PORCH PERFECT!

Photo by and courtesy of Charlotte Broussard
White rocking chairs flank a white wicker sofa on a Michigan summer home's porch. An adorable beagle named Annabelle lounges on the comfortable black and white print sofa cushions. (above)

Nothing like a porch in the summer time. I've always wanted a perfect porch...a porch that is simply decorated with comfortable seating, lots of shade and a great view....that's it...the perfect recipe for porch living.

Friend Charlotte Broussard inspired this post when she sent in the above photo of her family's Michigan summer home porch. This wonderful outdoor resting place belongs to a classic Victorian home near a lake. Even Annabelle the dog knows it's a pretty perfect place to lounge!

I was so inspired by Charlotte that I took a few photos of other porches I liked while in Nantucket. Some ideas perhaps for your own porch?


Photo by Coco of Cococozy
A wood bench painted in shiny blue high gloss paint is perfectly nestled under a window on a beach front porch filled with greenery and potted plants. (above)


Photo by Coco of Cococozy
Cushions in orange, yellow and brown stripes add a wonderful pop of color to a dark brown all weather wicker-like furniture set on Nantucket porch. (above and below)



Photo by Coco of Cococozy



Photo by Coco of Cococozy


Photo by Coco of Cococozy
Two bright white rocking chairs sit on a wood porch overlooking the Nantucket Harbor. (above)


Photo by Coco of Cococozy
The Nantucket Harbor at sunset. (above)

VACATION DISPATCH: AN ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE!

All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy


The photo above is by far my favorite of all photos I've taken over this last year. Saw this idyllic scene in Nantucket over the weekend while taking a tour of the island with FF and RBL.

The rolling hills, wild grasses, the red and white light house in the distance, and a bike leaning against a stone wall in the foreground. For some reason this photo represents limitless opportunity and freedom to me...the bike can take its rider anywhere, the pastoral landscape is nature at its best, and the colorful head light guides those who have risen to the awesome challenge of taking on the greatness of the open sea. Oh and did I mention the bluest of blue sky?

Hope you enjoy this one as much as I do.


The Sankaty Lighthouse in Nantucket - 9/2009. (above)

All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

VACATION DISPATCH: HARBORING GREAT DESIGN AT A PRIVATE NANTUCKET YACHT CLUB - PART 2!

All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

The the newly finished main living room at the exclusive Great Harbor Yacht Club in Nantucket. (above)

While at the posh opening dinner dance for the Great Harbor Yacht Club this past weekend, I toured more than I talked in that first hour. After my first glimpse into the main Clubhouse (see post on Part 1 below), I took another dive back in between cocktails and dinner. This time I ventured into the very blue and white main living room on the ground floor.

This private yacht club's main "living room" space features French paned windows galore and gorgeous hardwood floors. A plethora of comfortable seating, however, is the design stand out in the room. I counted four to five major seating groups in this large space - all outfitted with inviting and stylish seat choices (including about 18 sofas, chairs, stools or ottomans)...all in some shade of blue and white (remember this is a yacht club...where ocean coloring reigns supreme).

The colors, the traditional decor and the natural textures and fabrics...makes this the perfect place for the club's boat loving (or should I say "yacht loving) members to congregate!


A single floor lamp separates two blue and white striped upholstered armchairs...a perfect reading spot under the picture windows. (above)



An dark wood octagonal table is surrounded by four upholstered wood stools - this group acts as the centerpiece of sorts for this great room. (above)





Another seating area features a traditional sofa upholstered in a blue and white floral pattern and accessorized by striped pillows. (above and below)




In front of the fireplace, four wood slatted chairs with turned legs and blue and white seat cushions surround a cute round ottoman with tassels. (above)





A fish wall hanging swims above a wood game table flanked by two striped slip covered side chairs. (above)


The Great Harbor Yacht Club's opening dinner took place in an outdoor tent on the lawn overlooking the Nantucket Harbor. I managed to slip away for more touring right before dinner began! (above)

All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

VACATION DISPATCH: HARBORING GREAT DESIGN AT A PRIVATE NANTUCKET YACHT CLUB - PART 1!

