Pretty Bedroom By My Favorite DIYer

 

My good friend Jill is one of those creative types with crazy talent...the kind of talent in SO MANY things that makes you just shake your head in awe.  Combine that with the fact that she is also one of the nicest people on the planet and you have an impossible combination of awesomeness. 

Today I bring you a small sampling of her talents.

 

 

I have witnessed Jill and her husband transform all three of their bathrooms, doing all of the work themselves,  and creating some of the most lovely and creatively done spaces you could imagine...like this one for example where they remodeled their master bathroom and added some barn door hardware on which to mount the doors.

 

 

 

Very fun.  So it is no surprise that when Jill decided to redecorate her master bedroom, there would be some clever stuff going on in there.

 

 For example, when she spotted this painting below on Ballard's website, she really loved the painting but not so much it's high price tag. 

 

 

No problem...just paint your own!

 

 

Seriously?  This is the kind of stuff you're gonna have to deal with if you want to be friends with Jill. The woman is ridiculous (in the best possible way).

 

Pricey drapes?  Not happening.  Just get an adorable duvet cover at Home Goods and magically turn it into lovely window treatments.

 

 

See what I mean?  That's talent people.

 

 

I love the soft green and gray with touches of cream and black.  So fresh and pretty.

 

 

It's no surprise that Jill has created yet another lovely, comfortable space.  It's just what she does...with the greatest of ease. 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

~Karen~

xo

 

Wall color ~ Dunn Edwards Covered in Platinum

 

Bedside lamps ~ Pottery Barn Adjustable Arc Sconce

 

Bedding & pillows ~ Home Goods or Marshalls

 

 

Granite and Stainless Steel. {Over It}

Attention Home Sellers: Please stop. 
Please please please I beg of you...stop.

(warning: radical opinion ahead)

 Stop ruining perfectly good kitchens with granite and stainless steel!

It's over.  It's done.
I've never been a fan, but searching for a new home has really reinforced my feelings about this dreaded duo.

My least favorite thing to read in a listing is "updated kitchen" because I know that means one thing only...granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.  Apparently there are no other ways to "update" a kitchen. 
   

In my opinion granite and stainless steel are going to be to this era what avocado green and harvest gold were to the 70s.

Unless you're talking about these lovely gold Viking appliances, which I'm totally digging.  How awesome are these?
 

But I digress...
Mark my words.  Future generations are going to be hiring hulky guys to get those heavy, ugly, massive hunks of rock out of their kitchens while they shake their heads and ask "what were they thinking?".  

(again, it's only my radical opinion...no offense to granite lovers)

Fact: 60% of us think that granite has run it's course..I read it on the internet therefore it is true (wink wink).

One of my favorite choices for countertops is marble.  In the only kitchen remodel I've ever done, I chose the yummiest crema marble for my counters.  I loved the way it looked (and I had white appliances, which I also prefer over stainless).

 

I designed my kitchen (above) based on this image from a BHG issue (below).  I think I still have this torn out page in my files...it's a beauty.

 One of my other favorite countertops is wood.  The kitchen below belongs to Vanessa of the blog This & That.  Vanessa and her husband live in Auburn, Alabama...how fun is that during football season?!  Go Tigers!  They did such a beautiful job on their gorgeous butcherblock countertops and they did all the work themselves.  (Actually they did the whole kitchen remodel themselves...such impressive skills!) It looks so warm and beautiful don't you think?  I think Vanessa's are my very favorite wood countertops...and sweet Vanessa is one of my very favorite bloggers. 

  

 

Vanessa says her countertops are still going strong and looking great 4 years later!  You can read her post about them here.

Here's another example of a nicely updated kitchen using butcherblock countertops.  This home seller used orange and yellow glass tile for the backsplash.  Love this.  Fresh, clean and so pretty.

 There is one granite that I think looks really great however...solid black granite with white cabinets like this kitchen on the set of Cougar Town.

  

I also like nice, clean tile like the black and white below, and there are so many options with tile.  Just look how clean and fresh it looks.  Sort of timeless don't you think?  You just cannot get that look with granite. 

