A Designer's Double Life - Blog by Courtney Ellis

Grand Opening! E Madison-Interior Lifestyles

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 02:35:46 -0400

It’s finally here, our Grand Opening VIP party! We are so excited to show you all our new retail store in Ladera Ranch. If you are in the area we would love to extend an invite to all of our Ellis Design Group supporters, email us at Design@EMadisonhome.com and we will add you to the list!

Grand Opening VIP party is this Thursday night October 25th from 6-9pm. Excited that 24 Carrots will be providing drinks and yummy bites!

Thanks so much to everyone for all your help to make this happen! It’s been on hold while having Emery and Landen, but this could not have been a more perfect timing for us as we found our home in Ladera Ranch, where E Madison is now located…. love this community!

www.EMadisonhome.com

Stop by and say Hi if your in the area!

Love Always,

Courtney

Ladera Ranch Fall 2012!

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 19:16:00 -0400

E Madison, coming soon to Ladera Ranch!

We are busy getting E Madison ready for our grand opening Fall of 2012! We plan to open October and will have a fabulous Grand Opening party! If you like to be on the invite list please email to design@ellisdg.com. Mercantile West F-3 will be our location, they are already working to get it ready for us! More sneak peak in the interior to come soon!!

The day we signed the Lease we brought out the Mimosas!

Love always,

Courtney Ellis-Dever

Long Beach-Before & After

Tue, 01 May 2012 17:49:23 -0400

May 1, 2012

We are still working on the finishing touches & window treatments/furniture for this Long Beach client but thought we would give a sneak peak into the transformation of this cute simple home.

The before pictures are hard to actually tell from as we added onto the back of the house for the master bathroom. As well we took out the interior walls making the kitchen and Living room into a great room for our clients to entertain.

Before:

After:

Before:

This is the old Living Room wall that we took out now for the kitchen Island.

After:

Master bathroom before:

After: We added square footage to this home to make a Master bathroom on the back of the house.

Love always,

Courtney Ellis

LIVE Orange County-Magazine

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:55:00 -0500

January 5th, 2012

LIVE Orange County-Magazine:

We are so honored when approached by LIVE Orange County Magazine to be a feature in their Home Tour section of their magazine each month! They will be featuring a Home that Ellis Design Group has designed!! Here is the first peak of the January issue out right now!

I choose this client for the first issue as she is moving this month to our favorite Neighborhood in Long Beach, Spinnaker Bay. We are getting started on the remodel of their new home, we are hoping to post pictures in April when we are finished!

Written by: Ryan Ritchie

Photographed by: Matt Fukushima

Photo Assistant: Alex Serrano

Coordinator: Ellis Design Group

Love always,

Courtney

Fall table decor...

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:15:00 -0500

November 18, 2011

I can’t believe that we are already at Thanksgiving! Where has this year gone? Such a wonderful year with the new addition to my family, Landen Edward Dever. I’m getting all excited again to celebrate with the family for the Holidays. I came across these wonderful table designs for Thanksgiving and wanted to share them with you!

This I found off a great blog Handmade Evolution. Such a simple but fun idea using family photos at the table, what a great way to make everyone feel at home!

Featured on the HGTV page. Love the simple white dishes, my style!

Again off the Handmade Evolution blog, Love the salt and pepper with clean orange.

HGTV website. I save pumpkins from Halloween so I have them to decorate with through Thanksgiving. The idea of putting them on candle sticks is so fun!

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love always,

Courtney

OC Family: September issue

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:01:49 -0400

If you come across OC Family Magazine, check out our new add featuring one of our recent Toddler rooms we decorated for a special client!

OC Family http://www.ocfamily.com/t-digitalarchive.aspx

Love always,

Courtney

Ellis Design Group Kitchen Remodel

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:00:00 -0400

July 25, 2011

Spinnaker Bay Kitchen Remodel.

Here is the other half to our Long Beach home that we posted the Family Room pictures to earlier in the blog. We took out the wall in the middle to make this kitchen twice the size. This home remodel has made quite an impression on the neighborhood and draws neighbors each night that walk along the water of Spinnaker Bay.

Love always,

Courtney

Ellis Baby Rooms...it's all in the little details!

