In early 2011, VW Fowlkes, principal and founder of Fowlkes Studio in Washington, D.C., was struggling with a conundrum.
His clients, a husband and wife in their mid-forties, didn’t see eye to eye on the new design for their two-story, three-bedroom home in the historic Cleveland Park neighborhood.
The husband, who works in tech, “was a committed modernist who wanted everything white and super clean,” says Fowlkes. And the wife, who runs a public relations firm, “wanted everything organic and sumptuous and sensual with a natural patina. So we weren’t sure how to reconcile the directions we were getting.”
Bold patterns, rich textures
Choosing to tackle the kitchen first, VW chose a Mediterranean-style concrete tile that had a “timeless quality to it,” he says. “The graphic print was so bold, you could do nothing else to the space and it would still feel visually rich.”
The husband saw nothing modern in it, dismissing the rope-tie print as fuddy-duddy, but in the end, the pattern won out, and the solid walnut cabinet came next.
The wife “claimed to be super picky about the kinds of grains and wood species” she liked, Fowlkes says. “She said she wanted something natural, but she didn’t want it to look like a condo.”
After locating a woodworker who collected trees uprooted by Hurricane Irene, Fowlkes visited the property with his client, who walked around and chose the walnut tree of her choice for the cabinet.
The Maryland-based woodworker placed the wood in a drying kiln for four months so it wouldn’t warp, cup, or check while crafting the cabinets. Fowlkes also reinforced the back of the slab with steel rods for additional protection against curling.
“It’s clean and modern, but it’s also very sensual,” Fowlkes says of the cabinets, which feature a live edge on the bottom that reflects the tree’s shape. “We wanted …read more

Francis, a Seattle homeowner, shares what it was like to sell a house without putting it on the market. As told to Jamie Birdwell-Branson.
Shortly after moving into my Seattle house in 2015, I listed it on Zillow’s for-sale-by-owner pre-market feature, Make Me Move. I got everything organized and listed my home for $100,000 more than what I had just paid.
I thought my home had a lot to offer. I played up the lot, which was giant for Seattle at about 8,000 square feet. The house was also in a really picturesque neighborhood with a great location. The real selling point of the house, though, was the excellent public school district, which I thought would speak to young families.
I knew that I wasn’t going to sell the house right away, because I didn’t want to pay a capital gains tax, which you incur if you sell your primary residence before you’ve lived in it for two years. Knowing this, I just wanted to feel out the interest in the neighborhood and the house – just to keep a pulse on the market. If I got a wild offer, however, I figured I’d take the 15-percent capital gains hit, even knowing that it would be more complicated to deal with than just waiting the two years.
A couple of months went by without anyone approaching me, but a few potential buyers and agents slowly started to reach out. Once the buyers started to throw serious offers my way, I thought I might need to raise my price, because I wanted to avoid selling it under the two-year mark. Eventually, I did increase the price, because I was getting too much interest. To help me determine a better price, I looked at the comps to know if I was under or over the appropriate …read more

“No. Absolutely not. Stop looking at those. Put your laptop away right now.”
This is how I talk to my husband, and I’m not proud of that. But having lived in three different houses during just six years of marriage, I was nervous to find him browsing real estate listings last summer. Can you blame me?
Our moves haven’t been around-the-block, either. From the booming (and baking) city of Austin, TX to the bucolic and rural village of Sharon Springs, NY to the New York City metro, we’d lugged our possessions across 2,000 miles of highways.
Our houses had been equally disparate in style: an eco-friendly house in Austin, a 160-year-old Italianate Victorian in upstate New York, and a glass box on a mountain in New Jersey with a view of the Empire State Building.
Now it was time to move again. While we’d enjoyed our adventures, our growing business and desire to be close to family pointed us in another direction: Nebraska. We got our New Jersey house prepared for sale, expecting it to spend a little time on the market. Instead, it sold within 24 hours. Oops.
House hunting from far away
Forced to act fast – with no time to fly to Omaha to view properties – we dug into home listings. We narrowed options down by budget and location, looked for houses that hadn’t been updated (as designers, we’d do that ourselves), and poured over each photo to pick out details.
I printed up neighborhood maps and highlighted nearby restaurants and parks for our dog. We enlisted the help of my parents and hired a family friend as our real estate agent, sending them to tour houses on our behalf. Dad measured rooms while Mom toured the neighborhood. Any bit of information they could gather was invaluable.
I finally walked through the house the …read more

