Coco Rocha is everywhere.

Coco Rocha is everywhere.

Last fall international supermodel Coco Rocha and her husband, visual artist James Conran, contacted European Home because they loved our design style.  Coco and James were amazing to work with through the whole design and installation process of their Bidore 140 gas fireplace by Element4. They always made time to chat about the particulars of the design which was especially impressive because it seemed they were always on the go.

Hey, there’s Coco in a tuk tuk in India!

Hey, there’s Coco on the cover of Vogue, Thailand!

Hey, there’s Coco and her baby Ioni playing in the bathtub back home in upstate New York!

And that’s where we’ll rest for a while — in an old New York house that has been renovated into a warm modern home by this dynamic couple. We asked Coco and James about the renovation experience and the importance of good design in their constantly moving lives:

Cory: Tell me a little about your home in terms of architecture and design styles.

C+J: “It’s very much a modern home but we didn’t want it to seem cold or uninviting. We think with modern design it’s a balance, you want to keep that clean minimal look but you also want a space that feels like home.”

Cory: What originally attracted you to this style fireplace?

C+J: “We love modern design and when researching fireplaces with sleek clean lines we felt like all the products offered by European Home really hit the nail on the head when it came to our taste. The hard part was picking one we liked, there were so many.”

Cory: What does your fireplace add to the space?

C+J: “It really puts a focus into the living room that it was missing before. Now we just can’t wait for the first winters night when we can really crank it!”

Cory: How would you describe your “personal design style?”

C+J: “We are very, very particular. One of the reasons this renovation took so long was because we had to be involved with it every step of the way. Every outlet, every light was planned by us, down to the inch. It could seem a little obsessive to many but in the end, all those tiny details add up to a home we are proud of and that feels like an extension of who we are.”

Check out these great images documenting the fireplace install process:

James’ original drawing for the fireplace and surround

Coco and baby Ioni investigate the early progress

Coming along!

When the hard work pays off.

Posted by: Cory John Ploessl
Cory is the Marketing Manager for European Home.  He has an MFA in Sculpture from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston.  He writes about fireplace and modern design on the European Home Blog.