House of Coco Interiors helps transform a dark and dated home into a timeless coastal retreat. 

Anne Frank, who famously chronicled her life in hiding, said, “In the future I’m going to devote less time to sentimentality and more time to reality.” Sentimentality evokes distinctly different feelings in each of us. It is the result of experiencing emotions based on feeling rather than reason or thought. 

For some, holding onto tangible things, whether small or large—like a ticket stub with worn edges from a concert years ago, a shell from a memorable beach walk, a wooden spoon from a beloved grandparent whose recipes are still made today, or a set of formal china contained in a large wooden hutch—make us feel closer to the memory we are trying to hold onto. But for others, it isn’t the things that contain those memories; for them, the hollow feeling that comes with a loss of someone who has been etched on your heart doesn’t require a concrete reminder to reflect on what is no longer present. Either viewpoint is correct, and deeply personal.