A Fresh Start in a Welcoming 1950s
With a little help from her family and friends, a lot of elbow grease and a huge amount of patience, Coco has created a home that perfectly reflects her personality. It’s a space that is just as much about sentiment as it is about beauty. “I believe that interiors are a labor of love and that the development takes time,” she says. “Trying to make it perfect only makes it insincere. My advice would be not to overthink the concept. Instead just work according to your instinct and remember that the more comfort your space gives you, the more comfort it gives to others.”
Who lives here: Carolee Coco (almost always known as Coco) and her dog, Jimmy Jim
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Size: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Coco says her most challenging design tasks were choosing the wall color and window finishes. To create the color she envisioned, she had a friend mix the paint instead of buying it off the shelf.
“I thought long and hard about the color on the walls. It is a type of aqua but more on the blue side,” Coco says. “I chose it because it’s a very peaceful color and it has a kind of warmth and richness. It is really easy to style using this color. It’s like the sky.”
Bed linens: Izzy & Popo
Coco had some invaluable help from friends and family when she first moved in to bring the home up to scratch. “The house has been a work in progress — save and spend, save and spend,” she says. “When the money was there, jobs would get done. We would pull up carpet, fill holes, clean, paint and polish boards. The whole process was like therapy, and without a doubt it was a challenge.”
Plate: The Orient Express
No stranger to a paintbrush, Coco painted this image of her pooch, Jimmy Jim. Not only is it a beautiful homage to her faithful companion, but the artwork provides a fabulous shot of color in the kitchen.
Venetian mirror: E.J. Ainger; macramé hanger: Katie Dello
Dining chairs: Grant Featherston
Daybed: Hans Wegner