Day 14 of my new diet consisting exclusively of MUSH!! Ok let me catch you up a bit… So Beyonce who is basically my spirit animal because she is awesome (all hail Queen B) has been repping this “Plant Based Diet” thing all over town. It’s basically a vegan diet high in plants and nutrients (organic, non gmo, soy free, gluten free, made of glitter, blah blah blah). So obviously after a winter of gluttony I needed a pick me up to attack this spring real estate market – enter the Queen B diet. Long story short, Beyonce and her posse of vegan supermodels made up this company called 22days nutrition which is basically a 22 day Vegan challenge that is supposed to reboot your system and get you on the health track. The theory is that it takes 21 days to break a habit, so if you can stand being a Vegan for 22 days, you will basically look and feel like Beyonce. So obviously, I paid the million dollars to sign up and they deliver your meals weekly in a box of pre packaged vegan-awesomeness (minus the awesomeness). So for the last 14 days I’ve been lying to myself and convincing myself that I love eating lentils day in and day out!! I honestly am totally on board with the vegan lifestyle thing because it’s healthy and way better for the environment (did you know it takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce 1 lb, of beef?? – talk about sucking the life out of the planet) but at the same time I realize cheeseburgers are delicious. The only real issue with my pay-to-look-like-Beyonce-diet, is that everything they send you is just pile of mush with random veggies mixed in. I can’t imagine this is what Queen B eats on the daily.

With all this MUSH and nowhere to vent, I have become obsessed with kitchen design this week because I am literally starving to make something delicious. So let’s talk kitchens before I stab my eyes out with a turnip.

Here I am cooking up a vegan mush pile...

Ok when designing a kitchen here are some things that are important to keep in mind:

1. Layout and function: Make sure the measurements of your layout make sense! I can’t tell you how many people don’t leave enough space between say the refrigerator and the counter and you’re stuck squeezing by them when you want to grab something. Working with a kitchen designer is also very helpful to makes sure your space and layout flow properly.

2. Storage: Storage is so important and often overlooked. Yes, we all love visible shelving etc. but unless you live in a decor magazine you need a lot of functional storage space. Think tons of under cabinets and then do your open shelving up top.

3. Lighting: Awesome lighting is key to a fantastic kitchen. Even if your space is small if you have proper lighting and great light fixtures your kitchen will feel luxurious and well thought out.

4. Counter space: Shoot for long linear counter areas instead of choppy spaces. Don’t have a stove next to a small work space, next to another cut up area, next to a refrigerator next to another small work area. Get yourself a linear space to spread out and do your food prep.

5. Islands: obviously islands are a huge trend right now but not all kitchens have room for them. You can do a lot with a peninsula or a small bar style space to create the modern feel but not take up your entire kitchen.

6. Trash: plan out a space for your trash and recycling. There is nothing worse than an amazing kitchen with a huge, sticky trash can sitting out in plain site. Plan for a trash/recycling drawer or cabinet to keep the ambiance of the kitchen clean and organized.

7. Don’t be cheap: this goes for any project. I’m not saying you have to spend $70K on a kitchen cabinet package but if you by cheap shit, it’s going to look and last like cheap shit. Pay for quality and you will be happy you did. Get solid cabinets (if you can’t afford the full cabinet change out the doors with a quality door and keep your old cabinets), pick quality appliances, and tiles – you’ll be glad you did.

8. Safety and visibility: especially if you have kids you need to think about the safety of your kitchen layout. Don’t put the stove in a place that someone can easily knock off a pot (like by a door or entrance way), pick tiles that aren’t slippery when wet, and get a vent hood so that you can circulate out air and not be huffing all your food grease. Think about where your children will be when you are cooking and plan your kitchen around the ability to keep and eye on them while multi tasking in the kitchen.

Ok here are some of my favorite kitchen trends:

Display cabinets, wood counter, farmer sink and that olive green, LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

Modern kitchens are all about sleek lines and hidden cabinets, open space and a minimalist feel.

A dream TINY kitchen! I love the paneled refrigerator!

Great layout of a smaller kitchen and brass hardware is back with a vengeance.

My lover built this kitchen for some of his clients - I'm obsessed.

Another kitchen my lover built for his clients. Two tone cabinets and center tile is very in right now.

Although not technically a real estate event, I thought it was absolutely necessary to discuss last nights Met Gala and some of the must see looks. What is the “Met Gala” you might ask?

The Met Gala or Met Ball is a huge fundraising event to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. It’s held every year in NYC and pretty much every celebrity you can imagine comes to it and it’s ALL ABOUT the Fashion.  The building itself is pretty spectacular and was built between 1910-1914.

http://www.metmuseum.org

Now let’s talk fashion –

Here are the good and bad..

In keeping with his movie that is BLOWING UP right now t “The Wolf of Wall Street” which by the way my mother calls “a porn.” I decided it would be appropriate to share some photos of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Malibu house he just sold (last week). It was on the market for a bit and then he dropped the price. Also available for rent at $75,000.00 per month.

The spacious beach retreat in the highly sough after Malibu waterfront (exact address: 23736 Malibu Colony Rd. Malibu, CA 90265) area sold for $17,350,000.00. Originally listed at $23,000,000.00 he dropped the price on the 7 bedroom 6 bath private retreat. 

Check it out:

Ever wonder what Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s house looked like?  Well thanks to google and my ability to search public record, and old MLS listings… I can show you.

He and his wife originally purchase the property in 1989 for $560,000.00. It’s currently assessed at $1,778,900.00. The house consists of 6 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, and 9 (yes NINE) fireplaces. It’s just under 7,000 sqft. and sits on .76 Acres on Hinckley street in Milton, MA.

They were on the market for a year at $1,500,000.00 but didn’t sell. So if you want to buy it, give me a shout and I’ll track Deval down and get you in. Seriously, I will…

Check it out:

Is it me or is he kind of a BABE?

exterior

Exterior 2

Interior stair case

Library

Lounge area

A little holiday cheer in the Sun Room

Dining Room

I hate to be mean but the pastel pallet is killing me. Looks terrible. Change it up Deval!

Kitchen Island

Breakfast table

Nice back patio

Driveway

And there you have it! Needs some modernization but still is a beautiful home with classic lines and historic beauty.

Rumor has it Kanye West & Kim Kardashian just purchased this love nest for $11,000,000.00 in a gated Bel Air, California community. Condo fees are $903.00 per month, which considering the sale price is pretty cheap. I just sold a $285,000.00 condo with condo fees that were $300.00 per month, so in comparison, Kim is doing pretty good on the condo fees. Their condo fees also include the 24 hour ARMED GUARDS that patrol the gated community. It’s brand new construction  has 5 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, and rounds out at a pathetic 37,000 square feet (just for a point of reference, THE WHITE HOUSE is 55,000 square feet). This house is gargantuan, which is probably a good choice considering you’d have to live in it with Kanye West and a screaming child, which are basically one in the same. Here’s the address if you want to Google Map it :11790 SOUTHAMPTON Ct, Bel Air, CA 90077.  

What a dump.

Back of the house

front

Personally, I'd pick a lighter granite. But Personally, I don't have 11 million.

My Grandma called she wants her kitchen vent back. Woof.

Ok that head board is ridiculous.

Beautiful floors

Living room

LOVE THIS ROOM!

For 11 million, you'd think you'd get a little more land and privacy from the neighbors.