I'm so enjoying writing two food pieces a month for the American Diabetes Association. This one, which offers tips for how to eat out or order in without blowing your meal plan, was just published.
Gorgeous Guesthouse and Backyard Change Family Life in Solana Beach
Photo by Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune
When a Solana Beach couple with two small kids decided to transform their large backyard, they transformed their lives. With a new guesthouse, inviting to friends and family, a pool, and an outdoor dining area, complete with full kitchen (should we mention the spa, outdoor shower, and gorgeous plantings?), their home is the ultimate retreat inside and out. My new story for Hot Property Estates…
How to Create a Serene Bedroom
Design by Erika Gervin of South Harlow Interiors. Photo by Amber Thrane.
We’ve all been through a lot over the past couple of years — grief, isolation, anxiety, overwork, underwork, home schooling, home working. And some of us have been sick or caring for someone who was ill. In short, we’re stressed to the hilt. We need rest. We need respite. We need our own personal sanctuary. The default space for sanctuary ideally is our bedroom. But the same mindfulness we reference for activities that calm us down is also necessary to design a space that enhances our serenity. Check out my new story in the San Diego Union-Tribune on how to create a serene bedroom.
Time to Paint Your House?
Photo for San Diego Union-Tribune by Eduardo Contreras
Perhaps it’s been a while — like, 15 or 20 years? You’re starting to see a little paint peeling or fading on the trim around your sun-drenched doors or chipping on the stucco. Or you’re ready for an exterior face-lift to complement an interior renovation or new landscaping. Whatever the reason, you’re ready to paint your house, and that means hiring a professional to do the job. But with thousands of dollars on the line, you can’t hire just anyone. My new story in the San Diego Union-Tribune's Home & Garden section offers tips for how to do it right.
Versatile, Innovative Grain Bowls
Photo by Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune
Love me some grain bowls! They’re inventive, they’re casual, they’re adaptable and they’re easy to eat. Chef Ryan Bullock King of Joya Organic Kitchen gave me a primer on how to make them. Check out his recipes in my new story in The San Diego Union-Tribune's food section:
Lightening the look: Fresh design helps family fall in love with Del Sur home
Halli McKennah photo
A large backyard and hefty square footage can go a long way in helping home buyers decide to purchase a house, despite qualms about the interior aesthetics. That was certainly the case for a couple who overcame their reservations about a dark and dated interior when they bought a two-story, 3,800-square-foot home in Del Sur in 2019. What sold the couple, who asked to be anonymous, was the big yard and the spacious rooms of the five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home, built in 2013.
The couple bought the house and brought in Realm Design to lighten the look in the kitchen, playroom, and primary bath. Now they’re in love. Read about the creative changes made that resulted in a bright, luxuriously playful home for this growing family in my new story for the UT’s Hot Property Estates magazine.