Maybe this story is about design being really personal. Since my dining room doesn’t have a so called “style” per se but it does boast a collection of furnishings that I like. The cane back chairs are flea market finds that I had painted white…while the Louis XIV French style dining chairs once served as conference table chairs at the COCOCOZY offices. There is an old mahogany cabinet I bought almost 15 years ago. A table with pounded metal legs. The pierced Moroccan pendant light. A clear waterfall lucite console table. Lastly, I just hung up an old 1730’s map of the West Indie that I bought in London on Notting Hill years ago. Oh…I can’t believe I almost forgot to mention…there is the huge gorgeous abstract painting given to me by my amazing artist friend Sarah Robarts that is the central focus when you first walk into the dining room.
Just a little more on photos and how I have ended up with thousands of photos (51,829 photos to be exact) I have never used.
I was using a small point and shoot camera that too high quality photos and was so easy to use. But in a world where I am taking photos and sharing content right on the spot the point-and-shoot-camera-iphone-back-and-forth became almost impossible. After my visit to the White House years ago to see the Christmas decorations during the last days of the Obama administration, when I spent the first part of my time in this venerable building and juggling two devices, I officially gave up on a camera and have only shot photos with my phone sine. I even bought a fancy DSLR camera to take professional quality photos but never figured out how to use it; it is collecting dust in a closet somewhere I guess. I had someone on Instagram recently say they loved everything in my photo at my home but that the framing and lighting was all wrong. All this babble to say, please forgive my photography. I want to bring you photos of my world and for now until I find the perfect photographer who can get inside my mind and photograph what I am thinking and what I see, you are going to continue to see my not so perfect not-so-Instagram-ready photos. Hope that is okay!!!
The above photos is a screen grab from my iPhone. As you can see, I have a kooky insane number of photos stored on my phone. Do you have this many on yours?
I took these photos on Monday morning as I was running around my dining room trying to get ready to start work. I was changing water in the flower vases (as you can see some of the white pompom daisies are tilted off center and my dog Mr. Boo was getting under foot. I didn’t notice my purse on the console table or the water drops all over the table until the end. Oh dear…what is real busy girl to do? I am sure most would say, “A busy girl would pull it together and straighten up her flowers and wipe up the water before taking photos”…well not I said the fly! LOL! 😉
Notice the real life clutter on the console table! Forgot to remove my clutch. Also, on a few of the photos, you can see water on the table as I was spritzing the hydrangea leaves to keep the cut flowers hydrated! C’est la vrai vie!
I am going to get better photos soon! I have been trying out photographers over the last few days. Met some really cool people with a good eye. In the meantime, will continue to bring you glimpses from my point of view and get over my photo self consciousness!
Happy Tuesday!
Frankly I love this room and I find the “imperfections” of the photos to give the space a more authentic, lived in feeling. That said I am a notorious perfectionist so I totally get where you’re coming from!
Love your dining room and it’s “realness”. Life is busy and reality is that everything is not perfectly placed at all times.
Looking forward to more pics 🙂
The photos are gorgeous!! They look natural, human and beautiful! Why show something you are not with a profesional photographer? I vote for your own point of view, which is the main reason I been following you in this amazing trip all this years. Because you are sweet, fun, extremely good taste and REAL !!! Keep being you !!!! Your house looks fantastic! Kisses from Chile 🇨🇱
Hi Anne Marie,
Thank you for the oh so sweet note. I will keep those words in mind when I get intimidated about putting up my photos in this world where everyone really knows how to style well! Thank you for the vote of confidence and thank you for following along.
xo
Coco
Hi Coco,
Oh my! I love your dining room and the way you styled it! Timeless and fresh, all at the same time. The photos look like they came straight out of Domino. Didn’t notice the drops of water or the clutch, but now that you point them out, that reality, IMO, makes the images all the more appealing.
BTW, I don’t know if you remember meeting me at New York Now (gift show) about six years ago. I’ll never forget what you said to me.
“Stay Focused.”
At the time, it was still difficult. And I felt like such a loser. But, the following year, is when I was able to get my act together and four years later, really tightened it up and from there, grew my site into something I never dreamed was even remotely possible.
But, I still remember those words and am grateful for your wisdom. Thank you for that and for inspiring me at a time in my life when I most needed it! xoxo ~ Laurel
This room looks incredible ! Great job !
Sara
What a lovely refreshing space. Beautiful shabby chic armchairs in the dining room. They are informal and welcoming. Thanks for posting! “Like” from belleescape.com