Interior designer Summer Thornton turned a newly constructed Mediterranean-style house in sunny Naples, FL into a beautiful vacation home, featuring refined decor and a soothing color palette.
“The homeowner wanted it to feel bright, casual, and elegant, so I steered the interior design toward more traditional furnishings and a light color palette with pops of color,” says Thornton of the second home.”It’s on a beautiful lot that backs up to water, so they’ve got amazing, peaceful views from the lanai and pool.”
Thornton was also tasked with seamlessly blending the Mediterranean architecture of the house with classic styling and relaxed, casual furnishings to create an abode that encapsulates “refined Florida elegance.”
Along with furnishing the home, the designer also helped with the interior architecture, choosing finishes throughout. And since it was a second home, Thornton also helped choose all the accessories, from the decorative tchotchkes down to the dishes.
“The homeowner wanted a space where they could have the whole family down for holidays and gatherings,” she says. “They’re grandparents, and wanted their grown kids and grandchildren to feel relaxed and comfortable.”
Hailing from the Midwest, the homeowners visit the home in the winter, and they wanted to keep the decorative elements elegant and not overly tropical.
Since the homeowner was gravitating toward a tranquil color palette of blue and white, Thornton used the color scheme throughout, from indigo fabrics to graphic wallpapers and Chinese ginger jars.
And as a nod to Naples’ gulf setting, Thornton incorporated tropical plants, like a fiddle-leaf fig tree, along with Audubon prints of herons and smaller decorative touches, like coral.
“In total, I think we had more than 200 pieces of coral – about 600 pounds, I believe – and over 50 pieces of blue-and-white pottery interspersed throughout the home,” she says.
Thornton used metallic accents, wood, textured wallpapers, and natural fibers to …read more

Fresh off her show’s much-anticipated return for Season 7, “Game of Thrones” actress Lena Headey is parting ways with her home in Sherman Oaks.
The 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom mid-century modern house is far from the castles of Westeros Cersei Lannister frequents in the popular HBO series. Reclaimed wood floors are laid out in a herringbone pattern, and the ceiling features prominent exposed wood beams in a charming rustic gray color.
Photos courtesy Todd Johnson of LA Light Photography.
The mid-century modern aesthetic carries throughout the 2,900-square-foot house, with a prominent gold chandelier hanging above the living room space.
Photo courtesy Todd Johnson of LA Light Photography.An open kitchen features a mirrored backsplash and blue-and-white patterned tile, for a touch of SoCal life.
Photo courtesy Todd Johnson of LA Light Photography.A child’s playroom opens up to the backyard, where lines of warm lights are strung above a saltwater pool.
Photo courtesy Todd Johnson of LA Light Photography.And in case you’re wondering how Headey cared for the home’s environment when she’s spending every day on set: She’s installed a low-maintenance vertical garden of succulents and drought-tolerant landscaping, according to the listing.
Photo courtesy Todd Johnson of LA Light Photography.No word on whether the home — currently listed at $1.945 million — also comes with a knight in shining armor.
Zoe Rudolph of the John Aaroe Group holds the listing.
Related:
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s Former Hollywood Hills Home Is For Sale
I Spent Two Days in a Castle Outside NYC
Steph Curry Shoots for $3.195M for His California Estate
…read more
The post ‘Game of Thrones’ Queen Lena Headey Lists LA Home for $1.9M appeared first on Orange County Real Estate Robyn Seymour. …read more

