Celebrity Home of the Week: Dorothy Dandridge's Former Home

Earlier this week, we featured Dorothy Dandridge's former L.A. home located just off the Sunset Strip. To put it simply, we LOVE it! It's our Celebrity Home of the Week!

Now we'll just sit back and imagine ourselves lounging in the tub, staring out at this spectacular California view:

Ciao!

Real Housewives of Atlanta: Kandi's Crib Revisited!

Earlier this week, we showed you a video of Kandi Burruss as she showed off her home in Fayetteville, Georgia.  As you know, we HATED it!  But, alas, some of our readers didn't have the opportunity to watch the video and were left in the dark!  Well, somebody must have been listening because the Atlanta Journal Constitution just posted a piece featuring Kandi's house with a bunch of PHOTOS!

Here's the simple exterior (which would be really quaint with a paint job and better landscaping):

Once inside, you see that the foyer is done up with crap that all apparently came from the same "new age" furniture store:

Actually we like the wallpaneling in the living room and the soft colors of the sofa and ottoman in the living room:

And the bedrooms?  More new age furniture!  Below is Kandi's master bedroom.  Which is worse, the tray ceiling or that bench?  Wrong color choices.  Wrong everything!

Her daughter's room is . . . well . . . .

Oh yeah, here's a bathroom for good measure:

To Kandi's credit, she says in the article that she does not believe in spending a lot of money (obviously!).  We LOVE that and it's part of the reason why she's our favorite cast member.  She's a lovely person and almost too sensible to even be on the show.

Still, we think Kandi's interior designer should have stopped her from filling up her home with all that court jester's furniture that popped up in the late 1990's/early 2000's and quickly went out of style.

All photos by Sean Drakes/AJC.  To see more photos, go here.

Scott Stapp's Boca Raton Florida Mansion

UPDATE - Scott Stapp's Boca Raton Mansion for Sale "Scott Stapp and Jaclyn Nesheiwat have listed for sale an eight-bedroom, 3.5-bath home at 8812 Twin Lake Dr. in Boca Raton for $4.4 million. Stapp and Nesheiwat acquired the house for $4.995 million in March 2006. The 13,357-square-foot house in the Whisper Walk neighborhood was built in 2006. Katrina S. Campins of the Campins Co. Luxary Real Estate is the listing agent for the house. He received a degree in music from Valencia Community College. He also attended Western Kentucky University and Vol State Community College. Nesheiwat is a beauty pageant contestant and the winner of Mrs. Florida America 2008 as well as Miss New York USA 2004." Scott Stapp's, from Creed Boca Raton Mansion is pretty nice. Scott Stapp previously had a huge home in Orlando, Florida area for several years but relocated to Miami Beach in 2005. Stapp settled into a $5 million waterfront home in the La Gorce subdivision and also owned a nearly $3 million condo. On February 10, 2006, Scott Stapp married Miss New York USA 2004 winner Jaclyn Nesheiwat. Soon after the marriage, Stapp purchased a $5 million, two-story home in Boca Raton, Florida. The home offers seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, tennis court, swimming pool and spa. Boca Raton is located approximately 30 miles north of Miami Beach. In March of 2007, Stapp had listed both of his Miami Beach residences for sale and moved to this Boca Raton Mansion. He recently made news when his wife Jaclyn Stapp called the police saying Scott Stapp was “on drugs and pot. There is a lot of pot in the house"

Real Housewives of Atlanta: Dwight Eubanks (The Sixth Housewife) at Home

Okay, so we sorta got lazy and fell off on our posts about the Real Housewives of Atlanta.  Let us just throw this one in about Dwight Eubanks --The Unofficial Sixth Housewife.  Dwight, a hair stylist who also served as the director of Sheree Whitfield's fashion show this season.  He's rumored to be getting his own reality show soon.

Photographer Sean Drakes of the Atlanta Journal Constitution toured Dwight's Atlanta home recently.  As flamboyant as Dwight is, we expected his home to be completely over the top.

Well, we were wrong!  He lives in a largely traditional home with traditional decor.  We grabbed a few of the best interior shots just to show you.

Aside from perhaps having a little too much furniture, his living room (shown below and in top photo) is certainly pleasant enough.

And every once in a while, you can glimpse something ultra-chic like these lamps, also in the living room:

Or this carved bedframe in his master bedroom:

We actually really like the knole settee and drum coffee table in the lounge off the master bedroom:

And who doesn't love a pool? 

