TREND ALERT: SPOT ON DOT DECORATING FOR KIDS ROOMS!

I like a little dot or spot here and there in a kids room. Dots work for little boys or little girls rooms quite well. I like a subtle dot...not quite a big bold polka dot...a dot that just adds nice visual texture to a child's room. Instead of polka dot...what should I call these dots. A chic dot? A modern dot? A dashing dot?  Maybe I'll call these chic subtle dots...coco dots...or is that too self serving?  Hmmmm....

Anyhooo (one reader says she doesn't like when I say anyhooo...but I do say it...so anyhoooo...sorry dear reader...I'll try to lessen the anyhoos...but I do find for me it does reflect what's ticking up in my little head...not quite an "anyway" or "any how"...an anyhoooo is my way of getting myself to focus...as I start to meander off topic as I so often do, somehow I all of a sudden think "Anyhoooo time to get on track"...P.S. I just scrolled through my posts and noticed I do say anyhooo quite a bit...ooops....yikes...point taken...)...

So anyhoooo :-), would love to know what you think of these sophisticated dots for kids!

Serena & Lily - Deep Coral Dot Sheet Set - $139 (Twin)(above)

Cocoa & Hearts - Lipstick & Dots Painting (above)

PB Kids - Chocolate Mini Dot Oversized Bean Bag - on sale $129 (above)

Damien Hirst - Zomepirac (2003. Household gloss on canvas. Spot painting.  72" diameter)(above)

Love the artist Damien Hirst and all of his spot paintings. They are so gorgeous.

What do you think of this spotty style? Like or dislike? Where might you use spots in your home?

Happy Monday!

xo
Coco

P.S. Went to a fun party with TE on Saturday at a gorgeous home in Santa Monica. Lovely event, charming host and hostess, nice guests, good conversation and all in an absolutely beautiful setting!

P.P.S. My Christmas tree is up. My gardener brought me a 6 foot tall Douglas Fir and I decorated it last night with silver and sparkles. I think I may be allergic to my tree though. I woke up with puffy eyes!

P.P.P.S. Floor guy came and gave me a quote to redo my wood floors in my tiny cottage in the Hollywood Hills that is around 700 square feet. He said the price would be $10,000 or so. That feels way too high! Needless to say, I'm getting another quote!


Photos: Stadshem; Petra Bindel; Emily Mughannam, EM Design Interiors; Vogue

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AN art, bed, bedding, bedroom, boy rooms, boys, children, dot, dots, girl rooms, girls, kid, kids rooms, polka dot, TREND ALERT, wallpaper

KIDS' ROOMS - BED OPTIONS!

A traditional wood sleigh bed with pink bedding in a cute little girl's room. A good classic bed selection because can easily transition this bed into this little girl's teens with just a change of bedding. (above)

Kids need cute bedrooms too!  Love a well dressed room for a boy or girl and the centerpiece of that room is the bed!  So what to do when picking out a bed for a child's room?  Here are some bed ideas!

A lime green upholstered headboard is the perfect accent in this sporty boy's room. (above)

Bunk beds in white...love the drawers. (above)

An all in one option twin bed with drawers and a bookshelf attached! (above)

These girs have it lucky...full size pink and green upholstered beds in a shared bedroom. (above)

Which of these rooms do you like most for a child (a question for moms and future moms).  I like the idea of shared rooms...so the bunks or the pink and green bedroom work for me (until I was about 9, I shared a room with my sis DS and it was so much fun).  Do you like or do you think a kids room should be more basic (considering they may grow out of it)?  Do tell.

Happy Monday!

xo
Coco

P.S.  Was in Puerto Vallarta this weekend for the wedding of TG and AG.  AG is my good good friend and I wouldn't have missed her wedding for anything.  It was absolutely lovely.  It was so sweet to see my good friend walk down the aisle and marry the man she loves!  Very romantic.  She got married on a bluff right on the water right at sunset.  It was so amazingly wonderful.  Congrats to AG and her new hubby TG!

A floral pom pom attached to a fabric wrapped arch at AG'S (formerly AZ) amazing Puerto Vallarta wedding. (above)

P.P.S.  At the wedding weekend,  I also got to catch up with all my girl friends from around the country including HW, CJ, KD, AL, WH, AS and more.  The weather was gorgeous.  Spent a lot of time at the pool.  No computer with me by the way...it was a nice vacation!

