OLD KITCHEN MADE NEW - 5 REMODELING TIPS

Olivia Brock's restored Charleston, SC kitchen! (above)

I love finding a good surprise story for my blog.

Yesterday, on COCOCOZY Instagram (follow me by clicking here), a reader under the handle @lacqueredlife commented on the multi million dollar home that was the subject of yesterday's blog post.  I replied to her comment and then checked out her Instagram page.  When I read she was a preservationist and blogger, I had to check out her website.  I found out her name is Olivia Brock, a preservationist, design enthusiast, Charlestonian and creator of Lacquered Life blog.

Anyhooooooo, while glancing through her pretty pictures on her blog...I came across the remodel of her kitchen in an old restored one room wide Charleston, South Carolina home that she and her husband share.  So many wonderful touches to this new kitchen in an old house.

Here are some design and remodeling tips inspired by this redo of a kitchen in an historic home:

TIP 1 -  Lay wood floors on the diagonal - In this kitchen, Olivia and hubby put down new pine floors but laid the boards on a diagonal then painted them a glossy gray.  This adds depth and character to the space.

TIP 2 - Use butcher block counters - A wood countertop can add warmth to kitchen while also modernizing it.

TIP 3 - Pick vintage looking appliances - In this kitchen, the white and brass La Cornue stove looks like it comes from a different century but it is new.  Pays homage to the history of the house in a way.

TIP 4 - Be creative with storage - In this case, a corner of the kitchen doubles as the laundry room.  Washer and dryer are hidden in a lower cabinet behind pocket doors.

TIP 5 - Indoor outdoor - Make sure your kitchen has some sort of relation to outside - a yard, a patio etc.  So nice to be able to fling open a window or French doors and bring the outdoors into the house.

Olivia's house is featured in Southern Living magazine - click here for a full home tour and some before pictures!

Beautiful restoration Olivia and beautiful blog!

Happy Tuesday!

xo
Coco

P.S.  Yesterday, I went to pick up my little dog Mr. Boo from the klinker (when I am away he stays at my vets office in Beverly Hills).  As I walked into the office, a tiny little dog came lurching at me.  It must have weighed 4 pounds.  The little 4 pounder proceeded to bark at me for the entire 5 minutes I was there waiting for my dog.  The owner said the little dog's name was "Gucci" or something like that...she smiled and said "I am surprised he didn't attack you when you walked into the door. He's never been trained and has bad habits".   Then she smiled some more.  Well just before Mr. Boo was brought to me, I happened to touch the front door of the office and all of a sudden "Gucci" lurched at me and bit my leg.  Now being bit by a 4 pound dog feels like being bit by5 mosquitos in one location - I wasn't hurt at all but was a little surprised.  I looked up at the owner with a bit of shocked look and she was still smiling.  She then leaned down and picked up "Gucci"who was still barking furiously and said while smiling still "Oh no. You shouldn't do that Gucci"  Within a minute my super mischievous dog Mr. Boo was brought out...and I thought, "Gucci" is making Mr. Boo look like a saint.  Anyway, I guess the moral to this story is...don't trust small 4 pound dogs named Gucci?  Only in Beverly Hills.  Right?


Photos: Lacquered Life; Francesco Lagnese

THROUGH THE CHARMED GATES OF CHARLESTON

Took a walking tour on Saturday of a very posh residential area in Charleston, SC.  Was with my dear best of friend FF and her wonderful husband CCF, dear of dearest friend JH and her far too charming husband DH, and very sweet friend JH and her so nice husband FH.  We were all in Charleston for a very warm and convivial weekend at TF and KR's lovely wedding.  In addition, it was so fabulous getting to spend lots quality time with my good friend FM and her super fun husband CM...and great seeing CF (who wore a gorgeous Valentino gown to the wedding), CF, E, RM and lots of others I hadn't seen in awhile.

One of best parts of the whole weekend was getting to hang out with my super cute god son CGF.  CGF danced with me at the wedding (standing in for TE who was back here in Los Angeles shooting some kind of commercial).  When we got on the dance floor for a slow dance, my 9 year old god son CGF whispered to me, "I don't know what to do. I've never done this before". I leaned down and said, "Just look up at me and move your feet back and forth and you'll be fine".  He was fine...more than fine.

Anyhoooo....hmmm.....I digress as usual...

Where was I...oh...Charleston.  Yes. Charleston.  What a stunning city. A jewel in the south.  I have to admit something right off...I have not spent too much time in the south...my favorite place being New Orleans...otherwise, I haven't had too much time exploring that region of the country...so when I was invited to this wedding and sent in my handwritten reply note, I had no idea what to expect...I really had no expectations...none.

Well I can tell you Charleston, South Carolina...is one of the most lovely cities I have ever been too...the nexus between small town charm and big city sophistication.

I caught a glimpse of myself in a car window as we were all walking from King Street downtown, over down Legare Street to see the stunning old mansions, then onto the Battery and to see the ocean view...I was so in awe of the residential architecture, the horse drawn carriages, the Palmetto trees swaying in the warm (slightly sticky) breeze, the adorable downtown filled with the most darling shops, that when I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of that car window, I saw a girl with her mouth wide open in awe, a huge happy smile on her face (in a beautiful setting with such lovely friends), looking up, moving along, feet back and forth...and like my little god son, she (me) was more than fine

So now I bring you a collection of photos I took of some of the homes and surroundings...looking through the magnificent gates of Charleston, SC.

The grand entrance to the historic Sword Gate House known of its ornate wrought iron gate. The mansion is currently for sale for $18.8 million dollars...see the real estate listing for this home here! (above)

A divine manicured garden with trimmed boxwoods and crushed gravel (above)

This stunning glossy black wood fence rivaled many of its iron counterparts in the neighborhood (above and below))

This scrolling wrought iron front gate was open just a crack to reveal an arched carved red door with checkered patterned marble path (above and below)

After all of the snooping behind gates...sightseeing and shopping were the order of the day...

So fun to see Charleston's version of a tour bus - horse drawn carriages! (above)

American revolutionary war statue of a commander named Moultrie in The Battery park overlooking the Charleston Harbor. (above)

Stopped into antique shop Birlant & Co and bought these vintage rock cut stemware glasses...the set of 6 was only $165 - so love these...they are being shipped to my house here in Los Angeles! (above)

Thank you FF and CCF for inviting me along on such a lovely weekend in Charleston!  Absolutely love my friends FF and JH - my dear dear friends for life!

Am back in Los Angeles, in my tiny little cottage in the Hollywood Hills, blogging, getting ready for work, to start the week...dreaming of all of the delightful things I saw this past weekend and all of the lovely people I spent time with...dreaming of my weekend in Charleston.

Happy Monday!

xo
Coco

P.S.  Uh oh...just got on the scale...after several days of Charleston cooking (went to several nice restaurants)...various Southern delicacies (fried food), lots of grits and eating to my heart's content, I am two pounds heavier this morning!!!  ARGHHHHHH.  Okay...fruits and veggies...here I come!

All photos in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY