All individual phases of the ternary Cr-C-N system including stable and metastable ones can be deposited at low temperature by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). These growth processes are mainly based on the use of bis(benzene)chromium as chromium source and various co-reactives. Then, from a good control of the reactive gas phase, it is possible to combine these MOCVD processes to grow in the same reactor protective coatings designed with a complex architecture based on polyphased, nanostructured or multilayer structure which exhibit enhanced properties. These deposition processes are described and the main features of the coatings are discussed. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.