DESIGNER ROOM RECREATE: HOW TO MAKE A SUNNY MODERN BREAKFAST NOOK!

Photo courtesy of Palmer Weiss Interior Design
A happy breakfast nook in yellow and white features built in banquette seating with a playful ikat fabric on cushions, a Le Klint pendant light, Bertoia chairs and a white rectangular table with a Saarinen base. (above)
Keeping it simple is key. Love this cheery breakfast nook. Some simple use of fabric as seat cushions, the addition of some timeless classics as far as furniture and throwing in just a few dashes of coordinating art and accessories can make a dining area like this just the perfect space for eating in.

Here are some pieces that might help you pull this look together in your own home!


John Robshaw Textiles - Ikat Saffron Block Printed Linen (block printed linen fabric in white, yellow and green ikat pattern)(above)


Hive - Le Klint lk 172 - $353 (Round plastic pendant light with wave design. These hand-folded sculptural lamps were designed by architect Poul Christiansen in 1969. Made in Denmark by Le Klint from a color stabilized white PVC which is completely washable and anti-static. 5 feet of white cord included)(above)


yliving - Bertoia Side Chair - $481(Classic welded steel side chair with fillagree pattern. Designed by Harry Bertoia in 1952. This metal chair is good for both indoor or outdoor use depending on finish)(above)


DirksenDabbles - Sailing - $75 (Original painting - art by Bethany Dirksen. Acrylic on stretched canvas. Paint applied with palette knife technique. Sailboats at sea under clouds - a sail boat regatta on the ocean. Blue and white tones)(above)


Conran Shop -Saarinen Oval Tulip Table - $4050 -$6265 (Classic white 1958 design by Eero Saarinen in oval shape. Comes in white laminate with white base or arabescato marble with white base)(above)


West Elm - Round Lacquer Tray - $59(above)


Anthropologie - Island Time Juice Glasses with Vines - $12 each (9.5 oz tall clear glass with vine design in shades of green)(above)
xo
Coco

P.S. Have a great Wednesday!

P.P. S. Tell your friends and if you are not, please become a follower of the Cococozy Facebook Fan Page. I'll do a special giveaway just on Facebook and just for Facebook fans once there are a 1000 fans!

A BEDROOM IN TURQUOISE TOILE AND TOLE!

Photos courtesy of Massucco Warner Miller

A white tole faux bamboo chandelier hangs above a daybed with a dusty rose pink and white toile print upholstered headboard...all with the backdrop of a clean turquoise painted wall.(above)

Turquoise paint, a toile headboard and a tole chandelier...that's all it takes to make a cute room. Dotting a few i's and crossing all t's in this room!

I like this little girl's room in a San Francisco house from interior design firm Massucco Warner Miller. I think the unadorned turquoise feature wall provides a great backdrop for all of the elements in the room including the narrow built-in shelves that frame the daybed.

My favorite piece in the room is of course the glossy white painted tole chandelier. I love this. They add a simple form of glam to any room.



Silhouette printed throw pillows match the toile upholstered headboard and turquoise pillows match the wall...wonderfully coordinated.(above)
What do you think of this room?

Hope you have a nice Monday!

xo
Coco

P.S. Remember to join the Cococozy Facebook Fan Page. I'll do a special giveaway just on Facebook and just for Facebook fans once there are a 1000 fans!

WEEKEND PHOTO: BEHIND A SECRET GARDEN GATE!

Photo by Coco of Cococozy

Gorgeous green ficus surround a secret wood carved doorway that leads to a private garden at the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs.(above)

So last weekend although I didn't go to Casa Kimball in the Dominican Republic in the end due to my week of "life happens"...I did end up in Palm Springs for a last minute spur of the moment mini one day vacation.

Before heading to the Indian Wells tennis tournament on Sunday, just happened upon this intriguing carved door and garden gate while roaming the grounds of the Parker Hotel.

Love the mystery of doors and love the way this one is surrounded with beautiful greenery...lush foliage in the middle of the desert I might add!

Hope you have a great weekend! I have a busy one ahead!! Very busy.

xoxo
Coco

THE BEST OF THE BEST OF STYLISH DECOR!

Photos courtesy Elle Decor

A Malibu, California, weekend house gets a seaside makeover courtesy of interior designer Kerry Joyce, who lined the room with shallow shelving to display starfish and shells; the walls are painted a pale aqua by Donald Kaufman Color. Photo for ELLE DECOR by Dominique Vorillon. (above)
Went to a fab book signing party the other night...it was for Style and Substance: The Best of Elle Decor...a book by Margaret Russell and all of the editors at Elle Decor.

