Start Here: Join Me in a ‘NeoGothic Rebellion’!
More Joy! More Color! Just MORE!
Salutations!
I have a confession to make.
For over ten years, I’ve been creating behind closed doors. Not hiding from anything dramatic—no scandal, no spectacular failure. I’ve been hiding something I created. Something I love. Something that, if I’m being totally honest, I’m incredibly proud of.
I’ve spent the better part of two decades transforming my 130+ year old Victorian house into something I call Forteza Luce—my fortress of light. An eclectic paradise of meticulously curated rooms filled with unique objects, stained glass, custom-designed faux finishes, extravagant mosaics, and so much COLOR.
We’re talking a 17-foot mosaic peacock bathroom. A living room marbleized in thirteen colors (yes, thirteen—I counted). A gentleman’s library with custom floor-to-ceiling shelving. Decorated ceilings, murals, and a third-floor ballroom filled with swords and armor. Outside, my dear Painted Lady sports 5 bold colors, a fully realized flower garden, and yard art that makes neighbors slow their cars to stare.
And for over ten years? I shared almost none of it.
Not because I didn’t want to. But because every time I thought about putting myself out there, something stopped me. The terror of being truly seen. Of putting something I loved into the world and watching people judge it—or worse, ignore it.
That decade of hesitation? It finally ended. And I’m opening the doors.
Why “The Chatelaine”?
Everywhere else I’ve got a regular ol’ mundane name, but here I’ve chosen a nom de plume—The Chatelaine. Why? Everyone has private and public presentations of themselves, and I felt the alias freed me up a bit to venture less self-consciously into the public space. (Plus I’ve always wanted the chance to pick my own name…something truly unique, unusual and expressive of my being.)
promo pic of me in some of my clothing and accessory designs
What does chatelaine refer to? Historically, the term meant a woman in charge of a large house, manor or castle,
and in time became an elaborate piece of functional jewelry, attached to a woman’s belt, used for carrying keys, sewing tools, time pieces and other useful things.
As it turns out, I have the care and keeping of a very large, very old Victorian house—and it’s the centerpiece through which I’ll share my art and life with you.
Why “NeoGothic Rebellion”?
I find myself forever and unintentionally swimming against the grain of my time. In an era that aesthetically emphasizes pragmatically paring down, simplifying and promotes the universality of neutrals (like white, grey and beige even count as colors!)
NeoGothic best describes my nuevo-medieval aesthetic—that blend of Victorian drama, medieval romance, and unapologetic maximalism that runs through everything I create.
And Rebellion? Because in a time that loves to reduce and simplify, that promotes the universality of neutrals (like off-white, grey and beige even count as colors!)—as usual, I’m swimming against the grain.
I’m always adding more! More detail, more color, more texture, more, more, MORE!
I refuse to be limited. And honestly? I don’t think you should be either. No one should feel hampered in this way.
So welcome to my world, or as I have chosen to call it -
the NeoGothic Rebellion.
In my delusions of grandeur I decided
forteza luce/neogothic rebellion needed it's own heraldry
What Is This Space?
Art takes many forms, but most of all, it should come from and inspire passion. This space is where I show my passion, ever running toward ideas, projects and skills that intimidate and excite. I hope to gather feedback, find collaborators and encourage you toward self expression—in whatever form that moves you. Also I feel this is my small way of bringing a little more beauty, whimsy and joy to the world. It’s a delight to bring a vision into being, but it’s truly joyful to share it.
Making stuff is truly my reason for living. I have often described it as akin to breathing for me. I do it as therapy when I’m down, I revel in it when I feel great. But spending the countless hours it takes make stuff like this can also be a bit isolating. Don’t get me wrong, I am mostly quite content creating, but I am a person that tends to extremes. Often my blinders-on focus and a sometimes too strong drive to achieve - can be too much at times. One can get so lost in the process and the goal so as to sacrifice camaraderie and nurturing relationships. So, I thought that this might be a cool way of connecting and reaching out to the greater community of people who find this sort of stuff inspiring.
I’ve kept pretty detailed visual documentation of house projects since I bought it at the end of 2007, mostly for my own edification (before and after photos are so very satisfying to revisit). Then, in 2019, prompted by the interest and curiosity of folks who have visited my home I took my first stab at putting it out there for the world. I use FB, instagram and Pinterest to publish some of it and other projects but, I found the format patently unsatisfying. I wanted to post more pics to a single post than was allowed, I had no control of the format they were displayed - in short I felt that in order to show the projects in their totality, I needed more control over the design.
The garden - overgrowing its border
- who needs the WHOLE sidewalk anyhow???
Of course I did, I’m a designer and artist. I spend most of my waking hours thinking about how to make things look and feel outstandingly singular and pleasing. And while making things is the initial pleasure, sharing them is crucial to the experience. I also wanted to present what has actually become - a body of work all in one place. In short, as complete as possible representation of who I am as a creative.
