As many of us reevaluate how we can change ourselves for the better, become more inclusive, and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, the NOVERO Homes team has pledged to diversify our design inspiration, and to share that diversity with our community.
We’ll start with one of favourite design influencers, Colette “Coco” Shelton of Cococozy. Colette started exploring her interior design passion in 2008 as a respite to her busy job as an Los Angeles TV executive. Thousands of followers (including high-profile celebrities) and countless accolades later – such as being named a Forbes Top Influencer in 2017 – she has built up her ‘side project’ into a business that includes the Cococozy textiles collection, licensed brand partnerships, and an Amazon Prime mini-series.
In 2018, after realizing that she had hit the “racial glass ceiling in the corporate entertainment industry which had pretty much no diversity in upper management”, Coco finally left her day job to focus on entrepreneurial pursuits. Her first project: purchasing a property to renovate, decorate, and sell—now known as the Cococozy Design House (seen in the feature image and more below!).
Here are some of the things we love about Cococozy:
Stunning Home Tours
Coco has a knack for picking out incredible interiors. She’ll explore one unique home in detail, or a room theme through a round-up of celebrity homes. While many design blogs simply re-post photos, Coco doesn’t skimp on the particulars. Her analysis of what she loves and what works in the home’s design provides context for those of us who are newer to the topic.
Cococozy Design House
Her first big renovation project. This is the striking 1930 Spanish Colonial home that Coco purchased, restored, remodeled, decorated, and sold. We swoon over every single room, which beautifully blend contemporary and vintage styles. See it featured in Rue Magazine, House Beautiful, My Domaine or in the Amazon mini-series that captures her renovation process.
Honouring Character
At a time when homeowners are quick to tear down or strip their home of its original heritage, Coco embraces history. You’ll see vintage sprinkled throughout her visuals. When asked why she didn’t delete some of the small rooms in the Cococozy Design House, she notes, “We live in an era where everyone is completely gut renovating historic homes in favor of identical open floor plans. I’m not one to follow trends, and I deliberately chose not to blow out the major walls and alter the personality of this iconic home…” [Source: Ruemag.com interview]
Fashion Fantasies
Coco’s fashion-focussed series on “What to Wear to…” is always a fun escape. She picks a scene and then puts together a selection of outfits that she’d wear there (with links, just in case you need to investigate further). In fact ANY of her fashion posts are inspiring—she’s practical with a dash of whimsy, and does a great job of appealing to all price points.
Spot-On Trend Spotting
Coco’s quick to pick up on trends. We look forward to her round-ups of the latest thing, across several lifestyle categories. Hands down favourite are the posts that hone in on interior design trends by virtue of her talent for pulling the most gorgeous examples. See “15 Incredible Gallery Walls” and “Dining Room Banquette Seating” for reference.
Have a peek at her Cococozy shop for a curated selection of home goods from Serena & Lily to Target. We’re partial to her designs such as her gorgeous graphic rugs!
Be sure to keep your eye on this multi-talented entrepreneur. We’ll leave you with three more can’t-miss images from her Cococozy Design Home:
