Happy Easter!
I am grateful for the message of hope.
It brings joy into the darkest places & does not depend on anything we do
Nor anything we can bring to the table
It just exists because we are
May today be a day where you know you are loved
Happy Easter!!
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”™
xo Ann
Saturday Stuff: Springtime At Your Home
I hope yesterday, Good Friday, was a blessed day for you + yours
May this be a blessing to you. May it cover you as we head into the Spring.
I hope the rest of this weekend is a time of celebration for you + yours
If this is a time of struggle for you, may you know comfort + care from my heart to yours
Truth.
If this is a time of joy for you, lets dance together
Happy Easter + Passover Week
Blessings + Protection
What is your Spring time hope for your home space?
What are you thinking about as the weather (hopefully) near you starts to lighten?
Are you pulling out some slipcovers?
Freshening up some flower beds?
Gorgeous. Image Linked.
Pondering a new side table or chair?
Do tell!
We’d like to share in the celebration of Springtime at Home!!
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”
xo Ann
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PS: Pay it Forward. That’s my motto for this upcoming April! If you have one, do share!!
Thursday Spotlight: What Is A Couture Chateau Type of Life?
I recently had a meeting with a new friend. They asked me….
WHY do you call the Bespoke Interior Design Portion of your Business “Couture Chateau”?
WHY isn’t it Ann McDonald?
For a large segment of my Business, it IS “Ann McDonald”. We (my team & I) are rolling out a new website which will be Ann McDonald “Home Base” so it’s easier for you to find us, the blog, the design…all of it
HOWEVER, when it comes to a HIGHLY SPECIFIC SEGMENT of my business, that is, a Bespoke Fully Serviced Designed Home Space for my Clients, it’s about THEM…not me
Read below…let me know if it resonates…
I believe YOUR custom is about YOUR fingerprint
I bring my gifts & talents to the table to make MANIFEST you, not to make manifest me!
Here is the actual page from my site describing that elusive “aha moment”…
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Ann McDonald conceived of Couture Chateau in 1989 with a simple mission:
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”™
Here are some of her musings about opening this once very private door…
I am passionate about Couture Chateau. It’s the proverbial child that has spent decades “behind the gate” with my private Design Clients and dear close friends.
Finally I open the gates a bit and NEW friends and clients peek into the Couture Chateau world…
COUTURE: To layer and sew or build by hand with absolute attention to detail. To use the best available materials and trade fabricators budget will allow
CHATEAU: The place YOU call home
For years my Design Philosophy has been to create Couture Living Spaces, lifestyles really… for Clients. We work to custom make almost every item that isn’t acquired from antique sources or art houses/auctions. We private label for the client.
My Custom Couture Chateau Crewels take at least 5 months to complete. That is for a single commission. Furniture, Upholstery crafted by hand by the best available. Those Couture details from Hangers to Silver Leaf Closets that only a client sees when dressing…private bespoke items that make a house a home.
I have been in COUTURE Yurts…
I have been in COUTURE Manses…
Style and Taste are not the strongholds of the wealthy….they are the STRONGHOLDS of the soul…you can learn to love and live with style at any point in your life.
A I begin to open these very private gates, my passion is to FOSTER my motto: “Live a custom life. There is only one you.”™
I believe living intentionally well in any space, any time, under any budget enhances you. It changes the life that comes out of us & contributes to those around us…
Start today living your CUSTOM life.
COME on the journey with me.
Delight (in who you really are). Do (what you were meant to do). Be (what you are supposed to be). Couture (you are custom & therefore worth it). Chateau (the place you call home).
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Do you see? Do you “aha”? Do you believe YOU are CUSTOM & therefore worth it?
I do!!
Thursday Spotlight: YOU!
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”™
xo Ann
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PS: Do you have someone who needs to know they are custom? Share this post with them to let them know YOU value THEM “just because they are” not because they do or achieve…but just because they are…
Wednesday Style Points: My Current Obsession With Tufting in Home Decor
Tufting is one of those things I absolutely love
This image is from 2009 but I absolutely love it still.
