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Chosen
as the exclusive Designer and Interior Decorator for
Butler's Elegant Homes' custom showhouse in the Fall 2006
Vesta Home Show
Featured in The Commercial Appeal ~ 2004
Appeared on Channel 3’s “Live at Nine” morning show ~ 2005
Winner “Best of Show” and “People’s Choice” Fall Vesta Home
Show Contributing Decorator ~ 2005
Featured in Memphis Magazine ~ 2006
Featured in Mid-South Magazine ~ 2006
Fall 2006 Vesta Home Show Decorator ~ Butler’s Custom Homes
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“An eye for
the uncommon with a flair for the dramatic…”
This
describes Tambra Champagne’s decorating doctrine. As principle owner
of Champagne Chic and
Champagne Elite Interiors, she
has set out to redesign the Mid-South, one home at a time.
After gathering experience as a retail store owner, Realtor, and
corporate sales manager, Tambra found a way to combine her
experience and talents to create Champagne Chic and
Champagne Elite Interiors. With a self-described “insatiable appetite for all things
décor and home-related”, Tambra says: “I am doing what I love, which
is a luxury that few people seem to enjoy these days. I feel honored
that people invite me into their homes and allow me to share my
enthusiasm for design with them.
There is
absolutely no greater satisfaction than witnessing the stunned
excitement on a client’s face
when he or she first sees their “new” space after a project is
complete. That single moment is why I do what I do!”
While this
Fall 2005
Vesta Home Show Multiple Award-Winner
clearly excels
with large-scale and high-end projects, it is her completion of the
smaller, budget-conscious designs that also gives her great
satisfaction. “I am driven to make interior decorating accessible
for everyone. It shouldn’t be an exclusive right of the
privileged to have beautiful, inspiring surroundings.” Because of
this belief, Tambra is very conscious of costs and budget in her
projects, and she will not “upcharge” a client for an item if she
knows the item can be obtained directly at a lower price. “It’s
important to me that my clients know that I am looking out for their
best interests, as opposed to selling them items or services that
benefit me.”
Some of
Tambra’s most dramatic transformations have been on a budget of
zero.
That’s right,
ZERO. One day decorating, or redesign, is the use-what-you-have
philosophy of decorating that transforms rooms by artfully
rearranging what is already in the home. “I have seen people cry, go
mute, and scream with excitement over a redesigned room. There is
something amazing about seeing your existing furnishings come
together in the “right” way.
Redesign
allows the client to find the joy or recapture the memories
of their items
by seeing them in a
fresh,
unexpected
place.”
Tambra also works in high-end residential areas, and she created
Champagne Elite Interiors to serve clients with larger-scale
projects that desire furnishings and finishings of the highest
quality. Does her penchant for budget-friendly design mean she
doesn’t enjoy working with clients in the luxury market? “Absolutely
not. Wealthy people didn’t become wealthy by making poor money
decisions! Even though
Champagne Elite clients have larger budgets,
I always
search for the best pricing.
After all, they realize the money they save with me will buy several
pair of Manolos”, Tambra jokes.
Tambra feels that it takes a certain personality to be an interior
decorator. “I understand people’s need to express themselves and
make their
surroundings reflect who they are and how they live.
We live in a big box world of super retailers, tract housing, and
repetitious stores on every corner we pass. More than ever, people
feel the need to be individual and outstanding in the ‘sea of
sameness’. It’s my job to help people do this by interpreting their
self-portrait into their interiors.”
Tambra’s love of
color,
texture, and
creative
arrangement
enable her to create liveable rooms with the “wow
factor”
that leaves a memorable impression. Her clients have referred to her
as the “decorating daredevil”, as they watched her boldly interpret
their desires into colorful, cohesive living areas. “There is no
fear in my decorating and designs, I believe creativity thrives on
courage and adventure.”
The adventure certainly continues as Tambra leads Champagne Chic and
Champagne Elite Interiors into one Memphis area home at a time,
helping each person’s home tell their individual story. As Tambra
says: “EVERY
home has a story…
What’s yours?”
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When I begin
with a new client, I always…
Read between the lines. My job is to tell my client’s story
through their interiors. Sometimes that story reflects who
they are, sometimes it reflects who they aspire to be. I meet
with a client, listen intently, and I leave them with a very
large set of my “style files”. I subscribe to over 35 design
magazines, and these files contain hundreds of magazine shots
of interiors for the client to review. I ask them to flag the
photos that appeal to them most, and then I find the common
threads. I also use a really fun questionnaire that asks
things like “What was your favorite toy as a child” or
“Describe your perfect day”. Between the conversations, files,
and questionnaire, the story begins to unfold...
For someone
who wants a big look on a small budget today…
Repeat after me: PAINT is your FRIEND! Paint is the McDonald’s
of decorating: cheap, fast, and easy! It can magically create
drama and transform spaces. Another idea is to buy just a few
expensive pieces you love, and then mix up the room with
flea-market items, found objects, and Target or Pier One
accessories. Great design isn’t about price, pedigree, or
pretension…it’s about personality!
My biggest
design mistake was…
When I started out, I was very cognizant of “rules”, which I
now consider a mistake. I learned quickly that there are
definite rules in respect to the design/architecture of a
space, but I do not believe in “rules” for decorating a space.
The most interesting rooms are born of irreverence,
experimentation, and instinct.
My favorite
room to design is:
For clients: It’s hard to have a favorite, but I would
probably choose the living room. Living rooms are where people
usually spend most of their time, and it is an honor to help
clients create the space that will most affect them on a daily
basis.
For myself: The powder room. I always get a thrill from
decorating that little jewel-box space! I approach powder
rooms with reckless abandon.
For Both: No matter what the room, it needs to have a
“one-two punch”! “One” would be the great overall initial
impression, and “two” is an unexpected, outstanding design
feature or accent. No room should be without its very own
point of pride.
Who has
influenced my design career…
Although not a professional, my Mom was an amazing decorator.
She always encouraged my daring room makeover ideas from a
very young age, and she perpetually had a decorating project
going. She begged me to really embrace my creativity, and I
wish she would have lived to see the rest of my story!
I change my
own interiors…
Overall, rarely. I update often with current accessories but I
don’t really change the overall scheme. However, I do have one
room in my home that I call the “design flex” room- it’s my
decorator playground and testing center!
My favorite
design style is…
I am a design schizophrenic! I enjoy so many styles, as is
reflected in my own home. I think this enables me to
successfully work with many different clients and avoid a
“signature” look in projects that I complete. This approach
also allows me to demonstrate how homes do not have to
subscribe to only one style, many can be mixed and still
achieve a coherent, pleasing look.
My personal
dream house would be…
A contemporary oceanside cottage, custom-designed by
Montgomery, AL architects McAlpine Tankersley. It would
feature soft contemporary furnishings, an amazing courtyard,
several fireplaces, Gothic windows, wrap-around porches, and a
ballroom on the top floor with a glass viewing tower for my
two cats and two dogs. As you can tell, I really haven’t given
this much thought….
Every home
must have…
A heart, a presence, a story.
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