Taking a quick break from the COCOCOZY Design House craziness for a Laurel Canyon home tour!

I lived just east of Laurel Canyon for such a long time, so this one hits home for me. I love the rustic nature of living in the hills above Los Angeles. One of my favorite things is finding a really refined spaced in the midst of the windy roads. This grand 1925 Mediterranean-style mansion belonging to interior designer Brigette Romanek and her husband Mark is quite fantastic. It is a 2800-square-metre untraditional family home (previously owned by legendary music producer Rick Rubin) that has true California refinement and obvious musical history.  

Let’s take a peek (below)!

It might be sunny here in California, but I still have winter mountain vibes on my mind!

This Park City Canyons kitchen remodel by Studio McGee is a gorgeous example of how to take an outdated ski home and transform it into a stylish, cozy mountain destination. This isn’t totally my style, but I love the use of traditional warm colors and bright whites to really give this home some life — while still keeping that rustic cabin feel!

So thrilled to bring you my latest project!  A fabulous small kitchen remodel!!!  I was lucky enough to partner with the Whirlpool Corporation and my very talented developer friend Steve Jones of Better Shelter. Steve and I began working on this project a few months back – remodeling this fixer upper 2 bedroom house in the on-trend Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. We got really excited when we were offered Whirlpool Fingerprint-Resistant Black Stainless Steel appliances for the tiny kitchen remodel.  Okay, if you have read the blog over the years you know, I always love a wonderful small kitchen remodel. The blog started because almost 10 years ago because I had remodeled my then really small kitchen in the Hollywood Hills.  Now, this project is particularly thrilling because of the appliances we are using, I get to be at the forefront of the next kitchen design trend…read on to see how…

(This post is sponsored by the Whirlpool Corporation. While I received product and compensation, all opinions are my own)

Have you ever done something once and then had to redo it again and again…well for some reason I wrote a whole post about this AMAZING kitchen and it didn’t save.  So then I wrote it again and published it and it published blank.  Third time is a charm?  Here we go.  Love this kitchen by Illinois interior designer Kate Marker. (I am literally saving the post after I write each sentence….arghh…anyhooooo…).  Fantastic open kitchen with dining room.  Light white washed exposed wood beams with a matching range hood tucked into a nook, great dramatic farmhouse style pendant lights, steel doors, cool rope chairs surrounding the dining room table…and then there is the adorable prep sink!  Quite luxurious to have a second kitchen sink.  Love Kate’s work with this one AND another fab kitchen she designed that I feature on Instagram today.  But before going to my Instagram, take a tour of this darling modern country kitchen…

I find inspiration in so many places and in so many styles.  For example today, I bring you this pretty country farmhouse style kitchen from Stanwick + Dunham and Frank Smith Designs in Charlotte, North Carolina. The country farmhouse trend originated in the 90s, but it looks different than the stark white farmhouse we know today. The kitchen is actually in a 2007 built English Arts & Crafts style house in Charlotte. The vibe in this space is wonderfully farmhouse country living.  Wouldn’t this be a lovely space to make your morning tea or coffee every day?

One of the standout features of this kitchen is the white curved tongue and groove ceiling. Of course, this adds a touch of elegance and visual interest to the room. Through the sense of height and openness, the space feels even more welcoming. The choice of a white color palette further enhances the farmhouse aesthetic, giving the kitchen a bright and airy feel.

Imagine waking up every morning to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee or tea in this lovely kitchen. I’m obsessed!

This kitchen at 736 N. McCadden in Los Angeles has got “it”.  It is a brand new kitchen in a home for sale in Hollywood.  The home was designed by Los Angeles developer/designer Steve Jones of Bettershelter along with the design team of ModOp Design.  The home is on the market for $1.85million…and the open floor plan kitchen in the jewel of the house.  Jones and team are known for expertly rehabbing Los Angeles area homes and then giving them a hipster California vibe.  This kitchen has just that.

I love love love this green small kitchen with black and white checkered marble floors designed by blogger Gwen Hefner of The Makerista. So well designed.  Apparently, she and her husband took charge of making over their outdated kitchen last year.  They took a normal small kitchen and gave it an extremely luxe feel with green cabinets, black pendant lights, quartz countertops, and more.  Click below to tour the full space and see what it looked like before!

What does it cost to remodel a kitchen?  That is the question of the day.  Of course the answer can be…”as much as you want to spend” or we can give you a few details.

Today,I bring you a cute kitchen update from STUDIO LIFE.STYLE. designers Shannon Wollack and Brittany Zwickl.  This is a kitchen they remodeled for a client here in the Los Angeles area.  The designers shared some of their sources and design thinking behind transforming this space into a cute kitchen.  They estimate that a remodel like this would cost between $30K-40K.

For those of you contemplating your first kitchen remodel, I have also broken down a possible kitchen renovation budget from low to high end too.  How much does it cost to remodel a kitchen like a designer…details…details…