BEVERLY HILLS BOUGAINVILLEA - WEEKEND PHOTO

Another photo from the Greystone Mansion garden in Beverly Hills.  Took this last weekend.   Love this glimpse of the garden with so many types of plants including this hot pink bougainvillea intertwined throughout the grasses.  An endless garden with a magnificent city view!

Happy Sunday!

Hope you are having a great weekend.

xo
Coco

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WEEKEND PHOTO - GREYSTONE MANSION

Went over to a design show house at Greystone Mansion yesterday in Beverly Hills. Love snooping around a 46,000 square foot house and walking the grounds. No photos were allowed inside. I took this photo of a lily pond in the garden though. Lovely landscaping and architecture. The house was built in the 1920s by the Doheny family and it is quite an architectural wonder. TE and his son EE came with me. They seemed to have enjoyed the tour. We went to the Soho House after, had a late lunch, and played pool (yes, I tried to play pool...).

Hope you are having a great weekend. Seeing my mom later this morning...looking forward to it.

Happy Sunday!

xo
Coco

Photo: Photo in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY

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AN estate, fountain, garden, Greystone Mansion, landscaping, pond, WEEKEND PHOTO

SUPER SMALL LIVING - A GENIUS 350 SQUARE FOOT BEACH COTTAGE

A super small cottage with a really smart space saving solution - a built in sofa! (above)

Two things excite me when looking at places for sale or rent...either extremely big mansions on one hand...or super duper small living spaces on the other.  I know. Diametrical sized living spaces!  I love the idea of living in a big house for once.  I live in a tiny cottage in the Hollywood Hills that I bought years and years ago.  I love my cute cottage in the hills but I admittedly at some point in the future I am ready to move into some place bigger (a mansion, a large farm, a castle, a compound...you know...just something a little bigger).

My dream big house aside, over the last few days, I have been helping a girl at work look at apartments for rent.  She has to move out of her place in about 7 days so she is in a mad search for an apartment.  Well yesterday, she found a super small studio in Los Angeles and came into my office to show it to me.  We stayed late yesterday as I helped her map out a floor plan for the apartment and figure out furniture.  I really enjoy the challenge of taking on a super small space and making it livable.  Is that weird?

So today (unlike yesterday...see the post on the $75 million dollar house), I am thinking small!  That is why I am posting this little Venice Beach, California cottage cutie that I saw on Apartment Therapy yesterday.  A couple lives in this tiny abode.

This home pictured here is only 356 square feet.  It is a 1920's craftsman cottage on a small lot in the Venice Canals.  Apparently the couple who lives in this house rents it.    There is just one bedroom and a nice garden.

Here's the cool part...in order to maximize the little space there is in this cottage, the owner had a built in L-shaped sofa bench made and also made a built-in bed in the bedroom.  The built-in furniture dimensions were customized to make the most of the square footage

Take a look.
 

The L-shaped built in bench sofa also acts as room divider between the tiny living room and the small kitchen. (above)

Every inch of wall space is used...there is even room for a small home office that doubles as a dining room for two. (above)

More built-in space saving - this time in the bedroom, with a built in bed and book shelves. (above)

A small patio is perfect for a tiny outdoor living room (above)

What do you think of this small space?  Do you prefer a little tiny home like this or a penthouse apartment like I featured yesterday?  Please let me know in the comments section below.

Happy Wednesday!

xo
Coco

P.S.  Was so excited to see on Instagram that Apartment Therapy founder Maxwell Ryan saw the COCOCOZY Rug Collection at High Point Furniture Market yesterday and really liked it.  Here's his Instagram photo and the caption below is what he had to say about our COCOCOZY Loop Rug in Hot Pink!  Maxwell has seen it all in home furnishings so was honored that he is "impressed" with my rug collection! Thank you Maxwell for the nice words!

"Super simple but elegant and with great colors. I was totally impressed with Nbaynadamas @Capel rugs #hpmkt MR"

Photos: Apartment Therapy

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SECRET GARDEN - WEEKEND PHOTO

Happened upon this pretty last weekend. A charming enchanting intriguing mysteriously beautiful garden door and gate. Was roaming through the streets of Charleston, SC with a large group of friends (we were all there for TF and KF's fantastically lovely wedding). CCF, DH and I were taking our time walking through the streets while everyone else barreled ahead towards the shops. The guys were checking out the plaques on all of the houses to find out which was the oldest...I was furiously snapping photos. Trying to take all of Charleston home with me in my little camera it seemed. I paused and looked up from the camera screen and I saw this. A breathtakingly sweet black garden gate door, surrounded by an ivy covered wall and it was wide open.  Behind the gate...a mossy brick covered patio, a fountain in the distance I think, some iron furniture and lovely cobalt blue pottery.  Felt like a dream.  Oh how I wanted to just open that gate, walk in and take a seat and enjoy.  I did not...don't worry...

