CDD celebrates moms

“For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.”

We are a company built on mothers

These words penned by William Ross Wallace in the 1800s are no less true today. Custom Drapery Designs admires, respects and applauds mothers everywhere because we are a company built on mothers. Let us share a little about the moms behind the magic of our designs.

Brenda Baxter, owner and principal designer of CDD, raised this business from the talents and passions uncovered during her early years as a mom.

“As a young Mother I would sew bedding, drapery and pillows for my Mom. While tending to my newborn, a friend noticed my project and recommended this as a business,” Brenda recalls. “So, utilizing my marketing degree and passion for textiles, I did!”

In the beginning, Brenda did all of it herself

In the beginning, Brenda did it all—designing, sewing and installing each project. She even completed one installation on a ladder while 8 months pregnant!

“With continued growth and demand, my personal preference was to spend time with the clients and reach greater design potential with elegant couture details (which had surpassed my personal ability), so I began to introduce myself to professional workrooms and talented craftsmen and soon established the Custom Drapery Designs A-team.”

An established, 22-year old company now

Her attention to exquisite couture details brings us to today—22 years after the birth of her business baby. CDD continues to grow and expand while constantly reaching new heights of professional accomplishments and greater depths of client satisfaction.

Brenda’s husband of 27 years and their lovely children, two college graduates and one high school student, continue to support and encourage her talents and passions as she daily invests in their lives. She and her family love beach vacations and time on their boat. She loves immersing herself in art galleries and visiting Santa Fe. And, who could forget the importance of snuggle time with each of her fur babies!!

“While building Custom Drapery Designs, I managed the flexibility needed for my family—attending every class party, carpooling to every soccer practice—which was the priority. I am thrilled to recognize Custom Drapery Designs can now extend this opportunity to other Mothers while pursuing their passions as well,” Brenda says.

Stephanie Freeman—Lead Designer

Stephanie Freeman, CDD’s lead designer, couldn’t be happier with the professional opportunities and flexibility she has in working with Brenda.

“I have many passions in life: my faith, my family, travel and design. It wasn’t until I started working at Custom Drapery Designs that I felt the passions combine in a beautiful balance,” Stephanie shares.

Her education includes a degree in psychology and a degree in interior design from The Art Institute of Dallas. Stephanie began her career as an intern and progressed to a softgoods specialist at a leading design center and then to vice president of sales at an award-winning workroom.

Since joining Brenda’s team in 2014, Stephanie enjoys a family-friendly flexibility in her job. She may begin her week with busy days full of back-to-back client appointments, take a break for a Wednesday lunch date at her daughter’s school and then round out her week with a 3-day weekend getaway with her family.

“The beauty of the career is in the flexibility. My work can go where I go without skipping a beat!” she says. “Most of all, I love what I do and the people I work with. I am passionate about the beauty and creativity of custom window treatments and am thrilled to make it my career!”

Amy Linscheer—Social Media/Office Manager

Newest to the CDD team, Amy Linscheer began work a few short weeks ago as the social media/office manager. Amy’s past experiences include an advertising degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas (where she met her husband), account management for several advertising agencies, marketing management for another corporation and teaching at the elementary school level for more than 10 years.

She and her husband leapt at the opportunity to move back to their friends and favorite places in the Dallas area with their three children—ages 12, 10 and 4. Amy began searching for a job that would still allow her to be there for her kids when they need her. That search led her right to Brenda!

“It was such a blessing to find someone who put as much priority on family as well as business,” Amy says. “I can be home when my kids need me most and still be a part of a growing, creative, thriving company. It doesn’t get much better than that! Not to mention how fun it is to see beautiful fabric and designs every day while working with two very talented moms. It’s pretty amazing to see what Brenda’s accomplished all on her own, and I’m loving being able to work with both her and Stephanie.”