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 00:48:23 -0400

July 22, 2011

Newest Addition to the Ellis Baby Room yet for a little girl!

I have four more weeks till my newest additional to our family is born and it’s been nothing but baby rooms for Ellis Design Group. No, this is not my soon to be son’s room…We were honored to redecorate a client of mine daughters room. Now that her little sister has taken over the nursery furniture we have designed this little girls dream room she can grown into!!

The upholstered headboard was our inspiration…. We fell in love with the fabrics and pulled together a color scheme of rich purples, creams and silver tones.

My favorite piece is the custom storage bench at the end of the bed with button tufting on the top. Our workroom matched the finish on the legs to the beautiful silver patina nightstands.

Custom framed Vintage Barbie prints.

This wouldn’t be an Ellis Baby room without a custom glider/storage ottoman.

Uppercase Living Growth chart.

We are in love with the hideaway bed rails on the sides of the bed. This way the little princess does not fall out of bed and yet the room can look beautiful!

Love always,

Courtney

Spinnaker Bay, Long Beach-Great Room

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:18:29 -0400

April 27, 2011

So we posted earlier the after pictures of the dining room, here is a look into the Great Room. I hope you’ll love this transformation as much as we do!

They loved the fireplace of their neighbor around the corner who’s home we also remodeled, it truly changed the overall look of the room.

From drawing the plans for the remodel to the furniture and accessories. We designed and had built every piece of upholstered furniture in this room from the sectional, storage ottoman and chairs, so that each piece fit the clients needs.

We added ceiling beams and of coarse all the lighting was placed exactly where we needed it. We are reframing the clients own art work and photographs to go into this space, I’ll repost once those have been hung in place.

Before Pictures below in case you are curious!

Love always,

Courtney

Spinnaker Bay, Long Beach: Custom Dining Room set

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 01:14:00 -0400

April 22, 2011

We have been very busy starting new projects and finishing others! Here is a look at a dining set we had made for one of our clients in Spinnaker Bay, Long Beach. We are very familiar with this neighborhood and love all our clients there, thanks for all the referrals!

My client first fell in love with this Stanley dining table for the rustic finish. We then had the upholstered end chairs, side chairs and bench custom built and stained to match the table. I love how this dining set turned out, so Cozy! I find that my friends and clients spend just as much time talking with their guest at dinner that its nice to have a comfortable place to sit before you transition to the Living Room or in this home the outdoor patio (pictures to follow).

Below is the before picture of this space, we did much more with this fabulous home! Ellis Design Group helped with ever aspect of the design process from concept, plans development, budget, overseeing of all construction and of coarse down to the furniture and finishing touches. Wonderful couple to work with!

After below!

We worked on every area of this home so more pictures to follow, Hope you enjoyed!

Love always,

Courtney

Costa Del Sol-Table for Sale!

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:48:07 -0500

I’ve got a gorgeous Stanley-Costa Del Sol-conquistador bench table for Sale. Let me know if you or anyone you know might be interested in this great coffee table!

Retail $1479.00 For Sale at $1029.00

30”d x 20”h x 65”w

Stanley Description: “One glance and you know. This is not your ordinary table. Replete with appeal, our intriguingly unique Conquistador Bench Table brings an instant sense of history from its twisted vintage-look base straight through the reclaimed feel of its heavily distressed top. Inspired by the rugged monastery benches that lined the cathedral walls in southern Spain, ours captures the spirit of intrigue, adventure and wanderlust so often lacking in modern decor. Aggressively distressed with both chemical finishing agents and god old fashioned physical effort, the top is as storied as a piece many times its age. An engaging focal point for snacking, relaxing—and sharing conquests of your own.”

Love always,

Courtney

OCFamily.com-Shop wise and accessorize

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:35:00 -0500

Spotlight

Attention to detail can make the room

BY COURTNEY ELLISPublished: November, 2010
Finding the perfect accessory can take some clients years to find, and I’m not exaggerating. When Ellis Design Group is called in I don’t have years to find the right items, sometimes we only have a few days. That is something I find fun and challenging as an interior architectural designer, from working with designing the home to picking out the perfect finish touches.

Here are some tips that I personally use when I’m out shopping for my clients.

