Jessica and Jennifer: A Beverly Hills House Makeover

Remember this house?

It was all over the internet and blogs about three years ago.

It was owned by Jessica Simpson and listed for sale for around 7 million.

Guess who purchased it?

Actress Jennifer Lawrence

You can read about the prior owners in a post I wrote here

 What is really interesting today, is how it is now decorated.

 I'm pretty sure I know what everyone is going to say 

about it's young Hollywood makeover

The house from the street. 

 Very private, gated, really large secluded yard, all the things one would need 

to escape those crazy ass paparazzi

Ironically I believe the house was built in 1990 by Kerry Joyce which is the same year that Jennifer Lawrence was born!

When Jessica Simpson owned the house she hired super talented and cool, Rachael Ashwell to decorate it for her after the birth of her first child

I really loved it but thought it was lacking a little in the owners personal style,

 which a house like this house should have and did have with some of the prior owners.

Gorgeous entry 

 Beautiful living room.  I love the drapery in here.

Rachael chose beautiful soft pastel rugs throughout the house 

and added all of the chandeliers 

 Another view.  All of the lighting looks very Rachel Ashwell 

and remains in the house today

Ok....hold on to your corn cobs chickens....

 oh no...really?

stunned

 Well?  What do you think?

You get a little peek a boo view of the entry and stair case to the left of the photo.

I really like hummingbirds...but that guy scares me.

Rug? Pillows? 

Artwork?

Accessories? Flowers?

I honestly do not understand the furniture choices here given the style of the house, 

which was described as French

They left the beautiful antique chandelier and added odd sconces 

I realize art is very subjective but it all looks very out of context here

Here is another shot of the same room prior to Jessica.   

Really beautifully classic and timeless.

Does this room look dated to you?  

Maybe a tad stuffy for a 26 year old but still beautiful

Here is Rachael's simple but elegant dining room.  

Love the drapery and lighting

I know I know

Can we all have good cry now!

This entire room is just terribly uninviting and odd.

 I don't care how good the food is 

this would give me an upset stomach if I sat here too long.

...Ok so moving right along

Master bedroom: Jessica and Rachael

Master: Prior owner

Master:  Jennifer.

What is interesting is the lighting looks wonderful here and someone added all the ornate French molding and plaster details which is pretty.

 Interesting that there are no rugs.

I can't tell if this room is French inspired or modern or what.  

Maybe Marie Antoinette 2015?

Another large guest room

Thoughts?

 The kitchen got a makeover too. 

This is the before kitchen

And today.

This has all been re-worked and beautifully updated. 

 But I have to say I loved the simplicity of the old kitchen too

This was the en-suite master bath pre Jessica 

and it is gorgeous.

Today

 This actually is the same bathroom but they are so different looking.

I'm just not sure about this bathroom.  The stone is beautiful but it really has lost 

the personality of the older bathroom.  

And why change out the tub?

The property itself it really beautiful and has so much Beverly Hills charm.

So here were the nagging questions while I was writing this:  

First I couldn't find any reference to a designer anywhere.

All of the photos of the new interiors were on "Celebrity House" features

 on a few digital magazine sites.

Why was the house photographed but not really staged properly?

Here's what I dug up...Jennifer Lawrence actually purchased it from another owner

 not Jessica Simpson.

Someone purchased it from Jessica, re-decorated it and Jennifer Lawrence then purchased it from that owner completely furnished.

Which is another reason it sold for about a million and change more 

than what Jessica got for it.

This seems to happen a lot with celebrities and most end up re-decorating.

So lets just hope that she hires a great LA Decorator  

and gets it right!

Who should she pick?
I have a few suggestions....!

We're rooting for you Jennifer!

Welcome

A lot of thought goes into a personal space and a blog is just that.

Somewhere in the last year my blog morphed into something I didn't recognize.
I kept editing the look, taking away one week and adding back another.
I enjoyed writing again and then I'd quit for a while, taking yet again, another month off to see if I really wanted to do this anymore.

I read an article a while back about a hugely popular couple who stopped blogging.
Their blog was called Young House Love and they went on to write two books, designed home goods for Target, had two kids, renovated 4 houses and yes they managed to stay married.

You can read it here

Their's is a blog burnout story in the extreme but I think we can all relate.
When something we really like doing ends up consuming way to much of our time and energy, it starts to diminish the reason we wanted to do it to begin with.

So anyway, I think it was good to step away and re-think.
I also have a whole new living situation, so creatively speaking I'm doing a lot less of the things I posted about over the last 5 years.

But here is the creative and interesting up side to blogging:

You get to share the things that really interest you,

even your quirks and flaws,
the pretty stuff AND the gum on the bottom of your shoe.

 It really is the daily stuff of life,
  sometimes, often, always a bit sugar coated.

Hey that's just the nature of blogging, you can edit out the stuff
that is not all that glamorous or fun.
Nobody really wants to read about your flat tire
or the gross sandwich you ate from the back of the fridge any way!

So simply put...

blogging is not a job, at least for me. 

 I try to keep it in perspective 

and try not to take myself all that seriously.

The blog now has a new look and a re-launch of sorts.
There are a ton of things I want to share and talk about,
much of which
will be different from things in the past.

I do hope to post more often but not so that it becomes a chore.
Daily photos on Instagram is a great way to fill in the gaps
and you can follow along
here

As for the re-design, wow are there a bunch of
wonderful looking blogs these days.

I wanted to have everything from the last 6 years in one place 

and easier to navigate 

 I redesigned  a $15 dollar purchased template to make it more my own,
which was a bit challenging, but again a creative process I wanted to try by myself.