Especially in unusual places
I honestly love the austerity of this room. I do tend towards the traditional but sometimes a simple space infused with drama sings to me!
Upholstered walls, banquettes, headboards of course…even tile
Tufted tile. Love this! Image linked.
Style Points. What is your current obsession?
I am kind of wishing we had a project to place these doors via Turbo Squid (image linked). Are they completely over the top? Yes! Could they be perfect somewhere? Of course!!
Is it Pantone’s Color of the Year?
Some gorgeous fabric?
Let me know! We are having fun comparing our current obsess in the Studio.
I vote tufting this week….what say you?!
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”™
xo Ann
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PS: Thank you for your continued support!! That’s it – just THANK YOU!! We love our readers!!!!
Tuesday Tidbit: Never Decorate When You Are…..
Tired?
Mad?
Frustrated?
Super Happy???
Humm….did I just say that? Super Happy???
Let me just throw this out there:
Has there ever been a time when you were super excited and you bought something that didn’t look so great two weeks later?
I call those Vacation Clothes Moments “VCM’s”
You know…when you are in Nantucket and buy the cutest pants, not the reds which are appropriate anywhere imo 🙂 but the ones you can ONLY wear in Nantucket during a few months. They usually involve maps & whales…
Mustique
When you are in Mustique and the white linen something calls you……and then you realize that $$$$ for a simple something that you can only wear in Mustique…..might not have been the best idea
Sometimes we do the same thing when it comes to our homes
Now, this might be fantastic as an art installation, but no amount of champagne & caviar should convince you that you need this in your main living area.
ESPECIALLY when it comes to our homes
We get super excited & are SO SURE that the “Insert Any Item Here” will look perfect on our entry hall table. Besides, at $$$$$$ it’s “such a deal” ;)!
Tuesday Tidbit: Do you have any “Don’t ever decorate when you are ———?” stories to share?
Can you laugh about them now?
I would so love to hear!!
I can not be the only one….
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”
xo Ann
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PS: Make sure and sign up for our Beta Test Website! We have an awesome group & YOU need to be a part of it!! Don’t worry, I think we’ve sent out 4 emails over the past months while in test format. Link HERE.
Monday Matters: Making A House A Home
I have been trying to practice what I preach and let me tell you, I stink at it!
“Turn your phone off”
“Turn the game off”
“Read a book”
“Walk the dogs”
All the while I am glued to my phone, rooting for my basketball teams, checking out HGTV instead of a good book & throwing a ball in the hall way for the pugs instead off walking them up the hill 🙂
The mirror isn’t kind this Monday Morning…
BUT, there is hope
Why? Because sometimes it’s those things that are slightly out of whack – those vulnerabilities – those “real life transparency” issues that our Children, Pets & Spouses live through with us that shows us if our House….is just a house or if it is really a HOME…
Let me explain a bit:
Monday Morning I always try to re-set for the week
Get those calendars tightened, make the calls, check the orders…plan the schedules…
But coming off a weekend of slight chaos from Junior Prom, to Junior Day at Cal, to tech issues DAY & NIGHT on the computers in the office, I was really struck by how we were all rather off kilter by Sunday afternoon…throw in church (are we always late?!), some spilled coffee & it was not my finest moment – let’s just say moments…
But what kept us all in check?
What kept ME in check?
Our imperfect house held us safe – it was our HOME where we (I) kept returning & getting our (my) balance on…
Not my house but I like this space. It looks safe, easy to engage & cozy. I could curl up here in heels or slippers! Image linked.
Our home was safe for me this weekend. It was beautifully imperfectly ordered to catch our (my) disorder…
This is our family room coffee table. This weekend? No wine or cheese, but there were cleats & tech magazines piled…real life living…
I don’t mean it is perfect, it is not
I mean it CAUGHT us after a chaotic weekend as a place we could retreat & recharge
Nap & Nuggle & watch some basketball for the pure joy of it
( Nuggle: What a pug does when you nap…a pug nuggles you )
There is nothing like a dog for an afternoon snuggle when you need a boost…
It humbled me
I am passionate about making Houses into HOMES because it is a blessing and a gift & because HOMES can change lives
I know it is not that way for everyone & I so want it to be…
I am grateful & moved
So this Monday, I am just embracing the joy of the everyday chaos moment
I believe it is what makes our houses HOMES. They catch us when we fall. They hold the JOY in those everyday moments.