• Think Big. Most clients buy the small items because they feel safe, but it never truly fills the space correctly and then they are left with too many small accessories cluttering up the home. This doesn’t apply all the time, but if you think it’s too big, most likely it’s going to be perfect!

• Don’t waste money. If you see something that you feel is perfect but out of the price range, consider if you can find another option if not Wait till you can you save up for that piece. I hear more stories of how clients bought so many different items trying to make each work, when they could have spent that money once on the item that fits perfectly.

• Mix up pricey and inexpensive items. Every accessory in the home does not have to be from an expensive store to make the space feel finished. I mix many items throughout my clients homes. I go to the Design Center and then to the local HomeGoods or Just Like the Model.

• Lighting. One common mistake I see often is the table lamps are just too short. Finding the right height is very important. You can always balance out a tall lamp with accessories, but a lamp that is too short will never feel right.

• For the Walls. Every wall does not need something hanging from it. Consider leaving a few areas blank, especially the small walls so that you draw more attention to the important spaces. Remember to mix the elements- Paintings, mirrors, iron art, and family photos (keep family photos in special areas of the home).

• Color. Every accessory does not have to be a vibrate color. Focus on one item in the area to be the color that pops out. Right now I’m in love with Yellow, orange or purple. I have a vintage purple vase on my end table in the living room, best find!

• Greenery. Don’t forget the greenery or florals. I’m a big Orchid fan! If you can keep them alive they are absolutely beautiful for almost any space. If not there are some great faux arrangements out there these days that look real. I recently had a client call me asking if her arrangements are real because she had just watered them!

Remember to have fun when shopping or if you need help give me a call, my clients always say it feel like Christmas every time I bring a new accessory to their home!

Please check out our website and blog for more decorating ideas at ellisdg.com

Thanks,
Courtney Ellis

OCFamily.com-Fall Inspired Interiors

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:40:47 -0400

October 19, 2010

Spotlight

Fall inspired interiors

A few tips on bringing the season inside.

BY COURTNEY ELLISPublished: October, 2010

This is my favorite time of year! We are always busy getting our clients’ homes –which were under construction over the summer – furnished down to the last details so they are ready for the holiday parties. I love fall and getting ready for the lineup of holiday decorations.

A rule of thumb that I like to follow when setting out seasonal decorations is to focus on three or four main areas in a home. Front door, entry, dining room and fireplace, for example. Try to keep from having the fall decorations take over ever surface of your home. I feel it’s best to add natural fall accents to your existing everyday décor.

Here are some fabulous fall decorations that I have come across recently and want to share with you.

•   Fall colored pillows: This is a quick and easy change for a room. Take away a few of your everyday pillows and add a warm tone fabric pillow in its place. Rust, orange, green, purple or any brown tones are perfect.

•   Pumpkins and more pumpkins: I love to purchase extra pumpkins to have around from Halloween to Thanksgiving. Stack some at the front door or buy a few small pumpkins to place on the mantel or down the center of the dining table. Keep the pumpkins away from direct sunlight if you are planning to keep them around through Thanksgiving.

•   Throw blanket: Just having a throw draped over a sofa makes the room more warm and cozy.

•   Fresh Branches: Pulling down bare branches from a tree is a great way to fill a tall vase to give more of a “fall feel” to a room.

•   White pumpkins: They are such a great accent to any home and go with almost all décor. I do still love the traditional orange pumpkin – there is something about orange that goes with any décor this time of year.

•   Using nail-head trim as décor on a pumpkin: I’m loving this design concept. You can even put your home address numbers in nail-head trim on a pumpkin for the front door, absolutely beautiful.

For more design tips please check out our blog on our website ellisdg.com or find us onFacebook.

Love always,

Courtney

Photo Credits:

1. Heart of the home.com, 2. Michael Partenio, 3. HGTV fall, 4. Tim Street- Porter

Global Accents-Beautiful Boxes

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:47:08 -0400

September 30, 2010

I’m always looking for great stacking boxes and was on a search for one client and thought I’d share what I found! These are perfect for jewelry, pictures, or those small keepsakes you just don’t know where to put them. These are all through a line of accessories we carry called Global Accents.

