INTERIOR DESIGNER AND TEXTILE ARTIST

Multidisciplinary artist, Christine Grenier crosses the pencil and the needle between interior design, the creation of objects, and textile art. Graduated in haute couture and interior design, the designer offers her services under the name of Chic Design for residential and commercial projects in addition to herself making the textile elements.

Fascinated by fabrics and the world of fibers, Christine Grenier creates decorative objects and pieces of textile art by exploring techniques and materials. Her products are sold internationally and collectors commission for personalized creations.

The transmission of knowledge is part of what she values and likes to do. She taught in the field of decoration for twenty years. She now shares her knowledge and experience in textile art with generosity and undeniable pleasure in communication.

Beauty in design means having the ability to transform things to make them attractive, harmonious, and functional. In the end, the human being must feel the benefit.

Life is strewn with challenges, obstacles, suffering. We do not need to create additional ones unnecessarily. It is also very rich in beauty, pleasure, happy moments, successes, joys. I believe that we must cultivate this positive and bright side of life. It is more pleasant to live in harmony than in chaos. That’s why the beauty of our environment and the objects around us deserve special attention. Choosing these, responding to our senses and creating emotions, helps to balance and even give us pleasure. For me, design in its broad sense is not used to create trends but to make the human happy.

Countless memories of those years come back to mind. Those moments when I observed Grandma Irene’s knitting needles in her agile hands; the pleasure of opening the treasure trove that was her little chest of drawers overflowing with buttons; granny Marie-Rose showing me to crochet during her holiday with us; the small fabric leftovers are given by my mother that I transformed into doll clothing; learning the art of embroidery, first on perforated cardboard and then on a cloth stretched over a drum. I remember the vintage motifs adorned with small cats doing laundry or ironing depending on the day of the week. Nothing pleased me more than to learn these new techniques that allowed me to transform and create. Drawing entire wardrobes for my paper dolls was so much more fun than to actually play with them. Color pencils, scissors, paper, needles, yarns, fabrics, and buttons sparked within me the pleasure of creation.

As a teenager, my first purchase with money earned by washing dishes in a restaurant was a sewing machine. It followed me for years until I discovered, not so long ago, the wonders I could achieve with a modern machine. My interests have always been oriented towards manual and artistic domains. In addition to obtaining both a high fashion and an interior design degree, I explored weaving, knitting, drawing, photography, woodwork, and carving.

For many years, I sewed all my clothes, knitted for everyone around me, and offered handmade gifts. Over time, my creative process evolved professionally in order to offer my clients personalized creations. My first commissions were for children’s rooms when I owned a boutique for children and mothers. The breadth of my projects expanded when I became a freelance interior designer. I have always had a lot of fun drawing and making window and bed coverings that suited the needs of my clients and their personality.

When I moved on from my trusty Singer, the one I worked with professionally for many years, it was like I just opened a door to a new world of creativity. Entering a sewing machine store for the first time in over thirty years made me feel like a child in a candy store: I marvel at everything that surrounds textile art, the different materials, the techniques, and all the artists who inhabit this fabulous universe. Since, I have received much training in embroidery, quilting, textile art, and surface design. This path has led me to approach textile creation differently and in an ever-evolving way. I am thirsty for knowledge and discoveries; certainly, a lifetime won’t be enough to explore everything and have fun.

I did not choose my medium, it has imposed itself on me. Textile art, regardless of the techniques or the fibers used, offers me the possibility to create while manipulating the material. It allows me to play with textures, colors, prints, and shapes. The shaping of each piece brings me a pleasure that is renewed with every new creation.

Whether it’s decorative objects or textile art pieces, each of my works reflects a facet of my personality. They describe scenes culled from warm memories. They reveal simple things that make me smile. They talk about my way of seeing life. They let my inner child express itself through fantasy. The common thread in my work weaves together the values that I hold dear and a philosophy of life that guides my choices: “Happiness as a lifestyle.”