New Stuff

New Products added today...Oh happy day!! Visit my website to check them out!!

Distressed antique white door

Topiaries Galore with crystals and crowns.. oh my!!

Architectural Bliss...aaahhhh

Freakin Killer Lampshade ( for lamp or for hanging)

la di da di da di da



8x10 and 11x14 frames with crystals and glitter... seriously


Come and Get um!!!

Fresh Flowers and Living Elements Are Where It's At

Ok ya'all this conversation is long overdue with the majority of you out there that own and decorate with silk or artificial greenery and flowers. It is what every great designer knows and what a lot of people don't. "Always use real or dried/preserved flowers or elements such as moss twigs, leaves, wood, branches, etc. It is all about bringing the outside in!! Your home is filled with life so why not add that to your decor. Now I am not saying "you must be one with nature" but you cannot deny the beautiful elements this world has to offer!!


Does this look familiar to you?


This is a little know addiction of many people out there and it is a little something I like to call "Plastic Jungle Fever" Yes it is real and I know many of you suffer from this addiction. But there is help and I am offering it today!! The problem is that many of us turn to model homes to follow and decorate after, the only problem with this is nobody lives in them, hence the artificial plant life.

I once had to convince a dear friend of this who was not really sold on why this was such a big deal. When I helped her decorate her kitchen niche, more specifically, an amazing vintage buffet that we had found, I only had her get dried whispy fern and moss balls. We paired this with only white dishes against antique tarnished silver pieces. The result was nothing short of "WOW" !!!

After she saw the result she was hooked and then looked to her kitchen niches way up high and wondered how she could start replacing her artificial greenery. No joke, this was all it took for her to realize that these elements packed a major punch in her design scheme. Check out her buffet below.

Now I know you must be thinking "oh crap, all I own is silk arrangements, what the hec do I do?" And not only that " how do I afford this?" Not to fret!! There is a couple of ways to go about doing this. Lets face it I don't know of a whole lot of people who have the money to spend day in and day out on fresh flowers. You don't have to to achieve this look. Most of these elements you can find in your own backyard!! You can take branches and arrange them in a vase, you can invest in a rose bush that will provide you with beautiful flowers. As I was growing up my grandmother had the most beautiful flower garden and she would often find her favorite rose of the day, cut it and then place it in a charming crystal goblet that was from her wedding and would place it in her kitchen window seal. So there it was... for all to admire and awe. I would sit and stare and the endless beauty of this one flower. My grandmother new the secret of what just one little flower could do. This one flower had presence and demanded the attention of all who entered that kitchen, this one little flower filled the entire room, and this one little flower brought so many smiles. Now granted not all of your elements will have this kind of meaning behind them, but it is just an example of how powerful these living elements can be in adding so much more to your home.

So to get started I recomend clearing out all of the artificial greenery and floral arrangements start fresh. It will force you to think outside the box on how to replace it. I will give you several examples so it can get your mind running:

For a fireplace: Topiaries are fantastic and well as candlesticks of various heights with moss balls or place all different jars with different leaves or flowers in them for an awesome affect.

For the kitchen: place fresh fruits and vegetables from the famers market or your own garden out in a bowl or stacked on cake stands. I love nothing more than looking and fresh herbs or a bowl of lemons in a kitchen. The aroma is amazing!!

For the living room or family room: I love using taller elements for these rooms for added height. Place brances in a vase with water. Or on a coffee table use lower elements such as moss balls cut branches ( see picture below).

Use a large cut branch that looks like a small tree and place it in a room. I have even taken these branches and hung them right on the wall for a couple of my clients and they hang crystals or vintage tags from them

These elements don't have to be complicatied in design nor do they have to fill every area of your home, in fact the more simple and sparing, the more of a statement they will make!!

The photos below are just a few of the ideas I mentioned above and a few of my favorite applications. Notice how none of these overpower the room, but yet they provide a vital accent that brings the room to life!! Enjoy!!

SALE! & This and That!

Grab your shopping bags girls because Chateau Couture is having its 1st sale to kick off summer!! It will be going on now through June 10th, so head on over to snatch up that item/s that you have had your eye on!! I am offering 15% off everything on the site, yea I know, super exciting huh!!

Also I know I have slacked in the featured item department for the month of May due the simple craziness of life and business and end of the school year!! So for feeling bad about this I am releasing 2 of my personal designs and 2 total obsessions for the month of June to make up for it!! And they simply will not disappoint. I will post their releasing date soon.

I also wanted to help everyone with their design dilemas, so what I would like you to do is post or email me a design question and I will pick some to answer on my blog or tell me what you want to hear about or see on my blog. I would love to hear about your design battles and what you are struggling with in your homes, because by golly, it can be fixed!!

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