I suppose you could call it a blog re-model!
I am still adding things and re-working all of the content
and links so bear with me.

My sincere thanks to all of you who have followed along 

and endured the endless gardening posts and crazy lamp projects.
I honestly astounds me that you take time out of your day to read my ramblings.

I hope to keep the little spark going...at least for a little longer

The Kitchen Considered: The English Scullery & Cooks Kitchen

 It was sad to see Downton Abbey come to an end wasn't it?

The sets, the costumes and wonderful characters 

It really was a beautifully filmed and written series
and is a seriously fun "binge" if you like to do that sort of thing on a rainy Sunday.
I do!

It is amazing what you see 

when you watch it for a second (or third) time
Notice that each guest has 4 glasses...the poor scullery maid!

Much of the storyline was shared at dinner or at luncheon

Love the candles and the pine cones scattered on the table. 

 I think this was a pheasant hunt scene.

 Just as much of the drama would often unfold in the kitchen or scullery which 

was equally authentic and beautiful as the main house

Scullery kitchens were the rooms primarily for washing dishes and laundry.  While we never saw an actual scullery, the main kitchen at Downton served as both, at least for television.

Most scullery's had large sinks, smelly wet floors and problems with sanitation.  

The spread of illness and contamination from poultry, game, grease and waste in the sinks 

prompted the development of new white porcelain sinks with both hot and cold running water.  

The floors were usually brick, stone or terra-cotta which was less absorbent.  

The scullery maid would stand on slatted wood mats near the sink 

to prevent standing in the slop created from household waste 

and huge quantities of dirty water.

Copper, crockery, plate racks, work tables and storage shelves were all common in the scullery room,

I for one, love the look of a commercial working kitchen.  

They seem both industrial and warm at the same time.  

They are also usually filled with pots and pans 

and tend to have very open sight lines for obvious reasons

So how do we translate the scullery kitchen and the commercial kitchen in design terms, into our modern homes filled with technology and new fixtures and still create 

 a nice place for the dogs to take a nap at your feet?

The Downton kitchen created for television.  

That table!!!!!

They used very moody grey and brown paint colors with natural wood tones 

The kitchen was most likely designed to appear below level as most scullery's were 

to keep the smell away from the main house.

The light pouring through the window is wonderful but in reality 

they were probably pretty dark and dingy. 

Another historic English service area

Audley End House circa 1880

*notice the wood mats

And now a modern English kitchen circa 2016 

Its all there: the copper, wood, stone and the beautiful scullery table. 

 Even a touch of black like the 1880's kitchen above

Amazing the similarities when you compare them side by side!

Another beauty with white and stone and a mix of different metals and the burgundy AGA stove.

(love those chairs....! )

Plain English Kitchen Design

The English center island takes the place of the scullery work table

I love the small sink to the right with the double faucet.

Minimal and modern...Mrs Patmore would like it here!

AGA stove, wood work area, metal, warm grey painted cabinets...pretty!

I think this kitchen is stunning and has all the elements of a scullery cooks kitchen. 

 While the work surface is large the cooking area is relatively small.  

I have read that most professional chefs  prefer a small work space.

 Notice all of the stuff on the bottom island shelf.  

This actually makes me want to buy copper again

note to self:  don't 

Beautiful honed stone used on the counters and for the shelving and bracket.  

A wonderful idea if you have the extra $$$ for the fabrication

love this mix of elements and the two sinks...small for prep and large for dishes

 This kitchen is in a home now owned by Jennifer Lawrence.  

This is a great small kitchen and it  looks like a kitchen for someone who likes to cook.

Really pretty and designed quite a few years ago.

*notice the grey and cream stone floor and the old pine pieces along with wood, 

stainless and a brass faucet

Beautiful and sleek.  

I would love to see a huge pine scullery work table in this space

Minimal and small but very warm feeling.  Again, I could see a big pine kitchen table off to the side with comfy seating and a spot for doing homework or working on the computer.

English kitchen design by Devol

I love this design and it has a bit of a farmhouse feel

Many of these English kitchen have SMEG refrigerators 

which are really small by American standards but I like them.

An interesting mix of black stain and sleek counters 

with free standing storage.  

The Biergartens table takes the place of the English work table.

Plain English Kitchen Design

The big center island or work table is seen in almost every English kitchen

Love the earthy white hand troweled plaster with the white marble

Tyler Florence kitchen of the year for House Beautiful circa 2011

I added this photo because Tyler is a chef and restauranteur and the center island is 14 feet long!

Personally I think there is too much black but its still interesting and the pot rack makes it!

cook, work, eat, love

Conran Shop UK

Somewhere along the way these commercial inspired kitchens start to morph into a more urban loft looking space

like Meg Ryan's kitchen in the Hamptons.

IKEA

March Pantry, San Francisco

Incredible selection of housewares as well as custom working islands

Studio DB in Tribeca 

~loft meets bling~ 

Snidero Loft
Italian design meets industrial

 A few more peeks at the Downton kitchen.
 The copper lined sink in the back of the photo was to prevent pottery from breaking
because of the soft give to the metal.

 All of the food served including cheese, milk and vegetables as well as game,most like came from the estate farms.  It was the true farm to table, organic life.
Mrs Patmore purchased flour, spices and specialty items but never much more.

 Daisy on her cell phone.
Love the little egg crate and all the pottery

 Ivy was the actual scullery maid at Downton

 She was often seen scrubbing and cleaning
when not canoodling with the male servants

 ~Love blossoming in the scullery~

More kitchen design on the menu

see you soon
xo