Whether your home improvements are for you or potential buyers, consider their impact on your home’s potential resale price before picking up your toolbox (or the phone to call a contractor).
A brand-new kitchen or bathroom will undoubtedly wow potential buyers, but there’s no guarantee you’ll recoup the money you put into those pricey remodels.
To help you navigate the choices that lead to the best return on investment, we asked two industry experts (and one enthusiastic DIYer) to weigh in.
Kitchen renovations
“Renovating the kitchen is always the biggest way to add value to your home,” says Grace Fancher, real estate agent at Kansas City firm Sarah Snodgrass. “People love to cook, and everyone tends to gather in the kitchen. If you add seating, such as an island with barstools, buyers go crazy for that.”
A full remodel is a major investment, but smaller projects make a big difference if you can’t – or don’t want to – go all out. “Nicer appliances really stick out to potential buyers – even if you’re planning to take them with you,” Fancher says.
She also suggests replacing tired finishes with fresh, neutral materials. “You don’t want to be too trendy, but you want it to look up-to-date,” she says. “Everyone loves clean, white subway tiles now, but they’re really a timeless look.”
Replacing dated countertops (quartz is your best bet, according to Fancher) and flooring is also worth the time and money.
Photo from Zillow listing.Bathroom updates
The smallest rooms in the house can have a big impact on its value, so Fancher suggests adding a second bathroom or upgrading existing ones so your home features at least two full baths.
Joe Monda, co-owner of Seattle-based general contracting firm Promondo, agrees. “People are spending more on upgrading their houses before listing them,” he says. “They really want to maximize the potential …read more

A dated home on the James River in Williamsburg, VA was in need of a face-lift and a coastal touch to echo its waterside setting.
The home, located in Williamsburg’s beautiful Governor’s Land neighborhood, was gutted and updated with timeless materials. Wood floors were refinished in a darker stain, and the walls were painted in a creamy ivory.
While the walls were kept neutral throughout the home, color and personality pop in the fabrics and decor, thanks to the efforts of Jackson Thomas Interiors‘ owner and lead designer Christine Estep, and senior designer Stefanie Powell.
Drawing design inspiration from interior designer Barclay Butera’s coastal homes, the homeowner requested rooms filled with soothing shades of blue and white, organic textures, and brass. The homeowner also had several family antiques she wanted to incorporate.
“We focused on doing more of the blue and white shades in the great room, because they really pulled in the traditional feel that the homeowner was looking for, while also tying into the water,” says Estep.
The designers layered textures like wicker, seagrass, brass, and dark woods to warm up the cool, coastal color palette.
The living room’s fireplace facade was covered in a porcelain custom-blend tile with the appearance of a basket weave – a nod to the natural woven fibers used throughout the home.
Good enough to eat
In the kitchen, existing cabinets were updated with a coat of crisp white paint and accessorized with brass bamboo hardware. Berwyn from Cambria quartz countertops with cool gray veining were paired with a sea-glass backsplash.
For contrast, a butcher-block countertop was installed on the island, and oversized brass lanterns add drama and visual interest. Behind the cooktop, an antique tray was transformed into a piece of artwork, framed by sea-glass tile.
In the neighboring dinette, a banquette upholstered in turquoise and blue fabrics ties back to …read more