The pool area looks like a really nice place to throw a party, especially if Dwight eliminated that loose pile of fabric and pillows (presumably a lounging spot).

The bottom line is, it looks like Dwight just moved into a newly built home.  He probably decorated it himself without the help of a designer.  Of course, we wouldn't make those same design choices; we all have our own individual tastes. 

Surprisingly, his style sometimes leans toward the "grandma's house" look.  To freshen things up, we'd lose the white walls, frilly bed linens, at least one of the victorian sofas in the living room, and most of the gold accents.  We'd also consider adding a rug and a larger coffee table in the living room, and modern window treatments throughout the house. 

Otherwise, we think he did a pretty okay job--especially considering he's a hair stylist and not a so-called "Real Housewife."

If you want to check out the rest of the photos, go here.

Dancing with the Stars' Samantha Harris is Selling Her L.A. Home

What's UP with us and spanish mediterranean houses these days?!!!  First it was Meg Ryan's house, then Christina Ricci's, then James Franco's, then Dorothy Dandridge's.  Now the co-host of Dancing with the Stars, Samantha Harris, has gone and put hers up for sale too!

Okay, so it's not as glamorous as the others, but we love the exterior.  And it's not as pricey as the others either!  Located on a great street in Westwood, the newly remodeled 4 BR/3.5 BA home carries an asking price of $1.595 million.

For that amount, you get less than 3000 sq. ft. and no foyer.  But you do get wood beams on the ceiling, arched openings and a dining room with a raised floor:

As for the remodeling work, we don't see anything particularly special.  But it's not objectionable either.

MORE PHOTOS after the jump!!!

The kitchen looks nicely done, though unremarkable:

Samantha (pictured in the top photo with her DWTS co-host Tom Bergeron) shares this house with her husband and their 2yo daughter.  Naturally, the most charming room is their daughter's:

The master bedroom and bath are terrific too:

So it looks like Samantha and her family prefer a largely traditional decor.  We like that.  She can save all the glamour for those lovely gowns she wears on DWTS! 

Tell us, do you think her home should be a little more glamorous?

Top photo by Bob D'amichi/ABC.  For more info on the listing and more photos, go here.  Thanks Aerial Dave!

Dorothy Dandridge's Former Home Up For Sale

We just learned that the former home of the beautiful and legendary screen star Dorothy Dandridge is for sale.  Like James Franco's home, it is a GORGEOUS 3BR/4.5BA Spanish mediterranean located just off L.A.'s Sunset Strip--almost as gorgeous as Dorothy herself!  The current owner is asking $3.495 million.

Above is the terrace located just off the dining room.  Because we didn't care for the decor in the dining or living room, we skipped showing them to you. 

Instead, we want to show you the master bedroom, closet and bathroom below:

Take note all you so-called ballers out there, THIS is how you ball!  Prime real estate, beautiful architectural details, and spectacular features like a terrace off your closet and a stunning view from your tub!

Oh yeah, the kitchen is lovely too! 

See the kitchen and MORE PHOTOS after the jump!

Just lovely!

All in all, we'd say Dorothy's house is giving James Franco's similarly-priced house a serious run for the money!  It's certainly our first contender for Celebrity House of the Week!

So, readers, which house is better Dorothy Dandridge's or James' Franco's?

For a slideshow with MANY more photos, check out the listing here.  Hat tip to Luxist and the L.A. Times!

Hey Steve Harvey, Hope it Wasn't Something We Said . . .

Last week, we reported on Steve Harvey's monstrous house that's up for sale.  This week, he gave a tearful testimony to Donnie McClurkin, saying that Internet bloggers are spreading evil rumors and that he's "goin' through something."  Okay, we doubt he was referring to us, but we wonder what demons he's dealing with.  And are they in that house?

Real Housewives of Atlanta: Kandi's Crib

This week we're profiling the homes of the cast of Bravo's Real Housewives of Atlanta.  Today, we have the home of Grammy award winning singer/songwriter Kandi Burruss, the newest cast member on the show.  She's a single mom living in Fayetteville, Georgia, an up-and-coming southern suburb of Atlanta.  She made headline news recently when her ex-fiance Ashley "AJ" Jewell--who was an integral part of the show--was killed while outside an Atlanta strip club.  (Bossip has emerging details on that story.)

