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~

 

 



Woodyliana {Pillows} and More Cougar Town Love

I'm super excited about a package I received from the amazing Woodyliana.

But first, check this out.  I'm always surprised by how many people I've met who love the Cougar Town painting.   

Here she is at her normal home, Omega Cinema Props.

 

 

In Jules' living room on the set of Cougar Town.

 

 

In my living room, the painting I had a friend paint for me.

If you are new to the blog or haven't previously read about my mad love for the painting, you can check it out here and here.

 

I bring this up because I've recently found another friend with a similar attraction to the painting.  Liana of Woodyliana Textiles!  You may know her from her former etsy shop and I blogged about her awhile ago when I bought these Betwixt beauties from her.
 

 

As Mary Ann of Classic Casual Home says, Li is the Pillow Master!  In case you're not quite convinced of her pillow mastery, here are some of her lovelies:

 

 

Classic Casual Home

 

 

 Classic Casual Home - One Room Challenge

 

Classic Casual Home - Vervain Ishtar

Those lumbars in Vervain Ishtar might possibly be my all time favorite pillows.  I was sad that Mary Ann wasn't selling them at her moving sale. 

So imagine my surprise when Li texted me this morning and sent a picture of this:
 

 

How awesome is this?  Li painted it after being inspired by the original Cougar Town painting she saw on TV and by the one my friend painted for me that Li had seen in my living room.  She customized the size to fit a specific space in her home (that corner in her living room where she used to photograph her pillows for her etsy shop, for those of you who remember that).  I love this size and now I want it!

I also love how she blended the colors and the drips...it's all so great!   I just love it and I'm amazed at Li's many talents!

OK, so back to the pillows.  No matter how many I have, I never seem to have the right ones.  However, I firmly believe one can never have too many pillows (holla!) so I am always excited to buy more. 

 

I purchased this gorgeous fabric from Kravet last year and for the life of me I can't remember the name of it.

 

 

It's a yummy wool blend paisley, with black, cream and gold. 

 

I sent the fabric to Li and voila, a glorious package arrived.

Seriously, isn't her packaging beautiful?  I always kinda hate destroying it to get to the goodies inside.

 

So much attention to detail.

 

 

 

  

   

My crummy iPhone photos do not do them justice at all.  I really need to learn my new camera...I've been saying that for almost a year. 

 

I am so pleased with how the pillows turned out. 

They are soft and cozy....the perfect wintery touch in my mostly white living room (it's 84 today, but whatever).

 

If you want the best, Liana the Pillow Master is your girl.

 

Hope you're having a great week!

As always, thanks for stopping by.

#youcanneverhavetoomanypillows

xo

~Karen~



Cougar Town Painting {Crush} + Omega Cinema Props

Guys, I had the best time the other day!

Back story:

 

Last Sunday night while watching Mad Men, I caught a glimpse of the Cougar Town painting in a scene.  I practically jumped out of my chair, rewind, rewind!  WTF?

Snapped this from my TV screen just to prove I wasn't hallucinating.

 

 

Here's the deal....since Cougar Town is on a loooong hiatus, they had returned the painting to the prop rental house, Omega Cinema Props.  Being the lunatic stalker that I am, this got me thinking.  So that day at lunch I decided to pop over to Omega and see if I could see the real painting...in person!  It's only four miles from my office....why not?

 

 

Talked to a super nice man and he led me to a corner of the warehouse. 

And there it was.

(Seriously, I DID hear angels singing in my head and I got goosebumps.  I am SUCH a nerd.)

 

 

 

I just wanted to touch it and stare at it and then put it in my car.

 

The light fading of the colors...it's over 50 years old, and the amazing detail on the frame....yowser.  I was more in love than ever!

 



 

It's probably a good thing they won't sell anything
(even if you beg...I tried) because I would have bought that thing

No. Matter. The. Price. 

 

Omega also owns this other painting from the Cougar Town set that a lot of fans have gone crazy for. 

 

This one is very pretty and I would love to have it also, but it doesn't make me behave like a fool like the other one does.

After looking at the painting for a ridiculously long time, I decided to take a look around the prop house.  It's gigantic...I just saw one building.  There are several buildings...I was only looking at the "residential decor" building.  There are buildings with commercial props, medical props, etc. 
You name it, they have it for rent.

 

This beautiful antique table with 16 chairs caught my eye.  The wood was so aged and beautiful.  I mean seriously.
  

(some photos via my iphone, some via Omega stock photos) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barely scratched the surface of Hollywood's largest prop house.  How fun would it be to be a set dresser, go to Omega with your list and fill up a room to make it look real for the characters who live there?  Dream job!

 

As always, thanks for visiting.
 

 Hope you're having a great week!

 

#crushingonmypaintingalloveragain

 

#truelove :)

 

 

xo

 

~Karen~