a gorgeous kitchen tour

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a gorgeous tour of a home in Corona del mar that was designed by Prairie Interiors. Well, today I have close up details of the kitchen for you. I just love the openness of it and the pretty wicker accents.

Here’s a little Monday morning eye candy for you... 

  

Photos courtesy of Elle Décor, Prairie Interiors and Garden Studio Design. 

ciao! fabiana 

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the best of the cdm home tour

As much as we’re used to events being canceled this year, it's hard to say it... there will be no local home tours this year. The annual Newport Harbor Home Tour had to be canceled back in May, and I believe there's no plan for the Corona del Mar Home Tour, which usually takes place at the end of October. 

So today, as a special treat, we’re to taking a look at the best of last year’s CDM home tour. This home was designed by Shannon McLaren of Prairie Interiors and has recently been featured online at Elle Décor. It’s the epitome of relaxed and stylish California living. 

enjoy...  

You can see details of the kitchen HERE.

Photos courtesy of Elle Décor, Prairie Interiors and Garden Studio Design. 

ciao! fabiana

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram! 

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🌴

As a bonus this week,

I also want to remind you that you'll receive a

 10% discount on all orders of BLUE TALAVERA plates and accessories until Saturday.

Just use the promo code 10CLAUDIABLU  

(offer valid until September 5, 2020 in USA only)

To make shopping extra easy, 

all of Bico Ceramic’s pieces are available on Amazon. 

Blue Talavera

christina on the coast in newport beach

It’s already Thursday, and that means my DVR is set for the final episode of “Christina on the Coast”. As some of you know, Christina is my neighbor. She lives just around the corner from me and several of my girlfriends.

Heather is only about three houses away from her, Caran is just up the street and Amy, Brenda and I are all about a minute away, so we’ve all been intrigued the last few months about what’s going on at Christina’s house. (and did I mention that Tarek lives only a couple of blocks away?) 😉

In December, there were tons of cars on the street for a big party at Christina’s house which turned out to be her surprise wedding. Since then, we’ve all been on alert for Christina sightings.

I saw her months ago at the local health food store, and my husband actually stopped and talked to Christina and her husband while they were out for a walk.

Anyhow, every Thursday, I’m sure to check in on “Christina on the Coast” for any fun neighborhood sightings and news.  

I’m quite familiar with Christina’s new house that she showcases on her show, and so are many of us here in Newport. You see it was featured on the Newport Harbor Home Tour a few years back and in several magazines.

Here’s the before and after of the kitchen. As you can see, Christina got rid of most of the open shelving, reconfigured the bar, and went with white cabinetry in most of the kitchen. To me it's a less dramatic look, but probably more efficient and has more storage.

According to last week's episode, she also closed off a door to the right of the fridge for more kitchen space. What do you think about the transformation?  

Christina’s new home office

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with last week’s episode that was supposed to be the “big reveal” of her newly designed home. You see, back in December, Christina and local designer Raili Clasen (pronounced Riley) both posted the finished look of Christina’s new hip coastal-inspired home on Instagram.

Raili’s the one who actually chose the décor for Christina’s new home. She was the brainchild behind this whole project. So where was Raili (or mention of Raili) in the last episode?

ZIP! Nothing, nada, not a word. We were all led to believe that Christina did it all. And you know what? I totally get it. I’m sure the producers made the call to not mention that another designer had to be called in to actually design these spaces, but I was a little disappointed.

Christina and her husband Ant, don’t hide the fact that Raili designed the home of their dreams, as seen on Instagram.   

Raili's fabric choices 

Christina's instagram 

Raili's a total rock star of design and is a huge supporter of the Newport Harbor Home Tour. She's had a home featured on the home tour just about every year since she debuted her own adorable little farmhouse back in 2013. 

Everyone loved it so much, that she began her design business shortly after that!  

It seems that Christina’s been all over the press lately with her new marriage, her new show, and now her pregnancy. Here’s a little peek at her adorable baby shower that took place at the Balboa Bay Resort, or as we locals call it, The Bay Club.

Incidentally, the Bay Club is where the Newport Harbor Home Tour’s breakfast reception took place for a couple of years, so some of you may be familiar with it!

I love the flowers!

I'll always and forever love a pretty peacock chair!

One thing I really did enjoy about Christina’s show is seeing the local sights they featured. Many of them are favorite restaurants of ours, like Zinqué, above, a fun place for breakfast on the water in beautiful Lido Marina Village.

And here they are at another one of my favorite waterfront restaurants, Bluewater Grill. They have amazing seafood and chowder, and even a New England Lobster Clambake! Ramona would be thrilled! 😁

Speaking of Ramona, who's watching the Real Housewives of New York Reunion tonight? I can't wait!

I wonder if Christina will reveal her new nursery décor tonight on the show.

I guess this final episode is focusing on the “reimagination” of the pool and backyard, which is huge, by the way.  

You can get a peek of it here at a backyard party Christina hosted a few weeks back and in this selfie.

You can see how true it looks compared to this rendering of how it was imagined.

Will you be watching tonight? I sure will be!

ciao! fabiana

By the way, this amazing book Contemporary Cottages features Christina’s current home as it was seen on the Newport Harbor Home tour designed by Shannon Wilkins and it also features a really cool beach house designed by Raili Clasen.

In fact, this new book features several homes by some of my favorite local designers. Check it out here:

photo credit: ChardPhoto, Christina Anstead, & People