P.P.P.S.  Oh forgot to mention...on the rehearsal dinner night, the bride and groom decided that everyone should do karaoke.  So I had the bright idea that we should perform...so I convinced good friend CJ and the groom's sister who I've known for years to do a rendition of Queen's Boheman Rhapsody...first of all wrong song choice completely...we sounded like three cats in a bag. Out of tune...singing the wrong lyrics...stopping during the middle of the performance and just standing there looking out over the crowd of about 100. During the musical interlude...we broke out into our own impromptu song about the bride and groom...then we would go back to our massacre of the song.    That song is extremely long by the way...so close to 6 minutes after first popping onto the stage...the 3 of us took a bow and ran off.  Our performance was described as "unique" and "interesting" and one woman's husband said nicely, "there was a lot of room for improvement"...another woman said, "Well at least you girls looked cute." Yup. Oh did I mention the groom taped the whole debacle on his iPhone!  Ay yi yi!  Must track down the groom when he gets back and delete that immediately!


Photos: The Glow; David Scott; Sherrill Canet; Agus Interiors; Erinn V Designs

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AN beach, bedroom, beds, boy rooms, bunk beds; sleigh bed; upholstered bed, children, flowers, girl rooms, kids rooms, weddings

READER SUBMISSION: AN ADORABLE DO IT YOURSELF NURSERY!

Stephanie Tsai's darling nursery for her baby boy features a lovely mix of patterns and complimentary colors. (above)

Congrats to new mom Stephanie Tsai and to her husband on the arrival of their little boy last night!

Stephanie is my p.r. guru.  By day she runs her public relations firm Ink & Press...and who knew this, by night, she has a secret interior designer inside of her.

Was out to lunch with a very pregnant Stephanie the other day talking p.r. stuff and meeting with a magazine editor.  In the middle of the lunch, Stephanie showed me pictures of the nursery she's been working on for her first child.  I saw the pictures and I said "Send them ALL to me right away".  She did and here we are!

Here's what I love about this little nursery:  I love the mixture of patterns, the soothing grays, navy with the pop of yellow.  The bit of whimsy here and there with the mix of patterns and the cute adorable baby touches like the stuffed animals.  Darling.  Well done and Stephanie did it on a budget. I love the roman shades with the border and I also love the day bed with the polka dot coverlet.  It all works! (If you notice, a COCOCOZY Plaid Solid pillow in Navy even made the cut in this cute baby room!)

A DIY nursery that looks like a designer space!  It feels like a soothing place for mom, baby and dad to hang out during baby's first few years.

Take a look.

A handmade yellow, gray and white crib mobile that Stephanie found on Etsy! (above)

The cutest stuffed animals ever...a hugging monkey and owl! (above)

Stephanie was kind enough to share her resource list with COCOCOZY.  Such cute finds.  Nice work!

Clockwise starting from upper left: Pottery Barn crib bedding; Elephant Hamper; Urban Outfitters zig zag rug; Trina Turk yellow pillow; Gray glider/rocker; COCOCOZY navy white pillow (above)

What do you all think of this baby room?  If you are a mom, what did your first child's nursery look like?  Any decorating tips for other new moms? If you are not a mom, anything here in the design you might use in an adult space?

Stephanie, thank you for sharing your DIY baby room.  You did an AWESOME job.  Congrats on the arrival of your son!  Can't wait to meet him!

Happy Thursday!

xo
Coco

P.S.  A special thanks to Paloma Contreras of La Dolce Vita blog for including a COCOCOZY Random Stuff Red Birdcage in her round up for Ivy & Piper magazine.  Love Paloma's blog and love her round up!  Thank you Paloma!

P.P.S.  Hope you have a wonderful day!

Photos: Stephanie Tsai

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AN baby, baby room, bed, chevron rug, children, COCOCOZY pillows, crib, daybed, glider, nursery, pillows, READER SUBMISSION, toys, upholstered chair; chair, zig zag rug

SHOP WATCH: TOTTINI - DESIGN AND DETAILS FOR A MODERN NURSERY!

