Are You Ready to Commit to a Home Office?

Is remote work the future for office workers? Maybe not for everyone, but now that people have had a taste of it, many want to work from home permanently. For those workers, that ad hoc workspace on the dining room table may no longer be sufficient. And that means it’s time to create a space that meets their long-term professional needs. The question is, how do you get started? I spoke with a couple of designers to learn what people should consider as they make choices on everything from what space to use to desks, seating, and even Zoom equipment. You can find this in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home & Garden section.

Fundamentally French Classics for Home Cooks

San Diego chef and culinary instructor Bruno Albouze, born and trained in France, believes French cuisine is not just something to be enjoyed in restaurants but to be made by home cooks. To that end, he operates a YouTube channel and website (brunoalbouze.com) filled with recipes and cooking videos. I spent a day with him to learn how to prepare two classics, Duck Confit with Potato-Mushroom Sarladaise and Madeleines. My story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s food section this week takes a deep dive into the methods and tips necessary to successfully make these two dishes. Bon appetit!

Essential Tools for Garden Novices

If you’ve ever bought or rented a house, you remember the first one, especially if you were acquiring your first garden as an adult. If the garden is already established and you love it, what do you need to maintain it? If there’s just the space but garden potential, what do you need to get started? I got two great garden experts, Sam Tall of City Farmers Nursery and Trish Watlington of Two Forks Farm, to offer their advice. And it’s all great advice! You’ll find it in my new story in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home & Garden Section. Better head over to your local nursery today!

Island Flair in Coronado

It’s the downstairs shower wall that essentially sums up the style of the newly renovated Coronado home owned by Holly and Art Croft. The 24-inch-by-24-inch Jungle Floral Equatoriale tiles with their broad green leaves capture the look of verdant tropical rainforests found in Holly Croft’s native Hawaii, as do the many tropical plants she’s placed around the first floor. And throughout the main living areas, the furniture, light fixtures and warm colors of the textiles —from upholstery to drapes —create a tropical if modern sensibility. Learn more about Croft’s collaboration with interior designer Jen Pinto of Jackson Design and Remodeling and see what they achieved in the remodel in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s magazine, Hot Property Estates.

Sicily's Accursio Lota Shares Summertime Dishes

We’re at the apex of summer and it can be hard to come up with comfort food that’s soothing like a warm hug but doesn’t dissolve you into a puddle, like the Wicked Witch of the West. I think we’ve got you. Chef Accursio Lota, owner of North Park’s Cori Pastificio Trattoria, has made a career of creating dishes that bring out the love in the food of his native Sicily, using seasonal ingredients. So, the heat of August doesn’t faze him—and it shouldn’t faze you. Not when you can make his tomato risotto, tuna crudo, and sumptuous lemon mousse. I learned how so you can make them in your kitchen. It’s all in my latest story for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Renewing the Heart of the Home Following Loss

As anyone who has lost a life partner knows, there’s a fine, even delicate line between keeping memories alive and starting new ones. It can apply even to a home redesign. Yes, to changing this, but not quite ready to redo that. Six months after Lori Mohr lost her husband Jim to CTE trauma she felt it was time to update the Del Mar home they’d shared. Designer Susan Wintersteen and her colleagues at Savvy Interiors worked with her to create a tranquil transition to her new life. This story in the San Diego Union-Tribune real estate magazine Hot Property Estates, tells her story and the process of that transition.