The party was quite posh and took place at William Sonoma Home in West Hollywood. The room was filled with interior designers, design mavens (including famous fashion designer Monique Lhuillier) and me and my sister DS (design interlopers of sorts...hee hee..). I was late. Poor DS, who is a lawyer, was left to navigate the design crowd by herself for about 20 minutes. When I arrived, I found her eating a snack, focused on some furniture and seemingly totally enjoying herself. Phew.

So many people to chat with (albeit brief in the social whirlwind)...let's see...famed interior designer Windsor Smith who is quite lovely(dove across the room to meet her because we had emailed a few time about posts...I may have even interrupted a conversation she was having...oops), bloggers/t.v. personalities Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochur of Eddie Ross (both so cute) ... and most importantly design aficionado and head of Elle Decor Margaret Russell herself (she just oooozes undeniable style and looked so extremely chic...of course DS's only comment to her was "I love your dress"...)

It was so much fun. After sis DS and I did our meet and greet due diligence we exited the scene...very happy to have attended, to have met, to have had a bit of champagne and have mingled.

The book looks fabulous by the way...perfect for a coffee table and filled with ideas for every space in the house. 240 pages pulled from the archives of Elle Decor. Love it!!! These pictures are pages from the book.

Hope you enjoy!


In Jamie Creel and Marco Scarani’s round periwinkle-blue dining room in Paris, Thomas Boog’s cast-iron Coral chandelier dangles over a vintage Serge Roche table. Photo for ELLE DECOR by Roger Davies. (above)


From left: Style and Substance book cover; Margaret Russell, Editor-in-Chief, Elle Decor at book signing earlier this week at William Sonoma Home in Los Angeles. (above)

Hope you have a great Friday! Am running late now. Have a morning meeting am off to...(need to stop and get my morning tea...)

xo
Coco

P.S. Jonthan Adler lamp giveaway winner will be announced shortly! Stay tuned.

COCOCOZY GIVEAWAY #2: AND THE WINNER OF THE JONATHAN ADLER LAMP IS...!

Photo by Coco of Cococozy


First...THANK YOU all you amazing readers for entering this fantastic giveaway. I loved reading all of your comments and loved hearing about what you like. There were 190 entries in this giveaway (those that followed all of the instructions)...and over 200 comments...wow!!!

Second...THANK YOU to Jonathan Adler and team for partnering with me on COCOCOZY GIVEAWAY #2. Actually, may I rephrase? A HUGE thank you to Jonathan Adler and team for the lamp and for participating in this giveaway! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Third...THANK YOU to the winner of the giveaway....!!! Drum roll..... So the lucky winner is....

Beth Brace (bbrace) of Illinois wins the Jonathan Adler Capri Bottle lamp!

Here's what Beth wrote as her entry:

"I would just adore the x bench in my home and the Nixon rug would be divine.......But the lamps make me melt with joy. Love it, Beth"

CONGRATULATIONS BETH. Please email me your address to cococozy@gmail.com! I will forward that onto the team at Jonathan Adler.

For all of you who didn't win...I hope you still enjoyed this giveaway.

Good news is that I will be doing another amazing giveaway in a few weeks partnering with another posh store...and there will be three winners.

xoxo
Coco

P.S. Also, a special thanks to a few bloggers who posted about the giveaway...thank you!!

Krystin from Anything But Ordinary
Elizabeth from Pretty Smitten
Erika from 2 by Design

EXPOSED IN A MODERN NYC LOFT!

Photos courtesy of Stephan Jaklitsch Architects

Modern bath in a NYC loft is tiled in marble from floor to ceiling and features a sleek wood dual sink area and a large wood framed mirror. (above)

Loving this New York City loft from architect Stephan Jaklitsch. The exposed brick and the exposed beams in the main living space are so cool. They add an edge of rustic vintage to a very modern space.


The dining area is lit by industrial looking dome pendant lights that fit well with the overall architecture and design of the space. Six metal Bertoia chairs surround a small rectangular dining table.(above)

Exposed beams and exposed bricks make signature architectural statements in this modern loft. (above)


A black leather Barcelona lounge chair and a Platner metal and glass coffee table and an air of classic modern to the overall design of the space. (above)

Again, another NYC apartment that is making me start thinking about New York as an option!

Have a nice day!

xo
Coco

P.S. Remember to join the Cococozy Facebook Fan Page. I'll do a special giveaway just on Facebook and just for Facebook fans once there are a 1000 fans!

CASA KIMBALL - A LUXURIOUS PRIVATE VACATION VILLA IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!