Like this, especially for a Monday Morning.
May your week be filled with everyday moments of JOY
May at least some small corner of your house…be HOME to you
May it hold you & keep you safe
May it equip you to go forth and change the world
Monday matters & so do you.
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”
xo Ann
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PS: If you like what we are doing here, please share! Your friends are our friends.
Saturday Stuff: Oh! I’d Forgotten About That Side Of My Proverbial “House”!
We all have them
Those areas we forget about until…
We schedule a party
A visitor is due to arrive
We get the “Donations Accepted” postcard & start hunting for forgotten treasure to pass along
Or…as in my case…one of the pugs goes sniffing around a corner around a corner…and I follow!
Oh my!
I’d forgotten about that area 🙂
Today I’m sharing a few videos that we use to help get at some of those areas in our Life & Home
As part of Saturday Stuff…this gets at the STUFF that holds us back from the inside!!
I need to thank Karen Davis for reminding me of these videos
I love them. We watch & share with clients because one of the MOST important things about decorating a BEAUTIFUL SPACE is being REAL about who we are, where we are, why we are & being COMFORTABLE in that space
May these be a blessing to you.
Saturday Stuff. YOU are worth the time it will take to be blessed by these videos.
Take it for YOU!!!
It’s Saturday. The stuff life is made of.
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”™
xo Ann
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PS: Don’t forget to share what we are doing here with friends who have the same heart. I’d be grateful to build a community of people who desire to LIVE as beautifully as our spaces look…
PPS: Sign up NOW to be part of our BETA TEST for Decorate Like A Pro System (Linked). We are still in the starting gates. BE in from the ground floor!!! You are SO worth it!
Frugal Friday: A Video on Small Space Decorating With Fabulous Tips!
We are swamped in the Studio & excited about what is coming up
With that in mind, take the Four Minutes & watch this SPACES video!
I am inspired. YES, it has made the rounds before – but even if you saw it the first time, it’s a great reminder that Style has nothing to do with label.
Love this!
Happy Frugal Friday!
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”™
xo Ann
Wednesday Style Points: Beautiful Rooms + Beautiful Living, A Window Into Barbara Barry From Design Bloggers Conference, 2013
So yes, it’s been a solid week – maybe even 10 days since the Design Bloggers Conference this year, but sometimes it takes us that long to process
Do you ever come off a time of travel or teaching & just need some “down space”?
A time where you can get your head + heart around all you learned, were reminded of & were challenged by?
I know I do!
Next week we will tackle my NY & CT trip, but for now we venture into the Design Bloggers Conference
I have been reading with delight the posts of my friends who have fantastic recaps & delight ME with their pictures & observations
A voracious consumer of all things Design I am
Be sure to check out Lisa Mende (A fabulous post on Leontine Linens), Elle Cole (A lovely post on Barbara Barry), Scott Meecham Wood (A post on his upcoming 2013 Peninsula Volunteers Decorator Show House). I will try to suggest a few every day or so – people who have wonderful UNIQUE perspectives on Design that you should know & follow & that I deeply respect.
Today? My take on Barbara Barry. It is really quite simple. Yet profound to me. It spoke to my soul.
It confirmed the genteel quietness with which I was raised by a mother who is long gone.
It was Barbara’s lipstick on a beautifully pressed linen napkin photo
Barbara rearticulated my love of GRACIOUS process & for that I am grateful
She shared so much – you can find it in her book, her life
What she rekindled in me was-is the passion for Graciousness
So often lost in our Eco-No Waste-Get it done Now-Efficient-Effective Society of Work + Play
You simply cannot rush or execute without EFFORT & FOCUS & SKILL a gorgeous intentional pressed linen napkin that your guest may soil with lipstick & a drop of tea with no worry or fuss about consequence other than that THEY ARE WORTH IT
I grew up with linen napkins, used, loved, worn, pressed & re-pressed, monograms that didn’t match from generations of “M, E, W, L, G…” and a few that weren’t even part of the official family tree because some Grandmother or Great-something had a passion for a gorgeous linen or monogram
Is there anything more lovely than a layered table setting? One that graciously welcomes & slows us down to take part in life?
