When Arnie and Lily Richards remodeled the kitchen in their Downey home — doing every single task themselves — Lily’s wish list included a custom stove hood. Arnie was a little tired from the months-long process when the job of building the hood came up. But he’s a good husband, and so he made it…
When you set out to design your new kitchen, the first question you have to ask is: Where do we put the refrigerator/freezer? Why? Because the unit is so darn big and bulky, right? But no longer does the hulking refrigerator have to restrict your layout options, at least not if you choose the new…
This new kitchen accessory from Broan (makers of those super-quiet exhaust fans, among other products) goes in the category of instant kitchen update for less than $500. Of course, only one spot in your kitchen will enjoy a new beauty — those few square feet of backsplash above your cooktop — but it will be…
If you consider Southern California one big neighborhood, then the designers and architects listed below have been recommended by neighbors. And these neighbors were so pleased with their remodels that they wanted to see them, and their architect or designer, featured in the Los Angeles Times, in my "Pardon Our Dust" series. That’s a pretty…
In the 1970s, dropped ceilings and fluorescent lights were trendy. Fluorescents are back in style (much improved) but dropped panels haven’t yet returned to vogue. If you have a dropped ceiling, here’s an idea to make it feel a little less sterile: translucent cloud panels. I came across these cloud-printed light panels in my doctor’s…
The people I interview are generally thrilled to tears with their completed remodel, either because it all came together despite their doubts and fears, or simply because it’s done. But after a remodel is lived with for a bit, its weaknesses reveal themselves. Sometimes I drop a line to people I’ve visited during those glorious…
Before its major remodel, this 1921 Granada Hills home had virtually no discernable exterior style. That’s because the original house had been distorted in the 1950s with a boxy family room addition that went clear across the front, enclosing the front door and forcing the inhabitants to enter thereafter through a side door. When owners…
I could totally live in a house or addition made from shipping containers, like this Redondo Beach home by DeMaria Design Associates. Container houses bring to mind the first remodel I got emotionally involved with, in John Steinbeck’s “Sweet Thursday,” the sequel to “Cannery Row.” Do you remember when Suzy, the prostitute, moved into an…
Who would spend more money researching future trends than home developers, whose big-ticket gambles either sell quickly or sit and lose money? As a homeowner looking to remodel, you can take advantage of the developers’ research by perusing new homes and studying the colors, materials and layout. Surely, this is the future. If you’re into…
If you’re a serial remodeler, you’ve likely got half-full cans of latex paint around house. What to do with it? CNN reports on two cities, San Francisco and Miami, who take in extra latex paint, mix like colors together, and give it away. Here’s another idea, from Santa Monica decorator (and my friend) Kitty Bartholomew:…