Boards, Boards and More Boards

I just finished this beauty for a client's home in good ole Cali. This is probably one of my all time favorites, simply for the use of color. It is an amazing combination that is on the rise for several of my clients, the added bling and metal flowers doesn't hurt either!!

I love the versatility of my boards that has evolved over the years that I have been designing them. The pic below shows a jewelry board in which all those precious jewels can be hung for all to envy. At the very bottom is an accessory board that displays and organizes all the diva's hairbows, and the board on the right is a classic combination of brown, pink and green. The accessory board and memory board in this picture are available on my website right now.

I made this board for a clients daughter that wanted a board above her desk area, but she also needed a mirror for vanity purposes. So why not have the best of both worlds... a board with a killer vintage mirror.

I made this board several years ago for my mom and it finds itself situated on the wall in a busy hallway where she proudly displays all her grandchildren for all to see. One rule remains about her board... if you want to be on it you have to be black and white, and I must say it is stunning to have vintage tinted photos displayed on it.

Memory boards are simply fantastic because they provide art to your wall that comes alive. You can display many photos at once without it looking unorganized or cluttered.
I even have pearl letters spelling out my daughter's name on her board with a vintage baby rattle haging down. I love putting other things than just photos on them and then it really becomes a conversation piece. With the right combination the board is a timeless piece to add to your decor that holds memories that are ever changing and apart of your daily life.
I can't help but have a special place in my heart for my boards and frames, after all, it is how my whole business started.

What Is Couture?

Is it thinking outside the box with fashion?

Is it fancy feathers that ruffle your rump?

Is it vintage fashion at its best?

Is it big amazing dresses for royalty?

Is it fashions only imagined in our dreams?

Nay Nay I say....
True, the meaning of couture is in a nutshell high-end fashion that is custome made by clothing designers for certain individuals who can afford such a thing, you know, the kind of stuff you cannot find in just any ole store, nor would you want to touch, in fear of a $1000 bead popping off. Now granted I am not saying anything negative in any way beacause couture is an artwork to be admired by and inspired by, simply because it is beautiful and rare.

When coming up with the name for my business, couture made its way in there, because I believe we can have it for our homes!! Now I know I am not a clothing designer, but I am a furniture desinger and I believe it to be just as fashionable as the clothing world. I believe we can have beautiful custom hand made things that adorn the most precious place... our homes!!

Now when you look at these next pictures I want you to see how couture is not just fancy dresses, it is also how you customize your home with furniture and accessories that express who you are as a person. These homes are not following any trends or fashions they simply have character that expresses their owner... therefore they become timeless and they become the trends to follow.

Amazing color!!

monochromatic done right!

Knowing who you are!!

Beauty is simple yet detailed

Calm and casual comfort with a killer bed

Put a little couture in your decor. Why, you ask?

Because you can!!! And because I will!!

HA HA.. I Love what I do!

Show Time

Come join me this Friday from 6-10pm for a fabulous trunk show!! Becki at Whippy Cake is having a Matilda Jane trunk show and watch out because you are going to want everything this clothing line has to offer. Here is just a teaser...

So amazingly cute!!! This Clothing line has womens and childrens clothing and accessories.

Becki has asked me to bring some of my products to this event, so in doing so, I am offering 10% off of everything that I am bringing to the show. Books, candlesticks, and topiaries will be in attendance to name a few. If you are interested in coming email me at chateaucouture@hotmail.com and I will give directions. Becki also has some information posted on her awesome site at www.whippycake.com be sure to also check out her killer accessories while you are there.

Hope to see you all there!!!

Show Me The Layers

I wanted to give another design tip today. Layering!!! One of my favorites and something I use in every single one of my clients accounts. It is a huge aspect to a room in order to create dimension, depth and interest.

This is a great example of layering!! Don't stop with the old shutters, keep going... add crystal sconces, a mirror or an archetectural piece. I have done this many times for my clients with different applications.

Here is one using ceiling medallions to dress up the wall where we put the sconces...