So now, back in Los Angeles, this is my weekend photos.  Memories of a lovely weekend past.

Happy Sunday!

xo
Coco

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THROUGH THE CHARMED GATES OF CHARLESTON

Took a walking tour on Saturday of a very posh residential area in Charleston, SC.  Was with my dear best of friend FF and her wonderful husband CCF, dear of dearest friend JH and her far too charming husband DH, and very sweet friend JH and her so nice husband FH.  We were all in Charleston for a very warm and convivial weekend at TF and KR's lovely wedding.  In addition, it was so fabulous getting to spend lots quality time with my good friend FM and her super fun husband CM...and great seeing CF (who wore a gorgeous Valentino gown to the wedding), CF, E, RM and lots of others I hadn't seen in awhile.

One of best parts of the whole weekend was getting to hang out with my super cute god son CGF.  CGF danced with me at the wedding (standing in for TE who was back here in Los Angeles shooting some kind of commercial).  When we got on the dance floor for a slow dance, my 9 year old god son CGF whispered to me, "I don't know what to do. I've never done this before". I leaned down and said, "Just look up at me and move your feet back and forth and you'll be fine".  He was fine...more than fine.

Anyhoooo....hmmm.....I digress as usual...

Where was I...oh...Charleston.  Yes. Charleston.  What a stunning city. A jewel in the south.  I have to admit something right off...I have not spent too much time in the south...my favorite place being New Orleans...otherwise, I haven't had too much time exploring that region of the country...so when I was invited to this wedding and sent in my handwritten reply note, I had no idea what to expect...I really had no expectations...none.

Well I can tell you Charleston, South Carolina...is one of the most lovely cities I have ever been too...the nexus between small town charm and big city sophistication.

I caught a glimpse of myself in a car window as we were all walking from King Street downtown, over down Legare Street to see the stunning old mansions, then onto the Battery and to see the ocean view...I was so in awe of the residential architecture, the horse drawn carriages, the Palmetto trees swaying in the warm (slightly sticky) breeze, the adorable downtown filled with the most darling shops, that when I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of that car window, I saw a girl with her mouth wide open in awe, a huge happy smile on her face (in a beautiful setting with such lovely friends), looking up, moving along, feet back and forth...and like my little god son, she (me) was more than fine

So now I bring you a collection of photos I took of some of the homes and surroundings...looking through the magnificent gates of Charleston, SC.

The grand entrance to the historic Sword Gate House known of its ornate wrought iron gate. The mansion is currently for sale for $18.8 million dollars...see the real estate listing for this home here! (above)

A divine manicured garden with trimmed boxwoods and crushed gravel (above)

This stunning glossy black wood fence rivaled many of its iron counterparts in the neighborhood (above and below))

This scrolling wrought iron front gate was open just a crack to reveal an arched carved red door with checkered patterned marble path (above and below)

After all of the snooping behind gates...sightseeing and shopping were the order of the day...

So fun to see Charleston's version of a tour bus - horse drawn carriages! (above)

American revolutionary war statue of a commander named Moultrie in The Battery park overlooking the Charleston Harbor. (above)

Stopped into antique shop Birlant & Co and bought these vintage rock cut stemware glasses...the set of 6 was only $165 - so love these...they are being shipped to my house here in Los Angeles! (above)

Thank you FF and CCF for inviting me along on such a lovely weekend in Charleston!  Absolutely love my friends FF and JH - my dear dear friends for life!

Am back in Los Angeles, in my tiny little cottage in the Hollywood Hills, blogging, getting ready for work, to start the week...dreaming of all of the delightful things I saw this past weekend and all of the lovely people I spent time with...dreaming of my weekend in Charleston.

Happy Monday!

xo
Coco

P.S.  Uh oh...just got on the scale...after several days of Charleston cooking (went to several nice restaurants)...various Southern delicacies (fried food), lots of grits and eating to my heart's content, I am two pounds heavier this morning!!!  ARGHHHHHH.  Okay...fruits and veggies...here I come!

All photos in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY

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CO-ED BABY SHOWER POWER

So I co-hosted a little baby shower this weekend for dear friend AG and her hubby TG.  It was a co-ed guys and girls, mixing together backyard style casual cute baby shower.

My co-hostesses were JH (sister to TG), AS, WH and KD.  The best co-hostesses ever!  The whole shower was planned on email.  LH and JH, TG's brother-in-law and sis, were kind enough to invite us to use their LOVELY home for the shower.  We decided to make use of their gorgeous backyard overlooking a golf course in Hancock Park.  AS did invites, JH did party decor as it was at her house, WH was in charge of party favors and games, KD had beverages and I was in charge of food.

