A selectivity-driven catalyst design approach was adopted to address chemoselectivity issues in the oxidative coupling of phenols. This approach was utilized for developing a Co(II)[salen]-catalyzed aerobic oxidative cross-coupling of phenols in a recyclable 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropan-2-ol (HFIP) solvent. The waste-free conditions offer a sustainable entry to nonsymmetric biphenols via a mechanistic scheme that involves coupling of a liberated phenoxyl radical with a ligated 2-naphthoxyl radical.