All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

The main formal sitting room in the Clubhouse at the Great Harbor Yacht Club in Nantucket, MA. (above)
Was invited to a fabulous dinner dance at a new private yacht club while on vacation in Nantucket. The Great Harbor Yacht Club - a place for Nantucket residents who love yachting, boating, all things ocean sea related and who love socializing with others with the same inclinations - had its opening party this past weekend. A really lovely event. The club was recently finished and members opened up the doors to guests to celebrate. Quite a party!

During the cocktail hour, I said hello to our hosts and then dashed inside the Clubhouse for a tour...

The main sitting room or reception room was the first that I saw. Decorated to the hilt this club room speaks of all thing beach and nautical. The colors and tones are all subtle in hue...with lots of neutrals, whites and blues used in the decor. The fabrics feel or look like natural linens, cottons and even denims....and lots of wonderful texture in the rich materials used.. A traditional room that did not at all feel stodgy...it feels fresh, comfortable and very elegant all at once.


According to the club's website, the inside of the Clubhouse, it turns out, was conceived and decorated by Boston interior design firm Gauthier/Stacy.

My favorite piece in the room is the striped round ottoman with tassels under the classic secretary (see below). Also love the flowers in the room...orchids and hydrangea - two of my favorites!


Tufted linen upholstered sofa with rolled arms anchors the sitting area.



Four classic armchairs upholstered in a blue denim like fabric provide additional seating and good balance to the space. (above)


A weather vane arrow mounted on a wood block makes for a great coffee table conversation piece. (above)


Two natural linen covered low stools add casual seating and allow for everyone to still have a great view of the fireplace. (above)




Off the to the side of the great room, an old fashioned antique looking roll top writing desk allows for a discreet but polished work area in this club's formal living room. A whimsical striped ottoman with blue and white tassels is nestled underneath and could act as a desk chair. (above)




Beautiful white hydrangea in a white ceramic are an elegant accent on the desk area.(above)

Antique looking Swedish Gustav style chairs are washed in a light blue grey with an upholstered blue and white striped seat. (above)


As a reminder this is a yacht club and boating is the order of the day, this ship in a bottle provides the perfect nautical accessory to the great room. (above)


Cocktail party on the lawn at the Great Harbor Yacht Club overlooking the docks and the Nantucket Harbor. (above)

All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

VACATION DISPATCH: GREEN, GOLD AND BLUE DANCING UMBRELLAS AND ONE BIRD - DESIGNING A DAY ON THE BEACH!

All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

All I can say is ahhhhhhh...

At the Cliffside Beach Club in Nantucket for the day with FF, CCF, CGF and RBL. As I am writing this...looking out over the water. Perfect day.

Love these dancing umbrella - bright green, blue and gold. Reason I say dancing is that the gusty seaside breeze makes them look like they are dancing in the wind.

Beautiful colors...a little design inspiration perhaps? I think so...

Am sitting under an umbrella now. Think I will make the daring move into the sun...stand by...

Oh, by the way, this seagull is my new best friend. He's been staring at me all day. Standing at the foot of my lounge chair. Good company actually as everyone naps.

VACATION DISPATCH: NANTUCKET BOUND - THE TRUTH WEIGHS HEAVY ON MY MIND!

Photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

Hydrangea in Nantucket (above)

In the Boston Airport and waiting for my flight to Nantucket. Headed there for a bit of a vacation.

Am watching CNN on a television at the Cape Air gate in the Boston airport (lots of very very very very preppy people surrounding me). CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer is creating hysteria. In this instance, in the same panicked voice that he is talking about Afghanistan, he is reporting on the devastating, shocking attack on...Twitter....yes, Twitter...hmmmm.....?!$%^&*!? The attack it turns out is a "hacker attack" on Twitter...nooone injured...just that the tweeting was stopped for awhile. Ridiculous...really...not a news story...really!

Back to the topic of Nantucket...

All of the photos in this post are from a trip I took to Nantucket two years ago...last time on I was on the island. Love these photos. The island is so beautiful and green. Love the classic purple hyndrangea and the island grey shingle houses. Can't wait to get there this time and take more photos!