Happy Valentine's Day!  Hope you have a  fantastic one. On this day of love...I thought it would be fitting to do a post on baby rooms...people fall in love and then have babies (usually it is in that order I think). So today we celebrate love and I'll talk about decorating a nursery!  Logical...right?  So here we are...

Nestled in the north end of downtown Seattle in the South Lake Union district is the most adorable modern baby store named tottini.  The store is owned by Melissa Maffei and Melissa Van Flandern.  Melissa and Melissa have made the work of soon to be parents very easy by providing useful and delightful furnishings, toys, and necessities fitting for any cozy contemporary nursery.

Anyhooo...I was up in Seattle in the fall for long time college friend AG's baby shower (she's since had a GORGEOUS baby boy btw) with best of friend AM.  We stopped into tottini for a little shopping and of course I had to snap a few photos of this cool shop.

I happen to know owner Melissa M. quite well...I watched her help AG who was nervous about having her first child.  Melissa was calm, reasonable and reassuring in her advice to AG regarding her nursery.  By the time we left the store, I could tell AG felt better about what she needed to get prepared for her baby.  I liked what I heard...Melissa did not put AG on edge by listing a million things she needed...instead Melissa deftly guided AG through some of the essentials of what could help a new parent welcome a baby home.  I liked that.

So for all you new parents or if you know new parents forward this on, I thought it would be nice to hear about tottini and some tips for designing a nursery that works for you...here's today's SHOP WATCH!

I love this little stuffed animal - a striped pink pig - cute! (above)

COCO: How do you help soon to be or new parents sift through what is important?
Melissa and Melissa, tottini owners (tottini): We like to stress to our customer that most importantly, when the baby is born you will need to address just four main areas- a car seat and/or stroller, somewhere for the baby to sleep, somewhere to feed the baby, and somewhere to change the baby. Most of the time the parents will realize what their true needs are once the baby has arrived.

COCO: What is the biggest piece of advice you could give to someone who is designing their nursery?
tottini: Start with one piece or a couple of pieces that you love and build the nursery around your favorite pieces. We also highly recommend getting a well designed and comfortable glider or rocker since the parents will be spending a great deal of time rocking the baby. Also, the gliders and rockers that we do sell are less traditional and can be placed in any room once it's moved out of the nursery.

COCO: What do you think is "in" for nurseries right now?
tottini: We're seeing more customers purchasing grey and grey/white furniture and then adding splashes of color with fun textiles.

COCO: tottini is such a cute name, how did you come up with it?
tottini: Oh the name... everyone always wants to know about the name... Before we opened we wanted a name that was fun and unique. We made a list with help from family and friends, and tottini just seemed to work- it was fun, and spoke of "tiny tots". Unfortunately, we didn't realize it was an Italian surname and while the storefront was being built out, a few people thought we were going to be a panini shop!

COCO: How is tottini different from other baby stores in your area or in general?
tottini: We are the only modern children's store in Seattle. tottini offers eco-friendly nursery and children's furniture and other goods with not only great design, but great functionality.

COCO: Where do you hope tottini grows in the future?
tottini: tottini would like to become of a resource for parents in our community and online. We will be launching a parenting blog called "totstuff" with guest bloggers from around the country.

COCO: What is the best part about owning a baby store?
tottini: Meeting some great customers and being a part of an exciting time in their life

Thank you Melissa and Melissa for letting me tour your fantastic store and thank you for the tips and advice! 

If you can't get to Seattle to visit this cute store, no worries, tottini is also totally online...it is a modern baby shop indeed.

Readers, do you have any tips you might add in for designing a fabulous nursery?  Please weigh in.

Happy Tuesday & Happy Valentine's Day!

xo
Coco

P.S.  Day 1 of being coy and mysterious:  I mentioned yesterday that this is my month of being coy and mysterious. During the first 13 days of the month I was not too successful in this quest.  Today, on this Valentine's Day...I begin my experiment.  Remember, the reason I am doing this is that I've noticed that those girls who are guarded and cagey and calculated seem to get ahead in life.  I know I won't be able to be calculated, cagey and guarded...but I can try being a little more mysterious and coy this month to see if anything changes.  I know...this is silly...I sound like a 5th grader but you never know...I'm going to give it a try...let's see what happens as I approach the world as a coy person...

