Experts

Tessa took a break from local journalism to pour a few candles over the winter. More than a half-decade later, she has helped grow Bluecorn from a small D2C beeswax candle company into a much larger candle and home brand with a vibrant cafe and mercantile attached to its workshop in Montrose, Colorado.

Christiane Lemieux is a designer, entrepreneur, investor, artist and author. Christiane introduced her European lifestyle brand LEMIEUX et CIE into the United States in late summer 2020, coinciding with the publication of her first business book “Frictionless: Why the Future of Everything Will Be Fast, Fluid, and Made Just for You" (Harper Collins Business), a 2020 Porchlight Business Book Awards Longlist title. Prior to starting her newest ventures, Christiane was the Founder/CEO of THE INSIDE, (acquired by Havenly in 2022), her direct-to-consumer (D2C) home furnishings brand. She was the Co-Founder of Cloth & Company and the Founder of DwellStudio, which was purchase by Wayfair, the world’s largest online home furnishings retailer, in 2013. Christiane served as the Executive Creative Director of Wayfair until 2016. Lemieux is an active investor in the Consumer and Tech Sectors. Christiane is a frequent contributor to Architectural Digest, Apartment Therapy, Editor At Large, Wired and other Media outlets. Lemieux authored her first book, “Undecorated” (Random House/Clarkson Potter) to critical acclaim in 2011; her second best-selling book (still #1 in Interior Decoration & Ornament on Amazon) “The Finer Things” also was published by Random House/Clarkson Potter in 2016. Christiane entered the television space as co-host and judge on “Ellen’s Design Challenge” - a furniture design competition show on HGTV. Lemieux was highlighted as one of Fortune’s 2012 "Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs”, Received House Beautiful’s Visionary award in 2020, Fast Company’s Most Innovative in 2020 and the House and Home 100 in 2024.  Christiane is a graduate of Parsons School of Design and Queen’s University in Canada. Christiane sits on the board of “Every Mother Counts,” the non-governmental organization (NGO) started by Christy Turlington Burns to fight maternal mortality and support women, babies and health care providers. Looking ahead, Christiane's third book and fourth books, “Provenance” and “The Everything Home,” are slated for publication in 2025.