Loved JH's party touches.  Colorful, festive and relaxed. She rented several picnic tables, orange market umbrellas, cute mason jars with yellow and orange Gerber daisies, clear fish bowl like vases filled with rubber duckies swimming along in blue water, a few navy COCOCOZY Logo Throws for anyone who would venture to lay out on the grass and then done!  Voila!  A warm and inviting environment for guests to spend a casual sunny Los Angeles afternoon.

WH decided on lovely summer half bottles of rose wine as party favors.  I ordered all of the food from Joan's on Third...an array of sandwiches, hors d'oeuvres, quiche, salads and other brunch lunch foods. KD put together a colorful self serve bar with sparkling water, lemonade, wine, champagne and beer.

Here are few scenes from our co-ed baby shower!

I think AG and her hubby TG had a good time.  It was certainly a relaxing lovely afternoon.  TE came with me; he enjoyed it all to...including the co-ed shower game where all of the guys had to line up and drink soda through baby bottles. TE did not win btw...LH, JH's hubby, got caught up on a technicality of a dripping bottle, and TG, the guest of honor, was a bit of slow poke - about 10 guys participated...only one drank the entire bottle!

AG and TG's baby is due in October.  Can't wait.  BTW...there were four other pregnant ladies at the shower including co-hostess AS.  Something is definitely in the water here in L.A.!

Happy Monday!

xo
Coco

P.S.  Was so honored to be profiled on the Interior Collective blog the other day!  Check out the post here.  Also, ask me a design question on Interior Collective and you can enter to win a COCOCOZY pillow!

P.P.S.  Check out COCOCOZY Instagram and Twittter - @COCOCOZY - to see where TE and I went after the shower...from roof top to roof top.  Remember to follow me around the web to see more of what I'm up to.  Would love to hear from you too!


Photos in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY

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AN baby shower, centerpiece, decor, entertaining, flowers, garden, gerber daisy, Hancock Park, Los Angeles home, orange, outdoor decorating, party, pool, yard, yellow

HOW TO MAKE A LIVING ROOM LARGER - DESIGN IDEA

Have a small living space? Here is a design solution for making it bigger.

It's simple...create an outdoor living space on an adjacent patio and mirror what is going on inside.

I like this small 2 bedroom home on the island of Majorca, Spain.  The owners took a very small open floor plan living room, dining room, kitchen combo and increased the size by using the outdoor space wisely.

Conventional design floor planning would probably have the furniture on the patio facing the garden.  In this case, the owners faced the outdoor furniture in towards the house...so when the large sliding glass doors are open...the conversation area of the living room is doubled!

Good idea I think!

The pretty much all white interior makes this small open floor plan living area seem larger...love the use of  natural materials like the tree stump stools and sea grass rug combined with the modern furniture. (above)

FLOOR PLAN (below)

The public living areas are to the right...the outdoor space almost doubles the size of the living room! (above)

To see the rest of this home click here.

What do you think of this design idea?  Any tricks you might have to grow a living room without doing a full remodel?  Please comment below!

Happy Wednesday!

xo
Coco

Photos: Mi Casa Revista

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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Wishing my fantastic mother, my godmother, aunts, cousins, dear friends and COCOCOZY readers who are moms a very Happy Mother's Day!  Took this photo this morning...went on the hunt in my neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills with TE, searching for the perfect flower to photograph for moms on Mother's Day.

Mother's Day makes me think of all of the unconditional love moms give and the touching sacrifices they make for their children.   My mother certainly has loved me and sis DS unconditionally and has given us so much loving support over the years.  She has always been there for both of us...loving and encouraging through everything good and bad.  A rock. Thank you to my own mom...I love you!

This holiday also makes me think of my dear sweet late grandmother.   She was an amazing mother of four and grandmother to many.  Like so many grandmothers and mothers do, my grandmother loved us, cooked for us, played with us, adored us, encouraged us and devoted her life to her kids and grand kids.  The cool thing about my grandmother was that while she loved her family and her own children dearly, she really opened up her heart and gave her love to anyone who wanted and needed it.  Her home was always bustling with dozens of people - many of whom were family and many of whom were people, friends, neighbors, even some near strangers who just called my grandmother "mom".

So a huge hats off to moms in general for all of what you do for your children whether they be young toddlers, playful kids, independent teenagers or grown adults!  Thank you!

Am spending the afternoon with my mom and sis.  Hope you have great plans too.

Happy Sunday!  Happy Mother's Day.

xo
Coco

Photo in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY

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