Design Dilemma {Update}

I've made a little progress on the former wet bar situation in my new condo.

 

 

When we last spoke (here) about this little space it was looking pretty sad. 

 

 

The former owners had taken out the wet bar (see the plumbing?) and put in a sweet makeshift "desk" using a piece of plywood covered with peel-n-stick stainless steel sheeting.  So chic :)

 

The walls were also very yellowish.  You can see my paint samples sitting on the mantel.  Not yellow. 

 

 

Everything has since been removed from that little niche, the walls painted a crisp white (BM Distant Gray) and I bought this little chest that fills the space nicely and provides some great storage.

 

 

(sorry about the crappy iphone photos)

 

 

You guys gave me a lot of great ideas for the space and some of them are still very strong possibilities. But I needed to get the living room sort of finished and this works for now. 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of you suggested shelves...like some rough, natural wood floating shelves like these:

 

 

 

 

 

My {adult} kids voted for a bar like the one below.  Shocker ;)

 

 

 

 

But since the space is right next to my bookcases where there is already a lot going on, I decided that adding shelves so close to the bookcases just wasn't right for me. 

I need clean and simple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I shoot a lot of photos around town...if you follow me on Instagram, you already know this.  These two below are a couple of favorites from the beach at Pacific Palisades and the Hollywood sign on a cloudy day.

I ordered a couple of prints and had some custom mats cut at a local framing shop.

 

 

Far from professional, but I like them and I think they look nice in the space. 



So there you have it. Design dilemma solved for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  You know I'm not a designer, so I can't really call it "styling", but I'm always "restyling" (aka changing stuff around) here, so it hardly ever looks the same for very long.  I change my mind a lot....do you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you're having a great week and as always,

thanks for stopping by.

 

 

#notaprilfools

 

 

xo

 

~Karen~

 

 

 



Around Town {Spring Forward}

Blue skies and warm temperatures...it definitely feels like spring.  Or early summer.  In any case, it's awesome.

 

Last Wednesday I had lunch with my son at our usual spot which is right near the Capitol Records building.  I always want to take a picture of this iconic building.  Just can't help myself...it never gets old.

 

 

 

I also went to a screening of Le Weekend at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.  The movie was meh, but I always enjoy looking at the photos at the Academy.  So many of my old-time favorites line the walls (that makes me old, I know ;)

 

Walter Cronkite and Lucille Ball.

 

 

And my two all-time favorite television stars are right next to each other, Johnny Carson and Mary Tyler Moore.

I really sound like an old geezer now, but I can honestly say that I haven't watched The Tonight Show even once since Johnny retired.  I used to watch it every night.  

It's been a pretty good week for my family. Got to hear one of my son's songs on a TV show (Rake with Greg Kinnear). Then got to see my daughter's name on the credits at the end of Mr. Peabody and Sherman (which was a REALLY cute and smart movie...highly recommend!). A productive week I'd say!

 

 

Yesterday, my girls and I went shopping in Santa Monica and Brentwood.  It was a gorgeous day.

 

 

We hit the 3rd Street Promenade and then headed over to the Brentwood Country Mart.

 

Here's something at the Mart you probably don't read much about, but how cute are these old vintage sinks in the restroom at the Brentwood Country Mart?  Everything in this restroom is vintage and so cool.

 

 

 

 

I couldn't resist these coasters with gold dots at Sugar Paper L.A.

 

 

 

 

And how cute are these pink and gold thank you cards also at Sugar Paper L.A.?  Merci!

 

 

 

 

So we sprang forward this morning.  Do you like it?  I like the extra daylight at the end of the day, but I'm not fond of losing the hour of sleep.  How about you?

 

 

Hope you're having a great weekend!

 

So sad...no Downton Abby tonight...shortest season ever!

 

 

#springforward

 

 

xo

 

 

~Karen~



Oscar Sunday

 

It's been a wet and soggy weekend here in LA. Kind of a bummer for the Oscars. They're squeegy-ing off the red carpet...it's not pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were so many great movies and performances this year, it's hard to pick my favorites.

 

 

 

I enjoyed every single thing about American Hustle.

 

 

So, so good!

 

 

 

These guys will probably win Best Picture but man it was hard to watch the brutal treatment of humans in 12 Years a Slave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew McConaughey nailed it yet again in Dallas Buyers Club...the favorite for Best Actor.  Another sad movie.

 

 

 

 

I was thoroughly entertained for three hours watching Wolf of Wall Street, and I loved the sweet and touching story of Philomena.

The stellar cast of August: Osage County was outstanding making it very entertaining.  What's not to love about Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts?  Not to mention Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis and Benedict Cumberbatch.  So much talent.
 

 

In Nebraska, June Squibb and Bruce Dern were amazing.  There's something really special about watching seasoned veterans shine so brightly.

 

 

 

Like I said, so many great movies and performances, it's impossible to pick a favorite.

 

 

 

 

On a side note, how awesome was the piece today on CBS Sunday Morning on Academy Award winner Eva Marie Saint?  True movie star.   But more importantly, she gets it.  No plastic surgery, 89 years old and looks beautiful.  Walks every day, married to the same man for 62 years, devoted mother and grandmother.  I'll leave you with one of her memorable quotes that is especially appropriate today:

 

"America is now obsessed with stars in an unhealthy way.  They don't actually deserve this kind of attention.  They're only actors, not scientists who are triumphing over cancer or doing some other wonderful thing." - Eva Marie Saint

 

I totally agree.  A healthy fascination however, is acceptable.  So for tonight, I'll be healthily obsessed.

 

How about you?

What are your Oscar favorites?

 

#andthewinneris

 

Have an awesome Sunday.

 

xo

 

~Karen~

 

 

 



Classic Restaurants {The Smoke House}

Last week I took my family out for a celebratory dinner at the classic restaurant The Smoke House in Toluca Lake. 

 

 

As a teenager, we would go there for fancy dates and special occasions. 

 

Isn't it awesome that some things never change?
Same red leather booths.

And like the sign says, fine dining since 1947.  It's true!
The filets and the prime rib were as good as always,
but the star of the show at the Smoke House is the garlic cheese bread.  I remember it was about the best thing I'd ever tasted.  My kids love it too.

It's located at 4420 Lakeside Drive in the city of Burbank, right down the street from Lakeside Country Club and right across the street from Warner Brothers Studios.

 

 

Our special occasion was to celebrate my son (the musician, song-writer, performer, all around music genius) getting his first big success in the very difficult music industry.  He sold a song he wrote and recorded to ABC for the show Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  It's pretty damn exciting.

 

 

I'm so proud of him.  He's been working hard in the business for very little money for over six years.  But this first taste of significant success makes it all worth it.  Good things are coming for him.

 

 

 

 

 I got him a two pound box of his favorite chocolate butter creams from See's and this awesome card.

Yeah, he really does rock.

Hope you're having a great week.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

#rockon

xo

~Karen~