P.P.S. Hmmm...blink, blink, blink...I don't know what to write about unless I'm over sharing....hmmm...I hear birds chirping outside...uhmmm...it is sunny? I am frozen in front of my computer.  It is like a comedy.  I come up with a total and absolute blank as I try to think of coy and mysterious things to say.  What do coy and mysterious people talk about?  Help.  Maybe that is just it...maybe they just say nothing?

P.P.P.S. I'm going to try this at work today and see how the new coy and mysterious me goes over...we'll see...

Photos in this post by Coco of Nbaynadamas

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AN baby, baby room, baby shower, children, nursery, SHOP WATCH

THIS OR THAT: BENCHED - READING PLACES FOR KIDS!

In designer Cynthia Rowley's home, a dining table doubles as an enchanting kid's reading space complete with scenic upholstered bench and wallpaper featuring a glimmering forest. (above)

I love these three spaces. Nice comfy bench seating for play time or for a look at a good book- perfect way for a young boy or girl to relax and read. Kids need some stylish lounge time too!

A built in twin bed doubles as a window daybed in boy's room. (above)

Oh what a perfect playroom and place to read (above)

Which of these little bench reading nooks do you prefer? I like the first one for some reason...it comes from designer Cynthia Rowley's home...a table with banquet style seating where the kids can read, draw and relax. Do you have one you like the best?

Happy Wednesday!

xo
Coco

P.S. Was up until 2:30a this morning. We did a photo shoot last night at sis DS's house. It was me, operations manager KS (who loves the color pink) and fab photog Hugh Hamilton! Last minute shoot before we head to market next week. Needless to say...I am a tad tired...just a wee bit...got run to work!

P.P.S. Need stylish things to wear in NY next week. A couple of parties have just popped onto the calender.

P.P.P.S. I think I hear trash people...must run outside in my comical morning outfit of sweats, UGGs and a hoodie and a scarf and go pull out trash cans. This is when a husband would truly come in handy! Anyone have an extra hubby they want to lend?

Photos: The Glow; Kristen Panitch Interiors

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AN bench seating, boy rooms, built-in banquet seating, children, girl rooms, kids rooms, play room, THIS OR THAT, window seat

TWIN ROOM BED & HEADBOARD IDEAS!

Striped walls in shades of blue and yellow coordinate with simple blue upholstered headboards with a yellow floral crown and drape that match  the pleated bedskirts in a cute twin room. (above)

So...way back in August, I had dinner with good friend JO who was visiting from San Francisco with her family (husband TO and two cute daughters). JO and family get a house in Venice Beach every summer for about a month and leave the foggy San Francisco August behind. So it is my thrill that it gets foggy in SF in August because every year I see JO here in Los Angeles! JO and I love talking about design.  She has a stunning place in San Francisco. So when we were out to dinner at Osteria Mozza she was telling me she just had some custom headboards made for the girls' rooms. She said she had gone on Nbaynadamas a few times to find ideas...and that prompted me to think...what a good post idea.

Now some two months later...I am finally actually executing said "good post idea". Hmmm...so much for planning and executing...right? Note to self: get a posting schedule together instead of just posting on the fly as you have for the past 3 years (some bloggers are so organized and plan out posts weeks in advance...I plan out posts when I post...makes for a harrowing situation almost every day...knots in my stomach, racking my brain for post ideas and inspiration, the same scene happens every day...uh oh...my OSS has kicked in...(over sharing syndrome)...you don't want to know how the posts get here kind of like you don't want to know how sausage is made...you just want to enjoy and be entertained as you should be...I know...okay...okay...I'll stop blabbing...but maybe if I talk about it...I'll stop doing it...maybe if I expose my inability to plan posts, I will start planning posts...maybe? Oy va voy. I'll stop...LOL!)

Anyhoooooo...here are some wonderful twin rooms and twin room bed ideas. I like twin rooms because they are good kids rooms (boys or girls) or can make for lovely guest rooms. Here we go...

Clean and crisp...these upholstered beds with wing back headboards make for a smart modern design in a room from Bear Hill Interiors. (above)!