But here’s what makes this different from just another home tour blog:
I’m sharing the messy middle, not just the polished results.
I want to inspire you and give you permission to begin—to create boldly, unapologetically, YOUR way.
The Nesting Instinct
My best friend in junior high once described me as having an overdeveloped nesting instinct. That was back in my 20’s, long before I had the opportunity to move beyond the generic white walls of a renter. Neither one of us had any idea how prescient his words were.
I was into middle age before I was able and ready to take the plunge into real estate but I’d been waiting impatiently for years for a large canvas on which I could express my love of color and comfort. So when I finally manifested a home of my own—I spent much of my copious energy making it truly, absolutely MINE.
I come down somewhere between the idea that your home is your castle and a colorful, soft, enveloping womb. Oh, and a part time B&B for all friends passing through chicago. From almost the moment I moved into my 130+ year old house it became routine part of any visit to give folks a tour complete with the history of the house and the story behind each room as I conceived it—I realized it might be worthwhile to put it down all in one place. Also, at heart I’m a collector, organizer and archivist—so I find the act of preserving the process and transformations incredibly satisfying.
in the library - with my friend Greg
The Truth About “Self-Taught”
When people see Forteza Luce, they often say: “Wow, you taught yourself all of that?”
Honestly? That framing makes me uncomfortable. It sounds kind of… arrogant? Like I woke up one day with innate genius and just made magic happen.
That’s definitely not what happened.
What I actually did was develop killer research skills. I swallowed my pride to ask for help—constantly. I voraciously consumed dozens of how-to books, more tutorials than I can count, and the occasional class. I “wasted” plenty of materials learning what NOT to do. For the really big projects I hired help—and let me tell you, finding the right help for MY quirky projects and VERY old house is a whole skill in itself.
Success wasn’t about being a solo genius. It was about being resourceful, humble enough to learn from others, and stubborn enough to keep going when things got hard.
And while these are all my ideas, my inspiration—it’s not like I did it all by myself. Partners, friends, my Mom have pitched in at various times to work with me in realizing the vision. (More credit to those individuals as the projects get posted here.) In fact, even this blog and its social media content is becoming a collaboration—I have SO much content yet to be posted and always more in the hopper—a process that itself is pretty time consuming—more on that in a bit.
marbleized living room by candlelight
Why Now? (After All This Time)
Of course I did all this—I’m a designer and artist. I spend most of my waking hours thinking about how to make things look and feel outstandingly singular and pleasing. And while making things is the initial pleasure, sharing them is crucial to the experience. I also wanted to present what has actually become—a body of work all in one place. In short, as complete as possible a representation of who I am as a creative.
Making stuff is truly my reason for living. I’ve often described it as akin to breathing for me. I do it as therapy when I’m down, I revel in it when I feel great.
But here’s what I’ve discovered: spending the countless hours it takes to make stuff like this can also be a bit isolating. Don’t get me wrong, I am mostly quite content creating, but I am a person that tends to extremes. My often blinders-on focus and a sometimes too-strong drive to achieve—can be too much at times. One can get so lost in the process and the goal so as to sacrifice camaraderie and nurturing relationships.
So, I thought that this might be a cool way of connecting and reaching out to the greater community of people who find this sort of stuff inspiring.
The reality is that it takes as much time to create lovely presentations of the works as it does to make the work itself - so I NEED a community to spur me forward and keep me at this.
Maybe you know exactly what I mean?
learning to make my first automata
(kenetic sculpture that tells a story)
The Secret to Courage
Here’s what I’ve learned after two decades of this:
You don’t have to feel courageous to act courageously.
You just need to take the first step and be willing to ask “how?”
When I started transforming that Victorian into Forteza Luce, I wasn’t fearless. I was overwhelmed with the idea of taking this beautiful blank canvas—an opportunity I had dreamed of my WHOLE life—and disappointing myself. But I pushed through it and began anyway, doubts and all.
Just as I found in my Martial Arts - the courage came after the action, not before.
Another of my crazy pastimes - yup I fight in 14th c. armour -
thats me on the left!
The Invitation
If you’re someone who loves creating but struggles with sharing…
If you’ve been working mostly alone and craving creative community…
If you need someone to remind you that your creative dreams matter…
If you’re ready to stop creating alone and waiting for confidence…
You’re home.
Join me as we build something beautiful—not just in our studios, but between us.
More color. More courage. Banish the beige!
—The Chatelaine
(and the pups - Lily & Longpaw)
Want the Full Story?
I wrote something for you. It’s called “The 10-Year Hesitation”—the full story of why I created behind closed doors for a decade and what finally made me open them.
It’s for anyone who’s ever created something beautiful and kept it hidden. Anyone who’s been waiting to feel “ready.” Anyone who needs permission to finally begin.
Get it free when you join the rebellion:
Please leave a comment below! I'm creating this in a bit of a vacuum and the whole purpose is to share - I'd love to know what you think! And if you love it sign up to get email notices of new posts.
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