They become family members & even now, with holes & yet perfectly pressed, they are invited guests to our dinner parties & daily living with a bagel at breakfast & warm soup at lunch
Why?
Because YOU, THEY…the Guest in my home, the family member…is WORTH IT
WORTH the effort. Is Holy in their own right – simply as a created being, in all OUR (their) glorious mess
WORTH IT.
The effort, the acknowledgement of effort.
What is your Beautiful Living?
Take the Four (4) Minutes & watch Barbara’s Video. Let me know if it speaks to you as it spoke to me.
What is your Beautiful Life?
A lesson learned, a heart reminded…there is no substitute for delighting in the BEST today
It’s all we have
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”™
xo Ann
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PS: If you like what we are doing here, please share it with a friend on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin…you know – all those Social Media sites! We are still small & exclusive 🙂 but we’d love to be known by your friends with the same heart for intentional living & design. It’s a passion that life itself could not take out of me…and I assume could not take out of you! Thank God for that. May today be a blessed + protected day for you and yours.
Monday Matters: Design Your Home, Design Your Life. I Believe You Can!
Am just off three weeks of intensive training, from Mastermind Calls, Design Bloggers Conference & then time in NY and CT with my Business Consultant going over in minute detail what I need to focus on to achieve my goals: Equipping YOU & remaining viable as a business so I have the opportunity to do that in an era of financial uncertainty.
I literally spent all day yesterday, Sunday, quiet & almost shell shocked. Funny how we forget how taxing that stuff is! GREAT but taxing!
Can anyone say sweats & slippers? Got my church on via the internet & even took a nap! What have I learned these past three weeks?
My mission & goal is still the same it’s always been – can’t kill it or root it out of me:
I desire deeply to EQUIP YOU to design your home & life so you can get on with the business of living YOUR call!
From the Free: Blog, Webinars, FB & Social Media
I love this image. It helps ME keep track of what everything is and why we work hard to engage!!
To the Mid Priced: Information Products, Teaching Systems, Coaching
One of the first workshops I ever did was called “HELP! I’m a Home Goods Addict”. It was seriously fun & funny.
To the Expensive: Mastermind & Full Service Interior Bespoke Design
Detail of Chair. Our amazing restorer applied five coats of lacquer to a fabulous vintage chair and had new cane put on so the finish would absorb properly. Our use of this menswear fabric made the new & trend section that year!
It all comes back to equipping you. You the Designer, You the Decorator, You the DIY or You the PERSON! It matters not who, what, where you are. If you are HERE, I want it to be a blessing.
I think I feel so strongly about this because I know how hard it is when there is no one to equip you. I have been there. It’s lonely & hard. We need each other. We are made stronger together. We share burdens, victories, struggles & strength.
What is YOUR Monday Matters? What have you been focused on? What do you want to learn? Have you ever thought of building a business from your desk at home to change the world? Let me know!! Maybe I can help!!
Stay tuned for some fun stuff.
For now, may this get you thinking. I’ll call it “Today’s Equipping” & I have it written on my Back Hall Blackboard in BIG LETTERS: “Fail Harder”.
Monday Matters & So Do YOU!
“Live a custom life. There is only one you.”™
xo Ann
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PS: If you haven’t signed up yet, NOW IS THE TIME! Here is the link to our BETA TEST for Decorate Like A Pro System. Even if you NEVER want to Decorate for Clients, yourself or others, THIS has nuggets for everyday living. Don’t miss out because you are afraid. Life is short. We only get one go around.
Don’t forget to put your email in to receive updates! Visit link HERE!
PPS: If you like what we are doing here, share it with a friend! We are still pretty hidden except to a select group & want to make sure our message gets out to the world. We need you to do that!
Couture Chateau 