Six home styling tips from Cote Bleu Home

Cote Bleu Home recently celebrated its first successful year of operation. It has provided owners Danielle and Jean-christophe the opportunity to bring their joint experience and talents together into a business they very obviously enjoy. 

Danielle has had a passion for homewares since she was a little girl, and with my French background I had always been involved in importing goods from all over the world. When we saw the building that we are in now was up for lease last year, we knew it would perfectly fit our style and it was the right time to bring Cote Bleu Home to life. 

– Jean-christophe, Owner Cote Bleu Home 

Danielle and Jean-christophe aim to have a range of homewares in stock that can meet everybody's wallets from more bespoke high-end items to quality items to fit a smaller budget. 

 Six top styling tips from the Cote Bleu Home team

 When styling and buying things for your home: 

Use natural elements - like jute and straw and linen cotton as they don't date, and they are always a good go to.

Don’t be too ‘matchy, matchy’ - when you're buying furniture try to avoid being ‘matchy matchy’ as this can make a space feel impersonal.  So, mix it up don’t be afraid to throw in some colour or pattern.

Dealing with small spaces - when you have got a small space to style don’t be afraid of using large prints. Large prints actually look more striking in small spaces – try something that’s nice and bold!

Buy what you love - don't listen to trends or your best friend or your mother! If you always buy what you love you will never regret your purchases and it will be an investment you are sure to love for a long time.

Find poportion and balance – these are key to any design so try and keep things balanced. Odd numbers are a good go to, 3’s, 5’s or 7’s work really well.

Reuse, repurpose and restyle – be creative with what you already have and try to think outside the square. Turning an old trunk into a coffee table for example. And antiques, you never go wrong with antiques. Don't be scared to mix traditional with modern, it is a great way to give your home more soul.

Quick fire questions

All About Whitianga - Do you both have a favourite item and in-store? 

Jean-christophe  – I enjoy selling the outdoor pots  - they're very popular. We get amazing feedback from our customers who come back into the store saying how they love the pots. It’s great, and I love it when they send us a picture of the pot in their homes. 

Danielle Robinson – I'm really drawn to quirky things and the things I like tend to come in and go out fairly quickly. I feel that when you bring something into your home that you really love, this gives others a glimpse of your true personality as well as making the space a happier place to spend time in!

What’s on trend now in people’s homes?

Organic cotton multi cloth sets! You can use them on your face, you can use them to wash the dishes, and they are just nice and are reusable. They are wonderful, and they last forever.

What are your most popular items in-store?

In-store here would be our driftwood range like our anchors and oars - these are really great as they can be displayed in almost any room in the house or bach.

What are your most unique items in store?

Our one-off items such as our trunks, vintage and antique items. These are interesting to sell and there is often a story behind the item. We have a lot of vintage ships wheels from the 1920s as well as ship bells - we just wish we knew the story behind all of them at they had a life somewhere else before they come here to our store

I have a huge affection for salvaged materials and giving something a new life. In this throwaway society we live in Jean and I think it is so important to reuse, repurpose and recycle wherever possible, which is why we deliberately choose to stock furniture and items made from reclaimed timber and also why we try to source vintage or antique pieces which we hope will be bought and treasured by the new owner for many more years.

– Danielle Robinson, Owner Cote Bleu Home

Contact the Cote Bleu Home team

For any home styling questions or to for enquires use the related link below to contact Danielle or Jean-christophe.