Even though Roger Beckman had dated Ann Baber for more than a decade, he didn’t discover her hidden talents until she started remodeling her 1970s Culver City condo. Her first task was Herculean: stripping the dark brown finish off her kitchen cabinets, followed by sanding, whitewashing and applying three coats of sealer. “I didn’t know…
Is there anything better than looking at houses? I find it exhilarating to see inside people’s homes, either remodeled houses I tour for my newspaper and magazine articles, or houses for sale that people are ready to leave. Sometimes, I see something that needs to be remodeled, fixed, altered, or otherwise made right. I saw…
In an effort to clean up Southland air, some of the dirtiest air in the nation, regulators are considering proposals that would put restrictions on fireplaces, according to a June 2 article in The Times: Those proposals include a ban on wood-burning fireplaces in all new homes in Los Angeles, Orange and portions of San…
When HGTV and ABC decorating show host Kitty Bartholomew moved into her 1930s cottage in Santa Monica, she noticed one problem right away: There was a solid wall in the master bedroom that stood between her and her garden. To remedy the situation, Kitty had a Dutch door and window installed in that wall, along…
After moving to the U.S. from England several years ago, Kara Noble and her husband took on a 1940s Manhattan Beach bungalow that had been infused with way too much 1970s vibe. Part of their challenge was updating a paint-specked brick fireplace (below). How do you think they did with it? Poll – Take Our…