
A guide to the Maui poster — travel-poster prints of Hāna, Haleakalā, Lahaina, and the Valley Isle's best beaches, and how to frame and display them. Read more...
Hawaiian Islands pictorial map, a vintage-style Hawaii travel poster print
Vintage Hawaii Travel Posters: The Art of the Islands in Print
A guide to the vintage Hawaii travel poster — its golden-age history, the styles worth collecting, and how to frame and display Hawaiian travel posters at home. Read more...
A Hawaiʻi loco moco: white rice topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg, and brown gravy with green onions
What Is Loco Moco? Hawaiʻi's Ultimate Comfort Food
Loco moco — rice, a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy — is Hawaiʻi's ultimate comfort food. Here's the story, the origins in Hilo, and how it's built. Read more...

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