LIFE IS IN THE DETAILS...

ABOUT CASSANDRA...

With a background in marketing, public relations and event coordination, I've always been obsessed with visual style, presentation and design.

Coco+Kelley began as a place to keep track of and share my current interior inspirations, and evolved into a complete style blog, exploring trends between fashion and decor, showcasing inspired color palettes, and featuring new and exciting designers in both industries.

In October of 2008, after assisting a few readers with projects on a variety of levels, I was inspired to begin my own business and coco+kelley was officially launched as an interior and event design company!

WHERE I AM TODAY...

Today, I offer services to clients across the world and lucky locals in Seattle, where I've set up shop. No matter where you live, if a bit of inspiration is all you need, I offer Creative Direction for daily dilemmas like styling up your living room or organizing your wedding details. For larger projects in Seattle, I partner with some amazingly talented women for full Interior Design and Event Coordination.

For a peek at past projects, please visit my website www.cocoportfolio.com for a look at my work.

For more details... keep reading! Interested in my services? Send me an email, and let's get started! I look forward to working with you, and thanks so much to the readers of coco+kelley for their unending support.

Best,
Cassandra LaValle

AN ARIZONA HOME OFFICE GETS A FACELIFT

This project came to me from a reader in Arizona who had just purchased a new sofa for her and her husband's home office, which inspired the need for a little makeover! She send me the top photo as well as some interior inspirations, and here's what we came up with!

STEP ONE: QUICK TIPS!

I sent her some ideas to work on to brighten the space up, de-clutter, and give it the eclectic 'hacienda' look she was going for. As you can see, she did a great job of selecting a bright yellow paint, organizing the shelves, adding more lighting and getting that new sofa in there!

STEP TWO: FABRICS!

After I got my hands on a fabric sample for the couch, off I went to do some resourcing for fabric to recover that ottoman, ideas for a new rug, and accent pillows...
Three separate concept boards were created to go with the variety of styles and a palettes. This first one was based on the first fabric I found (top left) that had brighter colors on a grey linen background - a really interesting contrast. So I thought we'd bring out that pop of orange to add a second color to the room, and select a larger patterned rug either in the yellow or a similar neutral to the linen.
This second board was a more graphic approach, so I stuck to two colors - the yellow and blue - to try and keep the room from looking too busy. Again, the top fabrics would be for the ottoman and pillows, and the bottom two were options for rugs.
This final look, I knew right away would be the client's favorite. The fabrics were perfect (a choice of two ikats one high end, one low end) and the rugs were divine. Sure enough, this is the palette she chose to go with!

Of course... she was so inspired by the idea of the orange one too, that she put it to practice in her bedroom!
See where all the ideas can lead? This package was a combination of my quick tips with fabric selection - we're happy to put together a package to fit your exact design needs too!

QUICK TIPS: THE DINING ROOM IN LIGURIA

My very first project began with a dining room in Liguria, Italy when one of my readers, Madison, sent in photos of this small space that she couldn't get quite right. An inspiration board and a few emails later, the room was completely transformed!
This is the room as it was before the coco+kelley makeover. Madison wanted to stay with the blue paint to tie the room to the blue tiled modern kitchen she had just remodeled, and work with existing furniture as much as possible. The goal? To create a warm, sophisticated space fit for family dinners and entertaining.

We sent along this inspiration board as well as a detailed email with ideas on how to create the room of her dreams by adding new accessories, refinishing the dining table, switching out the lighting and incorporating some green elements. The biggest impact, however, came from the drapery! By introducing some a traditional pattern in a modern palette, the room was instantly pulled together and by widening the rod, the room felt larger!
Sometimes, a little inspiration and direction is all our clients need! So, if a quick fix is what you're looking for, just send us a photo and we'll have you styled up in no time.

CREATIVE DIRECTION: WEDDING DETAILS

Until I began planning weddings professionally, I never had an appreciation for the amount of detail that goes into this event. Calling it a production is an understatement! So it's not unreasonable to feel completely overwhelmed after the ring is on your finger.

You may have a million ideas that need to be refined and pulled together. You may not have a clue as to where to start. And you may not want to blow your entire budget on a wedding coordinator. So how about a little creative direction instead? Here's an example of some inspiration boards I pulled together for one bride's unique vision.

Melanie came to me asking with a handful of tear sheets and inspirations of Monte Carlo elegance, sumptuous decor, and saturated colors. After a few meetings, here's what I came up with to get her going...

The initial inspiration board was based off the vintage Monte Carlo poster, the feather ball that Melanie had brought to me, and a color palette that we had narrowed down to four options, interchangeable throughout the day and into the night.

After she approved this board, we moved on to design the rest of the wedding!

Florals: Classic Calla Lilies contrasted with Bougainvillea, Orchids and Feathers!

The ceremony theme was Fresh & Elegant. Lots of whites with pops of color accents.

The cocktail reception would set the tone for the rest of the evening. In moves more warmth with lots of candles and more of the chocolate brown while keeping the atmosphere festive and fun with full use of color.

The reception would be two parts - a rich and elegant dinner followed by 'sexy decadence' for the dance party as Melanie put it. (Can I be invited to the wedding please?). A little dark and wild is what we went for, with lush florals and gorgeous details.

From here, Melanie was able to move forward in her wedding designs herself, and I made myself available for any follow up questions and advice! I also offer assistance in full wedding coordination, hands on design, resourcing and more.