Photos courtesy of Casa Kimball. Architect, Jasmit Rangr, Rangr Studios.

Photograph by Paul Warchol

This is Casa Kimball in the Dominican Republic. A modern majestic villa overlooking the waters of the Caribbean.

This is where I was invited to spend last weekend. A weekend of relaxation in this modern stunning 20,000 square foot private villa in the DR. The home is rented out to individuals who want the ultimate private luxurious island vacation...no other families to deal with, no other guests at the home if you rent it...just one customized blissful personal vacation experience. The huge structure boasts eight guest suites, an infinity pool with swim up bar, a cliffside jacuzzi, magnificent views, sleek clean modern interior design, a full time staff and much more.

By the way, did I mention, this is where I DID NOT end up spending past weekend. Instead, I spent the weekend in California licking my "wounds", wishing I had made it to Casa Kimball. (whoa is me...LOL)

I first learned about Casa Kimball last week when best of friend AM invited me down to the Dominican for the weekend. Her brother GM and his wife SM were taking their family to the DR for a quick weekend getaway at Casa Kimball...they invited AM and her hubby JE along...and AM in turn kindly invited me. AM extended the invitation to me on Tuesday and suggested I fly from LA to New York on Thursday night (on the red eye), meet her at the Newark airport on Friday morning and then fly down to the DR for a two day stay at Casa Kimball. It sounded so exciting. Deciding on a Tuesday to be in the DR on Friday and just doing it.

The minute I saw these photos of Casa Kimball, I thought...I can make this happen...I'm just going to do it...

But then life got in the way...of course...of course it did...yooohoooo...my luck indeed...! Where do I start with the list of calamities that kept me from Casa Kimball...?

Here is the chronicle of mishaps (I Love Lucy style) that happened here in Los Angeles and that thwarted my plans for a dream island vacation at Casa Kimball:

MONDAY - Car breaks down. (BMW X5 that I've had for 7 years is basically in the shop every 3 months but this time it was so serious it wouldn't move...love that the so called "ultimate driving machine" is not at all ultimate, does not drive and it is not entirely clear whether or not it is an actual machine or just a figment of someone's imagination of what a machine might be).

TUESDAY - Water heater explodes early morning (I spend a good 15 minutes jumping around trying to turn off the water main). No hot water. Nearly impossible to take a shower. Car is towed to shop in same early morning period that water heater is exploding. I order a town car service to take me the 7 miles to work because I can't deal with a regular old taxi cab nor can I be bothered with getting to a rental car agency...only to find out later in the day that when the guy at the car service "dispatch" said it was $75 round trip, he meant it was $75 each way round trip, for a total of $150 plus tip to get back and forth from work in one day...grrrr. Get home only to find that water heater repair person stopped by without calling and left. Water heater not repaired. It was in the middle of this day, btw, AM called and said "do you want to go the DR this weekend?"

WEDNESDAY - Water heater still not repaired. Turn main on for 10 minutes so I can take shower...meanwhile this creates a virtual flood near the water heater. Later that morning while at work, shooting pain when eating breakfast...so rush to dentist midday. During a dentist appointment, dentist who tells bad jokes all of the time tells me I probably need a root canal. Root canal "specialist" who happens to be in the dentist's office that day spends an hour and half grinding and drilling into my tooth...throughout procedure he keeps saying "this is weird" "this is the weirdest root canal"...then all of a sudden he stops and says "I'm going to send you to another guy because I can't do this...I don't have a microscope for this type of thing because I don't do enough of them." (I thought he was the root canal specialist!!!!). Go to second root canal guy (endodontist), he tells me that he has to repair the work of the first guy (and he says the word perforation several times) and then he has to redo the root canal the right way...he tells me it will take 2.5 hours and the nurse tells me it will cost $2700. Speaking of $2700, get a call from BMW while in the endodontist's chair waiting for Novocaine to kick in and they tell me my car repairs will also cost $2700. Water heater is still not repaired. Spend 1.5 on hold with water heater repair people because I refuse to hang up and they refuse to solve my problem and they don't want to hang up on a customer...we are in a phone stand off for most of the evening.

THURSDAY - AM says "So, are you coming to the DR or not?" My answer, "Uh, no."

Long story (as usual) to basically say I didn't make it there for the weekend (and so the ramblings continue...). Now that I've got that all out...I can now focus on how I am DEFINITELY going to make it to Casa Kimball one day...one day...

Here are some gorgeous photos of this lovely home for you to enjoy....


