'Til Monday: Celebrating Past And Future

This week all three children celebrate their birthdays.  Max and Ben are turning 7 and Zoe is embracing 5 as only she can.  As I reflect on how they've grown, I can't help but think of the family and friends that have celebrated their births with us in the past. For the first time since our move we're inviting new acquaintances and quite possibly new friends into our home to celebrate our children. As I sit here on the eve of the festivities I am reminded of the people who know us so well and the uncertainty of those who don't quite as yet, and wish that I could somehow blend them together.

Here's to the past and the future and I am grateful for them both.

Happy Birthday Max, Ben and Zoe!

Moving Mode: Exterior Paint Reveal

The exterior painting of our home is finally completed, including the entrance gate that became a dilemma.   After a little deliberation I decided to forgo an accent shade altogether and paint the entire house in the same color.  In the future I may try to go bold again, but for now keeping it simple is best.  Take a look at a few before and after (in our home's new color) photos:

Many thanks to those who offered their opinion of my accent color dilemma.  I particularly liked MT's comment on Cocoon's Facebook page.

Moving Mode: The Perfect Coffee Table

We found the perfect coffee table for our living room.  One that's large enough to handle the size of the room and true to the "California style"  we're aspiring to create in our new home.  Take a look at the unique cedar trunk that will soon (after the glass top arrives) hold many magazines, an occasional  candle, a matchbox car or two and, for sure, a few cocktails:

Keep posted for images of the table inside our living room.

Moving Mode: Finding My Way

Since our recent move to California, Cocoon Home blog has served not only as a diary of design inspirations and current obsessions, but also as a medium to express the many emotions a move can inflict on a family.  It's exciting to decorate and blog about our new home, but reality is that adjusting to everything new is not an easy feat.   It impacts one both emotionally and physically.  Leaving behind familiar  people and places can be a test of one's confidence and faith.  Now that our children are in school and adjusting quite well to it (making new friends and embracing routines),  it's time for me to process the changes.  Establishing a regimen, exploring a city I once knew so well, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones will mark my beginnings.  I often think [nostalgically] of all we've left behind, but do believe that finding my way here will bring me opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.

Thank you for joining me on this, at times scary--other times exhilarating, journey.

Moving Mode: A Family Wall Before And After

Hanging our framed photograph collection of friends and family in the new house really made the space feel like home.  As I hung each photo, my emotions took over:  memories of family events, friends' weddings, younger days and people no longer with us.  Having a designated space for family pictures, i.e. either on a wall, resting on easels atop a console,  is a very nice way to take in memories at a glance.  I'm looking forward to adding more photos as we explore new places, meet new friends and host old ones already dear to us.  Below are some before and after shots of our new family wall and a sneak peek at the one we had in Cambridge.