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| After: Here's how the space shaped up after the five-day makeover, ready to wow Coco's houseguest. Private Comment
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| Welcome to Coco's place! After you ascend about 25 flagstone steps and open a white wooden gate, you know you've arrived when you hit this patio. "When people walk up the stairs I often hear a little gasp of surprise when they see all of this outdoor living in the front yard," she says. "My backyard is 100-percent hillside with deer, coyote, squirrels and raccoons visibly playing on hill ... so the only place to create an outdoor living space was right in the front. When I have had larger parties, I have set up tables right here next to the flower bed and birdbath."
Private Comment
How did she even begin? Coco is going to walk us through it. |
| Now getting onto the "How in the world did she do that?" part. Let's start with color palette. "Pick three to four colors for your scheme and stick with those colors in furnishings, accessories and even flowers," she says. "My colors are white, brown, green and blue." Private Comment
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| How to pick those colors for the palette in the first place? "Embrace the outdoors," she says. "Notice your surroundings, try to use hints from nature to help you with colors and shapes." Private Comment
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| When searching for her own outdoor palette inspirations, Coco didn't have to look very hard. A worship of palm trees developed early, as she grew up in Los Angeles, and her mother is from the Caribbean. "The flowers and plants came first," she says. "The natural greens and whites set the color palette for the overall deck design." Some of her other favorite plants include orchids, mums, daisies and wildflowers, with an occasional bright orange blossom mixed in. Private Comment
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| A smaller vine pattern complements the rug's big, bold print. Private Comment
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| Trays, lanterns and other accessories add style and interest to the overall design, and you don't need to break the bank collecting them. "This fab brown octagonal lacquer tray comes from my design crush Jonathan Adler (from his store...not directly from him). I talk about him on my blog all of the time as my design crush and I have the pleasure of also knowing him. If you notice, the shape of this brown tray mirrors the pattern on the rug. The green bamboo tray in the first photo comes from Crate & Barrel. These white lanterns on the tray, again very cheap (I think around $7 each), perfect for setting a festive tone, are from Z Gallerie. The big X-lanterns on either side of the sofa were from William Sonoma Home. Private Comment
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| How to make these elements work outdoors? "Most of the fabric is Sunbrella I bought here in Los Angeles (the living room set seat cushions, all large striped and solid cushions etc.). I had the majority of the pillows custom made except for the green and white ones above that came from Crate & Barrel. The brown and natural tiny pillows above are actually just a linen a fabric I loved and I had my upholsterer make linen/Sunbrella pillows and a runner for the dining table." Private Comment
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