home design 101

by Gayla, Coco Blanca

Everyone probably thinks that being the owners of an interior design store, we can change out furniture in our homes whenever we want. Not so! First of all for the most part I really like what I have. Some are antique pieces that were in my family and some are finds I have fond memories of making. I remember the store owner where I bought my first coffee table. I remember how much I enjoyed visiting with David Bell at his shop on Wisconsin when I bought my first chest of drawers that he had redesigned and painted. (White! I was already in love with the idea of all white.) The familiarity and love of these pieces of furniture are what make me feel like I am at home. So when one buys a piece of furniture at Coco Blanca, we want to give you fond memories of your purchase. It’s important!

The philosophy at Coco Blanca is to start with a monochromatic palette with lots of texture then add color and pattern with pillows, art and draperies. Add your own unique touches with travel and family collections. And when looking for that special piece of furniture for your home remember that if something has a beautiful shape it can go anywhere. If it looks good today, it will never become dated.

By the same token, we like to keep things fresh. That doesn’t mean changing your whole room. There are many ways to keep a room fresh. If you have a monochromatic base changing out or adding pillows, lamps, and/or art will be easy. I just recently moved and downsized from 6000 square feet to 2500! Needless to say I had to unload a lot of stuff. I only kept the things that I loved, but below are lamps, a mirror and some art I bought at Coco Blanca to give it a new feel.