Photograph by Monica Bouwmeester


Photograph by Monica Bouwmeester


Photograph by Monica Bouwmeester


Photograph by Monica Boumeester


Photograph by Monica Bouwmeester


Photograph of Paul Warchol


Photograph by Paul Warchol


Photograph by Paul Warchol

According to the website, this luxurious property is rented for about $4000/night during the high season...it looks like an experience well worth it! For you brides and grooms, it seems that couples also rent out this modern mansion by the sea for weddings (not a bad idea)!

Hope you enjoy dreaming about Casa Kimball as much as I have over the last few days. Maybe one of us will actually make it there some day!

xo
Coco

P.S. Never did I think I would write a story in which the words root canal, magnificent villa, architecture and water heater explosion all came together in one post. Hmmmm...oh, water heater is fixed, car is fixed and I suppose tooth is fixed...so all's well... :-)

P.P.S. Thank you Monica for permission to use photos and for the very lovely images you took.

COCOCOZY GIVEAWAY #2: LIGHTING UP SPRING WITH A LOVELY LAMP FROM JONATHAN ADLER!

Photo by Coco of Cococozy
Jonathan Adler - Capri Bottle Lamp (Blue colored glass with polished nickel accents. Gloss parchment white shade. 33.75" high)(above)
I am thrilled to announce the COCOCOZY GIVEAWAY #2. My partner in this giveaway is none other than my design crush Jonathan Adler (am now a happy "groupie"...oops I meant "follower"...of JA as I like to call him on his Jonathan Adler Facebook fan page)!

In this giveaway, one lucky reader will get one of these fabulous blue Capri Bottle lamps from Jonathan Adler's collection (did I mention it retails at $275)! Love this lamp! Am considering getting one for myself.

So here's all you have to do to enter COCOCOZY GIVEAWAY #2:

1. Go to Jonathan Adler's website and identify any two items from his collection that you love.

2. Come back to this post and in the comments section, let me know what your two favorites are from Jonathan Adler and why (e.g. color, awesome design, just pure fun of it etc.).

3. Make sure to identify yourself in some way in the comment - no anonymous comments can win (need something to identify you in the event you win...i.e. website, email address, blogger i.d., etc.).

4. Submit your comment in this post by Wednesday 3/24/10 at midnight PST.

5. Check back on Cococozy on Friday 3/26/10 to find out if you've won!

So simple!

I will randomly select one (1) very lucky lucky winner to win one (1) lamp. (This is a U.S. only giveaway)

If you are the winner, you'll have to email me your mailing address so I can have Jonathan Adler send you the lamp!

Here are some other views of the lamp...


Photo by Coco of Cococozy


Photo by Coco of Cococozy
And in case you cared or wondered, here some items I'm thinking are cool from the collection right now...don't worry, I'm not entering myself!


Clockwise from top left: Neptune Melamine Outdoor Dinnerware, Mrs. Godfrey chair, Stylish Stationery. (above)

Anyhooo...back to the COCOCOZY GIVEAWAY #2...

Good luck readers on winning the lamp!

Please spread the word!

If you have a blog...let your readers know about this lovely lamp giveaway and I'll give you a thanks here on the blog! The more the merrier!

xo
Coco

P.S. A big thank you to Starrett from Jonathan Adler for helping with this lamp giveaway. And a "shout out" to Tony and Theresa at the Melrose store for no real reason except I was in there on Saturday to take these pics and they are nice...and more importantly, because I wanted to use the phrase "shout out" (sounds so unhip that I think it is cool ..."shout out")!

WEEKEND PHOTO: A LOVELY GARDEN GATE!

Photo by Coco of Cococozy

A darling garden gate - the alluring opening to a classic white picket fence (from my photo archives...taken in Nantucket). A gate, like a door, symbolizes optimism to me. Endless possibilites on the other side.

Have a nice weekend!

xoxo
Coco

SEE THIS HOUSE: A NYC TOWNHOUSE WITH A FAMILY FRIENDLY DESIGN!

Photos courtesy of Sixx Design. Photographed by Costas Picadas.

Sleek white modern cabinets, stainless steel on countertops and backsplash, vintage looking large round glass pendant lights over the kitchen island, wood floors and a wine refrigerator all come together to make a functional and smartly designed family kitchen in a New York City home.(above)
Saw this house on t.v. when I was watching the preview of a new series on Bravo. Series is called 9 by Design (starts in April). It is about married design and remodeling couple Robert (Bob) and Cortney Novogratz of Sixx Design and their many many kids.

Their publicist emailed me to ask me to do a story. I asked for photos. She asked and I asked and so here we are...with today's post!