Barbara Berry-Luxe Organizer: Great as jewelry boxes, think I’ll be purchasing these for myself!

On Target boxes-Brown Shagreen: I love that these have locks

Pimento Fret Boxes: These come in white, black and red, I’m not sure which I love more as white is my favorite, but thought I’d show you this great color!

Blue Danube boxes: Fun Small size, great for a book shelf to add color!

Stirrup Detail Boxes-Canvas and Brown Leather: Love the size of these boxes, great way to add that extra storage and still make it look fabulous!

Love always

Courtney

OCFamily.com-Kitchen: The heart of the home

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:37:00 -0400

Feature

Kitchen: The heart of the home

Let these remodels inspire your imagination

BY COURTNEY ELLISPublished: September, 2010

My favorite time is when we are getting ready to work on a new kitchen remodel. To me it’s not just about updating a kitchen and making it look beautiful, but figuring out the personality of the clients that will be using it. Are they great cooks, or just looking for a great kitchen to entertain?

Things I take into consideration when starting the design:

• Make sure the new layout will be able to house all your items with ease. Take pictures of every cabinet and how it is currently used before you demo, then you can refer back to make sure you are getting enough cabinet space.

• What appliances do you want? As a designer I need to have the appliance list before I can design the layout.

• I’m not fond of having drawers that come with the dividers already built into them. Once my clients are using their new kitchen, I have my wood worker come out and put in the dividers that best suit their needs. Remember to toss out the old utensils that just keep collecting in the drawers.

• Large drawers are great to storage and easy to use. Consider a stack of deep drawers next to the range to store the pots and pans and you use almost daily.

• Warming drawers are great for entertaining, but if you have a small space really consider if it will be used as this is valuable storage space.

• Change can be hard so take into consideration how you currently move around your kitchen, what you like and don’t like. Be open and honest with your designer so that the layout is best for you.

• Consider a space to show off your dishes. I love what Martha Stewart calls them, the “Apothecary-like glass cabinets”. It’s a great space for displaying your glasses and even everyday dishes.

• Lighting. Make sure that the recessed lighting is not just hitting the floor, but flushing the fronts of the cabinets and the counter tops. All lighting should be on a dimmer!

• Order your new appliances before you start the demo to make sure that you have them in time and your not waiting for appliances to arrive. Even when they say something is in stock, by the time you place the order this could have changed.

Love always,

Courtney

A Designer's Baby Room

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 20:11:21 -0400

September 19, 2010

Sorry this was originally posted on September 9, 2010 on the OC family.com, just now getting it up on the blog.

This last year we have been busy decorating baby rooms along with my own baby girl’s room. It’s so much fun to design for a mom to be. An expectant mom is dreaming of what their child will grow up to love and wants to capture that in their room. It’s the first space that this baby will sleep in and grow. I love for a baby’s room to have an elegant touch to them and to be able to adjust the design with the ever changing babies.

Here are some fun design tips for what we did in our baby rooms.

-Frame pages from a favorite childhood book. This client loved “The Velveteen Rabbit”. I purchased a new book online and added colored pencil lightly to the drawings to add some color.

-Get away from the typical rocking chair. I looked at this as something I would want to reupholster some day and have in her bedroom as she grows.

-Upholstered toy benches are great for storing toys and sitting on. We used the extra fabrics from the crib bedding to make this piece extra special.

-Take a paragraph from a book and turn it into a quote on the wall. My client picked out her favorite quotes and we choose the size, color and font that would work best in each space. This particular product is not painted on, but applied like stickers. This is so easy to apply and take off when your ready to change up the room.

-Don’t waste money on a piece of furniture for just the changing table. Make sure that the piece can be adjusted back to a dresser as soon as the diaper changing is over.

-Consider using the window space as the focal point. I love when the window height are just right to be able to add a piece of furniture that is framed between two drapery panels.

-Change up those solid letters to spell out your baby’s name. We added some ribbon that matches the room and painted some simple butterflies on them.

-Put together a gallery style grouping of monthly baby pictures on a frame ledge. Here we had the frames all ready to go and are filled each month as new pictures are taken.

Love always,

Courtney

Just been Spotted! Take a second to vote for us!