Joy Rancatore—Freelance Writer/Editor/Photographer

Joy Rancatore, a homeschooling mother of two, never imagined the wealth of information and inspiration in store for her when she joined the CDD team in 2010. As a freelance writer, editor and photographer, Joy enjoys the opportunity to write about Brenda and Stephanie’s fabulous designs, travel experiences and product favorites from her home in Slidell, La., where she lives with her husband of 10 years, their two children, an energetic labrador retriever and her 13-year-old feline baby.

“As a writer, I love to view the world through others’ eyes and keep a bit of their experiences for myself. Working with Brenda for the past nearly six years has taught me so much about the beauty and history of the textile and design industries. I have learned things and vicariously experienced opportunities I never would have been able to otherwise,” Joy says. “I look at fabrics and home designs with completely different eyes; and I have gotten to ‘know’ these amazing and inspirational moms a state away who share my passion for their families and their God-given talents. It’s truly an honor to be part of their team.”

So, from the moms at Custom Drapery Designs, we wish mothers everywhere a very happy and special “Moms’ Month” as you find your own ways to balance the beauty of motherhood and the fulfillment of taking your passions and turning them into a successful enterprise.

blog - 05/28/2016

think INSPIRATION

Inspiration fuels design and truly is Precious. Custom Drapery Designs’ owner and principal designer Brenda Baxter brought home more than souvenirs from her experience at the MAISON&OBJET Observatoire de la Maison in Paris. She brought home Precious inspiration—and lots of it!

This September showcase of lifestyle trends embraced the theme PRECIOUS. As MAISON&OBJET explains, “But, while all that is valuable is precious, preciousness does not hold the same value for everyone.” The simplicity of time and space can be as precious as objects such as gold and fine gems or even as precious as something as priceless as life.

While in The City of Light, Brenda discovered numerous sources of inspiration for her clients’ designs through fabric companies and through the history and sights surrounding her during her adventures. One such historical site, the Moulin Rouge, tossed inspiration in Brenda’s path as she strolled for more than 7 miles throughout Paris, soaking up French culture.

The Moulin Rouge opened in 1889 as a cabaret that would be remembered to this day. The venue mixed dancing, theater, circus acts and music. The Moulin Rouge became famous (or infamous) for the introduction of the French Can-Can dance. We can imagine the swoosh and flash of color as the talented dancers would kick high their long legs. This inspiration begs to be replicated in the flow and frill of modern draperies. And, the bright red facade of the cabaret longs to find its way into a home design along with the accompanying white and black accents.

At the Lelièvre Paris showroom, Brenda swooned over “Century,” a fabric pattern created for their 100-year anniversary.

As their website reveals: “It is with contemporary flair that Lelièvre conveys 100 years of history and styles through the ages with ‘Century’. Using colours fading from prune to gold or grey to silver, our combination of flocked patterns unite and fly away to conquer the new century.”

In this stunning fabric, the traditional styles of the past flow into a modern interpretation by opening into a more free design which symbolizes the future.

Another inspirational design comes from the streets of Paris and promotes the idea that inspiration from art can be found anywhere; often in the most unlikely of places. We share with you Graffiti Art.

“Lelièvre Paris showroom also featured other fabric lines,
yet I was drawn to one in particular: Jean Paul Gaultier,” Brenda shared. “It is not typically my style. What struck me was the art and unique prints and application.
When you think of French style, you think of it having traditional 17th-18th century appeal. But, no! There is modern influence included within the traditional.”

“Underground,” the chiseled black and white velvet fabric featured above, lends itself perfectly to upholstery and transforms plain furniture into a delightful statement piece as we will see in our next blog. Graffiti Art blends beautifully with more traditional French designs and widens the possibilities of interior design.

Pierre Frey fabrics, a French maison de luxe, finds that embracing the art of French streets fits perfectly with its mission of a “family-owned business with a proud tradition which looks towards the future.” This “Eighty Thirty” fabric in the Pierre Frey Street Art Collection celebrates 80 years of the Maison and 30 years of the fabric’s artist, Toxic.

