Valerie Noell | Founder

Hi! My is Valerie. I am a creative director, photographer and painter. I also deem myself a food and interior stylist, flower child and endless traveler. I created Terracotta House in 2020 as a place to share my personal style and sell my photography, paintings and curated homewares. Before launching TCH I spent my time working as a freelance lifestyle and still life photographer and creative director through my other company The Eternal Child.

I created The Eternal Child 2013, as a place for my friends and I to come together and tell stories, create content and host dinners. I have always believed in the power of community and in creating beautiful and inspiring imagery. We are now a small creative studio focusing on commercial lifestyle and still life photography, along with curating the occasional small event, dinner or workshop. I piece together small teams to work on our creative projects and enjoy shooting solo a lot of the time.

A little about how I got here…

Ever since I can remember I have been inspired by nature. My passion for traveling has allowed me to see the world and experience the diverse beauty in the earths natural elements and cultures. I have always tried to bring this perspective into my work and I strive to incorporate natural materials and locations in as many projects as possible. I began shooting wilderness and travel content in 2013 exploring much of California over the next decade. I am passionate about inspiring people to get out and explore, as I feel it is an essential part of life. Along with making people aware of how sacred our planet truly is. Saying this, I strive to work with as many ethical companies that give back or are conscious of their carbon foot print. I want to be proud of the work I create and the products I help promote in doing so.

As a creative director and stylist, I am forever inspired by a beautiful table, eclectic dinner plate or whimsical atmosphere. Styling a table or making a flower arrangement may just be my happy place (when I am not the road that is.) I have always had a passion for food, and as a sister to a professional chef — deem myself a pretty good cook. Naturally, recipe development and food styling was my next step into the world of content and truly love when I get the opportunity to do so.

I spent a few years working for and learning floral design in my decade spent in Los Angeles. I have always incorporated florals and greenery into my styling and feel it has become a big part of my creative voice. You can see in my work — florals are everywhere.

Painting happened a little later in life for me. I started painting as a child growing up in a Waldorf School program where I was first introduced to watercolor and loved painting as a hobby. In 2013 I started using abstract mark making and layered compositions in my design work. In 2017 I began to feel called to paint on a larger scale. Feeling drawn to large abstract works I began to experiment with acrylic paints. It took a while to find the right practice but I fell in love with abstract expressionism finding inspiration from the natural landscapes in my travels. Cut to 2021 when I released my first collection of paintings under Terracotta House. After a short hiatus to travel cross-country in my sprinter camper van last year, I am finally back in the studio and working on my next large collection.

My Life on the Road

In 2023 I designed and built out a Sprinter conversion camper van with my fathers architectural wood working company. I then spent the summer on the road exploring Colorado, Utah and California. I am very excited for this next chapter of life where I am able to travel more consistently and shoot content on the road. I am looking forward to where it may take me and what next I will create. If you are interested in wilderness adventure content, check out some recent explorations and campaigns here.

See more of my work here.