Exterior of a classic Nantucket style island wood home with grey shingle siding and white trim. (above)

Anyhoooooooo, am headed to Nantucket to vist FF, CCF and godson CGF. They get a house on Nantucket every summer...leaving the sweltering heat of New Orleans behind. We have quite a schedule this weekend...includes a dinner/dance at a yacht club on Friday night, the Boston Pops concert on Saturday night and on another night a dinner/birthday party for CCF on an antique yacht owned by one of their friends.

I am flying Cape Air to get to the island. Have been several times and each time one of the airline's policies always gets me. When arriving at the ticket counter you are asked for your i.d. ...and you are asked how much you weigh! Here's how it goes usually (as it did today):

Me: "Hi, I would like to check in for the flight to Nantucket"...

Cape Air Rep: "May have your name, i.d. ...and how much do you weigh?"

Me: "How much do I weigh? Today?"

Cape Air Rep: "Yes. Today."

Me: "Well, I only ask about today because I was skinnier earlier this year...and then I stopped working out for a bit and that could have affected my weight a tad...."

Cape Air Rep: "Miss. How much do you weigh?"

Me: "How much....let's see....uhm, err, uh....?"

Cape Air Rep: "Miss...please"

Me: "Well I guess I weigh XXX????" (Notes: 1. I know I fudged a bit on my weight by a few pounds...can't have real weight recorded in Cape Air's records; and, 2. I should have told her I didn't know how much I weigh...which I don't because I have not gotten on a scale in months knowing that the reading would cause great displeasure...but if I said I didn't know how much I weighed (and told the truth...hmmm...truth...), she would have subjected me to further public humiliation by weighing me right there in the terminal!!! No thanks!!!!)

Me: "Yes that's it...I weigh XXX" (I liked the way this new number sounded so I repeated it.)

Cape Air Rep: (looking at me suspiciously)

Well, anyhooo, I made it to the gate, inspite of the "how much do you weigh" conversation...now sitting waiting for my flight and just found I did not make stand by for the earlier flight...so here I sit, waiting to get on a small plane, on the way to Nantucket, with CNN anchors ranting about the hacker "attack" on Twitter. A good day!


Wood bench on a cliff overlooking the water (Atlantic Ocean) in Nantucket. (above)

COCOCOZY FIND: WIRED UP ABOUT VINTAGE GARAGE PENDANT LIGHTS!

Anthropologie - Mechanic's Beacon Light, Large Flower- $148 (Steel and wood vintage style pendant light. Brown. Takes 60 watt bulb)(above)
Okay...these industrial vintage style pendant lights are just plain old cool. Love them. They look like they could belong in a factory or an old garage OR in a high end chef's kitchen or stylish city loft apartment. No nonsense form makes for great design.


Mechanic's Beacon Light, Large Cage - $148 (above)


Small Flower Whisk Pendant Light - $148 (above)

DESIGN ON SALE DAILY: DELICATE DESIGN MAKES FOR FINE WINE GLASSES!

Carolyne Roehm - Fiorella Red Wine Stemware Set - on sale $95; regular $184 (Set of four red wine glasses with gently flared rims and hobnail stud design at glass base. Clear) (above)
Elegant and delicate and on sale...the perfect stemware it seems. Love the single thread of hobnail pattern at the base of each glass. Says in the description that the design stems from Venetian roots...I, however, see vintage 3o's, 40's and 50's Americana here....a refined twist on the Hobnail glass from that era. Great for serving wine at a posh dinner party for four...or for even sipping champagne on a more casual night :-)! Might have to consider these lovelies...

ROOM TO LOVE: MASTERING DESIGN IN A BEACHY CHIC MASTER BEDROOM!

Photos courtesy of Brooke Giannetti of Giannetti Home


Last week, I came across Velvet & Linen, an interior design blog from Los Angeles based interior designer Brooke Giannetti. So much to love on her website...including this fab bedroom she designed for a client...reminds me of the beach for some reason.

The white room with pops of turquoise and green is perfection...a super stylish master bedroom that is has that perfect blend of modern and tradition all in one space.


