Nicole Chazaud Telaar

"My head is in the home:” says Nicole Chazaud Telaar, so it's no wonder she has turned the focus of her business, Festive Fibers, to home furnishings. She has created a line of felt fabrics for upholstery, ottomans, table runners, pillows, blankets, and wall hangings. Trained at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Chazaud Telaar had worked her way up through the design industry and, by her final years in the field, was heading design departments and creating fabric for products sold to such stores as Wal-Mart, Target and K-Mart. Despite her success in the mass market, she found her career lacking. After 16 years, Chazaud Telaar decided to focus her efforts on her own business: home furnishings featuring hand-made felt fabrics. Chazaud Telaar finds endless inspiration in nature, especially gardens." Getting me outside in the sunlight and active is inspirational" she says. "I just went for a two-hour walk this morning, and it was beautiful." She's also inspired by Asian sensibilities and the ideas of feng shui." I see color first, then patterns--the repetition." she says. She finds inspiration too in sharing her passion for creating with others. She recently started giving workshops in her home studio in Alstead, New Hampshire." I love teaching and introducing people to the world of wool and felt."