This modern loft style multilevel townhouse was featured on the preview...it seems that the Novogratz family lived in this house and then sold it - they do that, build/design homes that are children friendly family spaces, live in those homes and then sell them. Smart.

Anyhooooo...thought you might enjoy their eclectic and stylish design of this New York City townhouse.













A bright hot pink modern seesaw graces this New York City home's roof deck.(above)
Photos courtesy of Sixx Design. Photographed by Costas Picadas.

FAUXTANICALS - ARE FAKE FLOWERS NOW OKAY?!

Photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

Bouquets of fake orchids at chic Los Angeles home and garden shop. (above)
Was browsing through Rolling Greens on Beverly a few weekends back during my hunt for the perfect garden stool (will do a full post on this cute home and garden store this weekend or next week), when I ran into this display of gorgeous flowers. At first, I was convinced they were real orchids, hydrangea and others...but then I was curious...there didn't seem to be any water or the smell of flowers...so I approached cautiously, snapped a few photos, and then reached out to touch the delicate petals only to find that they were fake!

Then began my week of fake flower encounters (no names/initials used in encounters as I am not sure how I feel about fake florals yet...so don't want friends getting all feisty and in a stir because I mentioned their initials)

First fake flower encounter...one of my best friends calling me and saying "are fake flowers ever okay?". I responded with a resounding "no" only to have said best friend tell me she just spent over $100 on fake flowers. Hmmm....

Second encounter...then I received an email from another friend who owns a posh jewelry store in town, she recommended that I do a story on another friend of hers who does flower arrangements. I went on the friend of a friends website only to find a bunch of moss and wood and some faux stuff modern arrangements. When I wrote to the friend with the jewelry shop and asked, "are the flowers real"...she responded that the arrangements did not involve real flowers only maybe for weddings. Hmmmm...

Third encounter...then, another good friend of mine who works in New York for a famous fashion designer and does their in store displays called me to rave about a design she had just come up with that included high end silk flowers on mannequins. She sent me photos of her work and it looked quite nice. Hmmm....starting to get confused.

Fourth encounter...then, I asked my good friend who lives in Venice Beach who I think has great style if fake flowers are ever okay...and she said "never...except my mother has arranged some in our vacation home and they actually look pretty good".

Fifth encounter...a publicist randomly emails me about a client of hers who does faux flower arrangements...Hmmmm....this is now getting freakishly weird.

Why would I have 5 or more encounters with fake flowers in one week (aside...an animal is either crawling on my roof or in my walls right now as I write this...when spring comes, here in the Hollywood Hills invariably all kinds of critters come out of the woodwork...literally...yikes...sorry back to fake flowers...)?



Need your help readers...my first instinct is to say that fake flowers are always a "NO" in home decor, interior design, decorating etc (why have fake when you can have real has always been my thinking when it comes to flowers as accessories)...but now I may be starting to view fake flowers in a different light maybe (maybe) (maybe) (maybe) (maybe). These faux florals are popping up more and more in surprisingly stylish settings and after the coincidence of my fake flower encounters all in one week...does this mean that fake flowers are now okay?

Yoohooo? Help on this one? Hello??? Anyone??? Everyone???

Are fake flowers acceptable in home decor?

xoxo
Coco

P.S. Remember to become a Cococozy Facebook Fan. Tell friends too!

Photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy

RANDOM STUFF I'M LIKING RIGHT NOW 3.16.10!

Aphro Chic Shop - Haze Mimosa Linen Pillow - $175 (24"x24" Belgian linen pillow with abstract design in yellow and white) (above)

No rhyme, no reason, no theme, no scheme, no purpose...just some random furniture and accessories I'm liking right now. A little this or that for the mansion, ranch, home, house, apartment, loft, condo, cottage or shack and anything in between.


145 Antiques - Antique Garden Bench - $1800 (19th century French iron and wood garden bench in white. France)(above)


Maison Luxe - Brigitte Large Chest - $1535 (Wood dresser in light blue lacquer finish with chrome tassel pulls. 3 drawer. )(above)


Jonathan Adler - Queen Anne Mirror - $595(White lacquer frame. 26"x38")(above)


Plush Home - Harlowe Lamp - $350 (Lamp with bubble base. Vintage silver finish over brass. Hard back white lamp shade.)(above)


West Elm - Window Headboard - $254 for queen (Geometric patterned wood headboard. Design inspired by iron works)(above)


Reaney Designs - Large Trapunto Box Mustard - $250 (Large embossed leather box with ring design in mustard yellow. 10.5" x 10.5" x 5.5")(above)