about
Bonjour! I’m Christen, and Maison Blanche is my Chicago-based creative studio. I’m a longtime Francophile, and during a study abroad stint in Aix-en-Provence in 2003, I earned the nickname “Maison Blanche” due to the fact that my last name of Whitehouse translates and it has since stuck in every iteration of my online presence.
I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio but found myself in Chicago in 2007 a few years after finishing college, where I met my future husband soon after (on a Logan Square park bench on a lovely Sunday afternoon in May 2009). A few years later I talked him into moving to Europe with me, and we spent an idyllic 2011/2012 in Southwest France, which left me with a lifetime of inspiration! We eventually settled down in 2014 and now live on the north side of Chicago with our brood of three (hopefully one day francophone) children who I gave the most Frenchy names ever - our 4 year old Delphine and 2 year old twins Yann and Remy.
I currently specialize in bold and artful wedding and event signage, stationery and fine art. It may sound like a lot, but I’m an Aries and Enneagram 7 and sometimes 4 so I welcome any and all creative projects to keep things fresh and exciting. I also know my way around a paintbrush as my dad is an artist and my primary muse (read: I basically want to copy his style - he has the best handwriting and is my favorite illustrator/artist).