  

So what do you think?  Is granite here to stay or is it nearing the end of it's popularity? 

What is your favorite type of countertop?

I'd love to hear what you think.

Thanks and have a great day!

~Karen~

xo

Betwixt Bothered & Bewildered

I can't help it...every time I see the awesome Schumacher fabric Betwixt, I think of the great old Rogers & Hart song 

Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered from the musical Pal Joey.  Back in my 20s we used to go to a club in Palm Springs called Pal Joey's...such fun times.
 
Anyway, Betwixt...in Spark colorway:


 

 

Love it.  Loved it for a very long time.  Late to the party.  All of the above.

 

 

So I finally treated myself today...I ordered a pair of pillows from the awesome and talented WoodyLiana on etsy.

 

 

 

Cannot wait to get them!

 

Have a great weekend all!

 

~Karen~

xo

Room With a View

I could get used to the view on this old street in Hollywood.  I really love old streets...they have so much charm and history.
 

 (all photos via my iphone unless otherwise noted)

And how beautiful is this old door?  Great looking patina and deco numbers.

 

 

 

I love the placement of the numbers, and the lock, peephole & doorknob hardware are all antique brass...original to this 1962 Hollywood condo.  So pretty. 

 

 

And when was the last time you saw a detail like mosaic tile in an entry?  Is it supposed to be Lake Hollywood (aka the Hollywood reservoir)? 
 

 

 

Old Hollywood has some real gems.  This particular gem however was all in the packaging...great on the outside but meh on the inside.  Sorry but I need SOME kind of a view (and by 'view' I mean something other than the building next door or a block wall).  This may be a stretch since I don't have a million dollar budget, but I am holding out for a decent view. 

In this view of Hollywood you can see the Capitol Records Building on Vine, the Knickerbocker Hotel sign and other parts of the city. 
That's a decent view.

I am even willing to sacrafice things like updated kitchens and bathrooms for a nice view...that's how important it is to me. 
In this view, you can see the roof of the building next door but over that is a very pleasant view of the Hollywood Hills. 
I would take this view in a New York Hollywood minute.

Where does a good view rank on your list of must haves?  What are you willing to sacrafice for a view?

Thanks for stopping by!

~Karen~
xo
 

 

Happy New Year, The Grove and The Hollywood Dell

Hello friends and Happy New Year!  Hope you had a really awesome holiday season and 2013 is being good to you so far! 

I happen to think the number 13

is lucky since I was born on Friday the 13th! 

The other day I spent the afternoon at The Grove which is a nice outdoor shopping center a few miles from my apartment.  One of the things that makes The Grove unique is that while it was built only 10 years ago, it is adjacent to the original Farmer's Market in L.A. at 3rd & Fairfax which opened in 1934. 

 

I love that the builders of The Grove respected the history and integrety of the original Farmers Market and did not change it at all.  It looks exactly the same as it did 50 years ago. 

I have a lot of good memories of taking my daughter in her stroller (she's 29 now!).

 

(old postcard)

 

There are about 50 different places serving up every imaginable type of food.  Plus fruit & vegetable stands, fresh baked goods, pies, homemade ice cream...you name it, it is there.  The smells as you walk through the market are amazing.

 

(old postcard)

 

They still have those same wooden carts to carry your goodies.

 

(old postcard)

 

The umbrellas are all mint green now...should have taken a picture.  But I swear I think the tables and chairs are the same ones from 50 or 60 years ago!

 

And on to the new area...The Grove.  There are high-end stores, restaurants, a nice movie theater and a trolley car.  They did a good job of adding some old-time charm to the new section.

 

 

 



 

The sun was starting to set so my crummy iphone pictures are a little hard to see.  
(got a new camera for Christmas,yay! but need to learn to use it!) 

 

In other news, yesterday I roamed a neighborhood called the Hollywood Dell.  It's an older area at the base of the Hollywood Hills with adorable homes mostly built in the 20s and 30s.  There's a voluntary homeowner's association with a website here that gives some more info on this historic little area including a map of all the streets.  Definitely going to keep my eye out for places in the Dell.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Hope you have a great day!

 

~Karen~

xo