The capiz shell chandelier adds great dazzle to the space...but my favorite piece in the entire room is the oval tufted blue ottoman.



Thanks Brooke for allowing me to post these photos...!!

A GREEN OUTDOOR PARTY SCENE WHERE BIRDS ARE WELCOME!

Love this outdoor table setting. The perfect shady outdoor spot for a lovely luncheon. Green, lush, cool, rustic and fanciful. Love all of the bird details including the hanging bird cages that almost act as a chandelier. The metal birds and the bird bath beyond (below) add fun and whimsy to the patio paving stones. My kind of garden lunch. Wonder how I can get an invite?



Photos by Anna Kern

DESIGN ON SALE DAILY: BUBBLING OVER WITH VINTAGE FINDS AT A CHIC CHAMPAGNE SALE!

The Red House Interiors - Wheat Sheaf Side Tables -on sale $475; regular $595 (Glass top side tables with bronze metal base made to look like a bundles of wheat. 2 available) (above)

Got an email the other day from Marlan at MWPR that immediately piqued my interest. All it said was "CHAMPAGNE SALE" (well maybe it said a little more but those were the only words that stuck out to me).

Champagne + sale + home furnishings = PERFECTION! What? Could it be real???

Here's the scoop...

Apparently two stores, The Red House Interiors (a furniture store owned by designer Michelle Workman) and The House of Love and Luck (hmmm...may have to spend significant time in this vintage jewelry store for the name alone in hopes the name will rub off) are throwing a sale to clear out old merchandise and bring in the new. They've decided that the best way to entice shoppers is to mark ALL items down by 20-50%.

After saying I would post a picture or two, I realized I didn't know exactly what a "Champagne Sale" was. I thought I knew...but then like any typical woman I started to over think things and second guess myself. So, the logical solution for all answers unsolved is that I turned to the internet. In this instance, the internet failed me in my quest for answers. All I found were a bunch of websites that had champagne on sale...spent about 1o minutes on this search. Finally, my brains kicked in and I went into efficiency mode; I just emailed Marlan and asked her, "What's a Champagne Sale?" She wrote back simply, "It means champagne will be served." Yooohoooooo....did I say the word perfect already???

Marlan also sent me several photos of items that were on sale...including dining chairs, an acrylic table, vintage armchairs, mirrors, home accessories, sofas, tables and more! Might be worth it to stop by...fabulous!


Vintage Headboard (King) - on sale $855; regular $1,425 (White vintage headboard upholstered in green and white toile fabric) (above)

If you are in Los Angeles later this week or you live in town, here are the details regarding the sale:

Champagne Sale - July 30th - August 1st
The Red House Interiors and House of Love and Luck
Sale Hours from 11am - 8pm
372 & 370 1/2 N. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310.855.8200

P.S. I love the fact that by adding the word "Champagne" to a normal sale this group has elevated the discounted shopping into an entertaining "happening". Hmmm...should I put the word champagne in front of other words to try to make them fun...i.e. Champagne Laundry, Champagne Stuck in Traffic, Champagne Make Your Bed, Champagne Pick up Clothes from the Cleaners, Champagne Go to the Dentist? Does that work too...? Thoughts?

SCREEN TEST - A HUGE WHITE GLOSSY MIRROR COMBINES FORM AND FUNCTION!

Pieces - Large White Mirrored Screen - $4500 (Very rare and unique geometric grid pattern. Large scale - 96"h x 38"w. Newly painted white semi gloss. Formerly an attached screen. 2 available) (above)

Great mirror. Love the geometric rectangle and square pattern. Lean against a wall in a living room as an accent piece...function and form...design and utility...all in one!

VACATION BLUES!

A white wire outdoor chair sits on a deck overlooking the ocean...the perfect spot for taking some time off! (above)

Was reading Belle Maison blog and clicked on link for photo credits. Ended up on the site of photographer Sang An and then happened upon these lovely photos...with views of the ocean...shades of blue and crisp whites...reminding me of my upcoming vacation! Am going to Nantucket in a few weeks. Can't wait. Really...I can't!


Photo credit: Sang An Photography