Calling all aspiring Andy Warhol types: A Houston-area artist is offloading a Texas residence and the listing is a must-see (especially for mannequin lovers).
Our tour starts at the gates to this private place, where a camouflaged figure waits to say howdy.
Photo from Zillow listing.Follow the circular driveway to the brick two-story home and make your way inside, where you can saddle up next to a cowboy at the bar.
Photo from Zillow listing.Venture further into the house and you’ll find a doll doing its best Lionel Richie, dancing on the ceiling of the library.
Photo from Zillow listing.The master bedroom appears to have a few live-in guests, from a tie-clad mannequin manhandling a remote control to a second figure watching a blank TV screen.
Photo from Zillow listing.The home’s entertainment room features a child mannequin riding a tricycle – also on the ceiling.
Photo from Zillow listing.Listing agent Diana Power says she posted the home for sale about a week ago, and that since then “the phone [has been ringing] every 30 seconds.
“All I can say is, it’s for sale and my client is an artist,” Power adds.
Photos from Zillow listing.
The artist’s touch is on full display in this hallway, which is covered in colorful paintings and pictures. A mannequin in a little black dress cooly stands in a doorway, ready to walk the runway.
Photo from Zillow listing.The dining room brings the flavor of the outdoors inside, with dried plants, a bunny rabbit hanging out near the ceiling, and, wait – is that a mannequin holding a fake fish?
Photo from Zillow listing.The 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom house will set you back $1.275 million, but does come with a pool, a 4-car garage, and a cozy creekside location.
Photo from Zillow listingPlus, there’s this room, which we’re not sure how to describe – but Power …read more
The …read more

Perhaps Frasier Crane is heading back to Seattle.
Kelsey Grammer, the six-time Emmy Award winner who portrayed psychiatrist Frasier Crane on the hit TV shows “Frasier” and “Cheers,” has sold his posh Manhattan pad for just under $8 million.
Photos courtesy CORE.
Grammer bought the 3-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom condo in the Chelsea neighborhood in 2010.
The home offers unobstructed views of the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline, along with 11-foot ceilings. The living room has a fireplace, wet bar and wine fridge. Motorized shades help keep the place cool and west-facing windows frame dramatic sunsets.
Sunset from the home. Photo courtesy CORE.The building was designed by architect Jean Nouvel and is noted for its dramatic, glassy exterior.
Grammer first put the 3,076-square-foot home on the market last year, asking $9.75 million.
No word on whether the place included a psychiatrist’s couch.
Emily Beare and Daniel Amell of Core carried the listing.
Related:
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen’s Former Hollywood Hills Home Is for Sale
House of the Week: This Magical Treehouse Happened By Accident
Steph Curry Shoots for $3.195M for his California Estate
…read more
The post ‘Frasier’ Star Kelsey Grammer Says Farewell to His Chelsea Home appeared first on Orange County Real Estate Robyn Seymour. …read more

Designer Deidre Oliver, with Niwot, CO firm Oliver Designs, transformed her neighbor’s ’90s master bath into a contemporary spa sanctuary with high-end plumbing and beautiful finishes.
Oliver reconfigured the 432-square-foot bathroom’s layout to better utilize the center of the room, which had been empty, wasted space. The original layout consisted of an L-shaped vanity, above-mirror Hollywood lights, and quartz countertops.
Along with a contemporary freestanding soaking tub by Barclay, a beautifully designed double shower (with two entrances and a granite bench) was installed in the center of the space. “They wanted a big walk-in shower,” says Oliver.
Walls were painted in a light gray, and the floor trim a darker gray for contrast. “Gray walls with darker gray on the trim provide a beautiful visual contrast,” Oliver explains.
Structurally, another window was added to bring in more light, and heated ceramic tiles reminiscent of wood were installed throughout (even in the shower) to keep the bathroom warm and cozy while bathing on cold Colorado days. The shower wall was covered in large-format tiles to give it a clean and seamless look.
“The bathroom would’ve felt cold with all the tile and glass, so we contrasted with warm wood elements for balance,” says Oliver. “The wood provides a perfect organic counterpoint to the crisp lines of the walls and countertops.”
A new wood door with frosted glass gives bathers privacy, while also welcoming in natural light, and red oak cabinets were installed for the vanity, creating a “linen closet” for towels and toiletries.
Polished nickel Atlas Homewares pulls complement the Cifial faucets used for the sinks, bathtub, and shower head.
Decorative mirrors add a hint of glamour to the vanity, while sconces from Visual Comfort are hung at face height for optimal lighting when beautifying in front of the mirror.
Get the look at …read more
The post Designer Lookbook: …read more