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:25:37 -0400

09.07.2010 | “you’ve just been spotted” oc blog award nominees

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! We’ve had such an incredible response to our second annual “You’ve Just Been Spotted” Orange County Blog Awards. We received so many comments, emails, & tweets – it was amazing! We loved seeing some of our favorite sites nominated, but we were thrilled to be introduced to so many amazing, new-to-us sites. So, without further ado…. here is the GIANT list of nominees. Now that we’ve compiled all the nominees, the REAL fun is about to begin. Take a moment to the peruse the list. & While we realize that in the end you’ll be voting for HERE your favorite nominee in each category, be sure to check out some of the other sites – you never know, you just might stumble onto something new & fabulous, that will become your new “daily read.” & Before we announce the nominees, I’m just warning you – this list is ginormous! So please, please, please (with a cherry on top) don’t forget to vote HERE, if you don’t vote for your favorite, they might not win! & We definitely want to know, No! We NEED to know who truly is the best of the best. (Be sure to vote HERE before Sunday, September 12th at 11:59 pm, because after that, the “polls” will be closed.) Without further ado, the nominees are…

* Lifestyle & Design Blogs (The winner of this category will represent the BEST lifestyle & design sites in OC. You know, the sites featuring impeccable taste & style.)

A Fresh Start
Blondie ‘N SC
Boutiquing.com
Dianea Martin Gifts
Ellis Design Group
Hip Moms who Work
Life on the Balcony
Mama Manifesto
Momfluential Media
My Moodish Mood
My Sparrow – stylish responsibility
OC Street Chic
Penny Sophisticate
Sadie Olive
The Modchick
Utterly Engaged
Whimsy & Wise Events
Wants & Wishes
WHEW! That is one BIG list of ultra-fabulous, hard-to-choose-between nominees. Once you are ready to cast your votes & help us select the best & brightest blog stars of Orange County, you can go HERE to vote. Good luck to all of our nominees, & may the force be with you.

xoxo, C & K

http://www.just-spotted.com/2010/09/youve-just-been-spotted-oc-blog-award-nominees-2/

Lewis Mittman Furniture

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:09:31 -0400

August 30, 2010

Lewis Mittan is a line of furniture that carries pieces for all areas of a home. What I love about this line is the ability to customize anything! Being a designer I find I will love the style of a piece of furniture, but the measurements or comfort is not what my client needs. Having a furniture line that does the customization for me is a designers best friend!

Here are some of my favorites from this beautiful line….

Lakecrest Dresser: Love the cream details around the face of this dresser. Gorgeous!

Beachum Sofa: The arm details sets this sofa apart!

St. Germain Chest: Taking something traditional and adding a new touch to the front, love it!

Vineyard Settee: I’m not crazy about the fabric on this piece… but that can always be changed. But I love the function of this piece a loveseat/settee/kitchen nook bench…. it’s just fun!

Amanda Table: This can go in any home. One design rule I live by is every room needs a piece of, wood, fabric, glass, metal and stone. This piece puts two in one.. Beautiful!

Montebello Commode: Simple lines. Perfect little bedside table.

There is much more on their website to check out! www.shopflm.com

Love always,

Courtney

Behind the walls of a remodel. OCFamily.com

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:45:42 -0400

August 23, 2010

Open your eyes to interior architectural details when considering major construction.

BY COURTNEY ELLISPublished: August, 2010

I’m always asked what the difference is between an interior decorator versus an interior architectural designer. For me, my passion is making the architectural elements match the design and furnishing that we place in a space. In a first walk through a client’s home, I can’t help but look at the interior architecture details of the space. I need to make sure that the visions my client has for their space, will also be reflected down to the architectural details.

I’m going to give you a closer look at a project we have been working on this past season. We are at the point of furnishing, but I thought it would be great to show you this before all the finishing touches are put in place. Even without furniture I love how balanced this room feels now that the fireplace and windows are to scale with the high ceiling.

Take a look at the architectural elements in your space and consider if they will coordinate with the style of interior you are hoping to achieve. Below are items we adjusted in my clients’ home and tips that you can consider when thinking of a remodel. To the left is the space before the remodel.