An American artist, Toxic used buildings and trains in New York as his earlier canvasses. Through his art he speaks out against discrimination and violence against the African American community.

The MAISON&OBJET showcase also highlighted a trending focus on Precious textures. Like we examined in our August blog, velvets are back in high demand. The sensual feel of velvet used as upholstery or draperies or accessories adds timeless tradition and a royal feel to any room. The softness of velvet comforts, beckons and soothes while wrapping one in elegance and ecstasy.

Brenda perused the 2015 Collection of rich fabrics at the Elitis showroom in Paris. One of her favorite choices was the luscious and inviting Tsar velvets. These fabrics come in deeply stunning solid colors ranging from bright hues guaranteed to make a statement to cozy earth tones which invite some wintertime hibernation.

Another of Brenda’s favorite velvet collections comes from l’Opificio in Turin, Italy, and was introduced during the show in Paris. The Italian company is a family affair, started by sisters Paola and Barbara Bertoldo in 1998, and a cultural beacon, focused on bringing the traditions of Italy into the modern household. l’Opificio offers five velvet collections, including Silk Velvets and Viscose Velvets and Brenda’s top pick, Kid-Mohair Velvet. These fabrics, available in 11 delicious colors, come from 100% kid-mohair wool, taken from the first shearing of an Angora goat within its first 10 months of life.

We will share more of Brenda’s l’Opificio favorites for design accessories as well as more Paris inspirations in the next blog; but, for now, take a peek behind the scenes as Barbara Bertoldo shares her creative process and vision for marrying Italian traditions with contemporary styles and trends in this video. Such a marriage produces truly Precious products for interior designs.

blog - 10/22/2015

Creativity colors the new year

We would like to introduce you to a creative giant in our eyes—Hunt Slonem. Mr. Slonem is an American painter, sculptor and print-maker. His neo-expressionist styles have been adopted by Groundworks, Lee Jofa’s contemporary line of fabrics.

Slonem’s passion pops in his patterns with their larger-than-life depictions of the nature and history and places—Hawaii, Nicaragua, New York, Louisiana—that have made him the artist he is today. The repetition in his patterns reveals the deeper, spiritual level on which he paints. Whimsy meets wisdom in patterns that reveal fairy tales all grown up. His art explodes with color and features textures so bold, the discerning admirer can “feel” it with his eyes.

This collection of fabrics is not only inspired by Hunt Slonem; it embodies him—encapsulating who he is and what he values in life. He paints on a level more obviously personal than many artists. With two plantation homes in the bayou country of Louisiana, Slonem has a knack for interior design. As he said in a 2010 television interview with Louisiana Public Broadcasting, “I like to breathe vibrancy into these houses.” And, now, his vibrant visions can dance into your home through fabrics, wallpapers and carpeting.

It’s creativity like Mr. Slonem’s that excites us at Custom Drapery Designs, and we look forward to featuring his art in our future designs. Many of our clients desire designs which speak to them on a deeper level and convey unique, bold messages. This fabric line provides the perfect addition for those projects.

Rich, sensual, warm design choices should be top of the resolution list for 2015, thanks to Pantone’s magnificent color of the year: Marsala. As rich as the wine by the same name and as comfortable as the house you call home, this shade is a win with us!

We want to say a heartfelt “Thank You” to all our fantastic clients for making us the Best of Houzz for Customer Service for the third year in a row! This is such a great honor for us, and we look forward to continuing to provide the service you deserve and expect in the coming year! With fantastic new fabrics like those inspired by Hunt Slonem’s art and marvelous feature colors like Marsala, we see many colorful, inspired projects in our future.

blog - 02/23/2015

Custom Drapery Designs, LLC, serves Dallas and the surrounding metroplex with all aspects of a custom design project. From in-home consultation to project management to exquisite couture details to a perfect installation, we do it all.

972-881-5222