Good old fashioned twin iron beds with plaid bedding in a preppy beachy looking guest room. (above)

Toile everywhere!  Green toile walls match a the green toile upholstered french twin beds in a statement classic bedroom. (above)

Keeping it simple with white upholstered Queen Anne style headboards. (above)

White notched wood twin beds make for a crisp clean nautical bedroom. (above)

Super tall upholstered headboards help balance the scale of the twin beds in this bedroom. (above)

Simple brown headboards with bold off white trim compliment the graphic patterns on the rug in this twin room - also love the crisp white bedding!  (above)

Which of these twin rooms do you like best?  Any other ideas that you've seen or used in a twin room that you want to share?  Please comment below!

Happy Tuesday!

xo
Coco



Photos: Ali Schwarz; Bear Hill Interiors; Simon Brown; Tucker & Marks; Keith Scott Morton; Peter Murdock; Jay Jeffers; Bonsteel & Trout

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AN bedroom, beds, boy rooms, children, girl rooms, headboard, kids rooms, teen rooms, twin room, upholstered headboard

Nbaynadamas GIVEAWAY #6: A PREPPY PINK POLKA DOT BEAN BAG FOR THE KIDS FROM TOTTINI - FACEBOOK ONLY!

So thrilled to be doing another Facebook only giveaway this week! I think I promised I would do a Facebook only giveaway when we reached 20,000 followers on Facebook...well, to be honest, I really had forgotten. Ooops. Coincidentally we reached 20,000 on Facebook yesterday and lucky for me I had this giveaway already planed for today...sweet...serendipity or just dumb luck...either way, I'll take it!

Anyhooooo, this time my giveaway partner is cute Seattle based children's store tottini!

tottini is offering up one of these great limited edition Dwell Studios fatboys - covered in fun stripes and dots - the over sized bean pillow can be used as a lounge bag, bed, or armchair. This multifunctional fun item can be used to add a pop of fun color and great lounge space to any room really! Another generous giveaway I might add!

The retail price for this fatboy bean bag is $229! Wow! Fantastic! Thank you Melissa and Melissa from tottini!

We are giving one (1) of these away to a lucky winner on Facebook!

Here's how you enter - a simple two step process:

1. Go to Nbaynadamas FACEBOOK PAGE and leave a comment on the giveaway post there telling me WHERE you might want put this cute children's accessory in your home or someone else's (i.e. in my family room for my daughter).

AND...

2. Go to the tottini Facebook page and leave a comment on WHY you think you should win (i.e. because I've never won anything (lol!)).

That's it...two comments and you could win...making it simple this holiday as I know you are tres busy with all of the running around!

Entries will close tonight at midnight (PST)...also only for U.S. residents (due to shipping costs).

I'll announce the winner tomorrow!

You can go to the Nbaynadamas FACEBOOK PAGE now to see more photos...oh and to enter too!

REMEMBER THIS IS A FACEBOOK ONLY GIVEAWAY!

Good luck and Happy Friday!

xo
Coco

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AN children, giveaway, kids rooms, Nbaynadamas, Nbaynadamas GIVEAWAY

WINNING TWINS - MAKING TWO BEDS BETTER THAN ONE!

Photo: Moises Esquenazi
Love these twin bedrooms. Perfect for children (boy, girl or even toddler soon to be tot) and/or guests. Oh how I wish I even had an extra room to decorate...for kids and guests alike.

Think these rooms are fab because they all have a bit of whimsy to them and some bold use of color. All show much design can matter in a kid's or guest room.

From fun spindle headboards, to colorful drapes and canopies, to grass cloth covered walls, to a bright Marimekko wallpaper (see last photo), to colorful bedding...these rooms pack twice the design punch of any old single bed bedroom!


Photo: Meg Braff


Photo: Katie Leede



Photo: Michael Grimm

Photo: Style at Home
My favorite is the first room with the great yellow headboards...forget the guests or children, I might just make that one my own!

Happy Wednesday! (I have the day off from work...yipppeeee)

xo
Coco

P.S. In a total fashion non-sequitur, you must visit SheSez for some amazing coverage of Paris Fashion Week as told and photographed by friend and fellow blogger Linda Grasso. Amazing photos of all of the shows including CHANEL! Linda was invited by her friend, an ambassador, and she is receiving VIP treatment the whole time. It looks like so much fun. Check out her blog to see more on fashion in Paris!

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AN bedding, bedroom, beds, boy rooms, canopy, children, colorful, extra room, girl rooms, guest room, kids rooms, Nbaynadamas, nursery, spare room, wallpaper