Windows: Most clients updating their windows don’t take into consideration the size, shape and location of a window. The slightest changes can make a huge difference in the over all look of a room. In this design each window was dropped right to the floor and raised a foot and a half for a more balanced look.

Fireboxes: Make sure the firebox is the right size for the mantel you are using. This project we replaced the short box with a 42” box that is much taller and rest only 3” off the ground. I had custom glass doors made with decorative handles, no more black hole for this room.

Mantels: When looking at fireplace surrounds always remember that anything can be done, don’t just look in the catalogues and think that is all there is. This mantel and over mantel was custom made for this space and did not cost much more than the standard designs.

Lighting: Dropping a chandelier in a space that has a high ceiling brings it more into perspective. Always put lighting on a dimmer, soft lighting is key. One touch I love is adding the electrical outlet built into the top of the mantel, I love placing large lit up garlands on the fireplace for the holidays and so does this client!

Drapery hardware: Custom hardware is best when you have those awkward spaces. We were able to order the poles the exact length that we need for this space so there are no extension rods. These rods come with a custom bend for the corner so we did not have to have the awkward corner connector. I love using these reverse ram horn finials, especially when spaces are tight.

Drapery panels: Don’t be scared to get a quote for custom panels. You get something that no one else has! When you consider the cost of panels at some of the mainstream stores, it’s definitely worth looking into. Stationary panels are great when you are never going to shut the drapery, but still want to add warmth and color to a space.

Just ask your designer/architect: Almost anything can be done or made custom, just because you haven’t seen it out there doesn’t mean that it can’t be made! I always say it doesn’t hurt to get a quote and normally my clients are always surprised with the end result.

Ellis Design Group also did the full remodel of this entire home, check out our website for future pictures of this home remodel being furnished ellisdg.com

Courtney with Ellis Design Group can also be reached at
courtney@ellisdg.com

Excited to be part of the OCFamily.com

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:24:00 -0400

August 11, 2010

Feature

Introducing Designing with Courtney E

OC Family’s new interior style columnist will bring great decorating tips and ideas twice a month.

BY COURTNEY ELLISPublished: August, 2010
Being a mom now I realize how easy it is to have the baby toys makes it way into my master bedroom. Every evening I make sure that anything baby is out of our room and not in sight before going to sleep.

My design philosophy for the master suite is making sure that this space is all about you and your significant other. I’ve worked with many of my clients to coach them into making sure their room is a sanctuary for them to rest and relax at the end of a long day.

Here are my top 10 design inspirations I’d like to share with you for a summer resolution of your haven:

• Lighten up your window coverings – Light fabrics don’t have to be sheer. I line my lighter fabrics with black to block out the morning sun, but still give a brighter look to the space.

• Store away the dark fur throw and place a light throw in its place.

• Place summer succulents in a clear glass or silver container on the nightstand or dresser. These will last longer and bring in fresh greenery into the space! Place it on a piece of furniture that is closest to the sun.

• White sheets and a white duvet cover – will make you feel like you are traveling at a four star resort the rest of summer.

• Lighting is key – This is a small, easy summer project. The room pictured had a small flush ceiling light and I switched out for a much larger soft light fixture. Always put your lighting on dimmers.

• Add cream or white candles to the space. I love simple candles on clear glass, with no fussy candle holders – clean and simple is better.

• Get rid of the clutter under your bed. Consider this more of your spring-cleaning, but in summer! Focus on finding another home for those items that you keep shoving under the bed.

• Change your lampshades. You don’t have to replace the whole lamp, just replace the shade with a light cream color and with more modern lines.

• Re-frame small artwork with larger matting. You can also double stack artwork on a wall vertically to fill up a space better. One common mistake is hanging something that is just too small. A larger matte custom cut does not cost that much and it is a quick fix.

• Use some fresh paint behind the headboard. Adding a soft accent color behind a headboard pops against white bedding. Continue the color with a throw pillow across the bed.

Don’t hesitate to e-mail if you need help walking through your space to get your summer resolution started. We love giving design tips to our clients!

You can check out more inspiration pictures of master bedroom suites that we finished on our website at ellisdg.com.

Courtney with Ellis Design Group can also be reached at
courtney@ellisdg.com