Here they are in the grand scheme of things flanking a desk, board and shelf. If I just put the sconces on the wall they would have no where near the pronounced presence that they have here in the room.

One of my most favorite applications of shelves ever!! This is in one of my client's bathrooms where there is 2 vanities and this vanity was not really in use. So I created a layering of shelves to add an element that you don't really see in a bathroom. The end result was amazing!! This bathroom became instantly inviting!!


Here we see an application of layering chandeliers. Could one really ever have too many chandeliers? Answer... NO!! Could you imaging this over a bed or over a large dining table... Fabulous, just fabulous!

This little cluster of joy in inside of a salon that I did, I wanted to changed things up a bit instead of anchoring the room by a large light fixture, I added a layering affect with these yummy custom hanging lights.

And last but not least, the treasured old door!! I love love love them, because you can layer anything on them for an amazing and very unique look!! This one has a fountain mounted on it for outside use... crazy cute!!

So go ahead and incorporate layering in your decor, you will notice the most amazing transformation when you do this and it will simply make you happy to stare at

Love Affair

Ok I have to admit that I have fallen in love all over again!! Could this be possible... a love affair? You bet it is, but this love affair is not with another man, no way. Not long ago a client brought me these....do you see the potential?

I did!!

I combined a lush chocolate brown velvet, with a timeless black and white damask chenille
with a touch of a raspberry chenille





And viola!! Freakin Killer Chairs!

Hence the love affair!!

My World Of Design

I came across these beautiful photos and felt they represented me in my "world of design." Sometimes it is a balancing act of making all of the elements come together...

These women are so beautiful and graceful amidst the strange world in which they are in. Yet they look as if they are dancing a dream... with a tug and pull of a curtain panel here and the lift of awkward chandelier there, she is creating a masterpiece, she is creating beauty.

It is almost as if she is one with here surroundings and has become one of the elements. She is right at home on her obscure place on the ladders almost as if she has always been there.

Inspiration is everywhere and in everything around us, we just have to take the time know where to look and what to see. As simple as these photos are it is the details that make them special. They would be nothing without the simple ladders, the shavings on the floor, the worn look to the walls, the sparkle of the chandelier, and best of all the elaborate dresses. This is my world of design...

I love it, I feel it, I live it.

Be Different

Today I wanted to give you all my little know decorating secret. Ok well maybe it is not a secret, because I only practice what I preach in all my designing history. Time and time again I run across this problem. Do you see anything wrong in the following picutre.

First of all it is like sleeping in a coffin, not really my sort of gig, but once you get beyond that and the fact that it has more shaggy fur than any pet I have ever owned, do you see a pattern here? Black, black, black and yet again more black. Fur, fur and way too much fur, it is a bachelor pad gone terribly wrong, it really is just wrong. And the little dragons holding up the bed...Really? Ok so anyways my whole point of this photo is please and I beg of you please stop matching everything. I see two matching nightstands and a matching mirrored dresser, matching lamps on both sides of the bed. On a rare occasion there is a time and a place for matching, but trust me this aint it. My number one rule with all of my clients is to never and I repeat never buy matching furniture sets!!! If you don't have different textures and different pieces of furniture, is the room really that interesting? It becomes boring looking at the same piece day in and day out every direction you look. So sadly dreary!!

Now look at this picture from one of my favorite european designers

Full of textures, color, different lines. You simply just want to stare and take in all the elements. This is what I am talking about, this is a room that you will enjoy for many years. When you design your room, buy each piece because you absolutely love it and everytime you look at it, it makes you soo happy. This will help create a room with depth and best of all it will express you and who you are. Don't be afraid to be different and don't be afraid to express yourself through your furniture. This pictures is a prime example of that there really is no rules when it comes to designing (with an exeption of a few known no nos) but really when you look at this, somethings have no rhyme or reason, yet it just goes. For example look at the warm tone of brown of the fireplace and then you can see the black and white stripe lampshade. Yes this can be done, add a little bit of funk to your space, you will love it even more in the end.