We dug up this video tour of Kandi's home on Bravo's website:


YUCK!!! WE HATE IT!  As talented as she is in the music world, Kandi doesn't have a lick of talent for decorating her home.  We couldn't find one redeeming feature in it!  Somebody get a decorator in there quick!

Tell us!  Do you think she needs to hire an interior designer?

Real Housewives of Atlanta: Kim Zolciak at Home

In case you missed it, Bravo aired the season finale of Real Housewives of Atlanta this weekend.  So we figured now would be a good time to feature the homes of the cast members of the show.  First up, the home of singer Kim "Tardy for the Party" Zolciak (pictured in her bedroom above). 

If you watch the show, then you know that Kim is NOT a housewife.  She's the divorced mother of two girls and the side piece of a married man she refers to as "Big Poppa."   He is allegedly caking her with riches so she can live the life of a pampered housewife.

So we were surprised (okay, not really!) to find that Kim lives in a fairly ordinary townhouse in Duluth, a somewhat affluent suburb of Atlanta.

We realize that reality stars are not highly paid actors, so we don't expect them to all live in fancy homes.  The thing is, Real Housewives is supposed to be about upscale women who already have money to support a lavish lifestyle. 

There's nothing particularly lavish about the exterior of Kim's home (above).

So what about the inside?

See the INSIDE PHOTOS after the jump!!!

While the inside isn't lavish either, we find it to be a pleasant and tasteful home.  We like the black painted coffered ceiling:

That same ceiling stretches into her kitchen, which is also nice enough:

Okay, we find her dining room to be a bit furniture showroom-ish, with its unused Versace china on display:

Likewise for her bedroom, as seen in the top photo and this one below:

Though we like the tufted bench, we think her room looks uncoordinated and a little crowded too, like she went to one store and bought everything she saw there.

Her daughters' rooms are a bit more thoughtful-looking.  They are modest and girly-sweet:

Looks like, despite her over-the-top persona, Kim provides her family with a simple, traditional lifestyle.  We think that's terrific--and it's more than we can say for some of the others!

All photos by Sean Drakes/Atlanta Journal Constitution.  For more photos, go here.

What's in store for you

Welcome to my kitchen remodel blog! If you’re here hoping to get an idea of what’s involved in a kitchen renovation then you’re certainly in the right place. This project was my first attempt at having a kitchen remodeled and it was quite a learning experience. I hope this blog can help other first timers, or anyone out there looking for ideas on layout, cabinets, lighting and everything else that is involved in a kitchen remodel. This project was a collaboration between myself and Greentea Design, a Toronto-based company that carries a very unique line of Asian-inspired cabinetry that I completely fell in love with. They were instrumental in the creation of what turned out to be my dream kitchen.

I’d like to give a breakdown of what sort of topics I covered throughout the remodel process on this blog. To begin I explained how terrible the kitchen was when I moved in and included photos to demonstrate the extent of it’s horrid state.



I provided hand-drawn sketches to Greentea of the layout I wanted and they produced digital 3-dimensional images of what the kitchen would look like with the cabinets and all the fixtures I chose.



There were a few posts after this where I let readers in on all the purchases I had made for crucial kitchen elements like appliances, lighting, countertop, sink and plenty others.



Demolition began, which was mainly executed by my boyfriend and I. That was a lot of fun (and work, but it was SO satisfying).



The kitchen needed to be completely gutted (more so than I had anticipated) so there were a couple of posts explaining what needed to happen and how I had the space modified to accommodate the cabinets.



The flooring was a bit of an odd choice, and I explained my selection and the process of getting the flooring done in time for the arrival of the cabinets.



The cabinets arrived, to my delight, and with them came my amazement at how easy it is to “install” free-standing cabinetry.



I included a post about the installation of all the light fixtures I had selected earlier on in the process. This was one of my favourite stages as my previous kitchen was severely lacking adequate lighting.



The countertop was installed and I was able to snap a few photos during this process.



I then blogged about some of the finishing touches made to the kitchen (placement of accessories, the hatch that was created to access the basement…).



In my last couple of posts I expressed my utter disbelief at how amazing the cabinetry was at allowing me to finally have an organized kitchen (with the help of 25 drawers!!). I also blogged about my delight at finding the perfect dining table (and explained why the first one that I had built didn’t work out).



For photos of the final product.....well, come see for yourself in the many posts below. ;)

Celebrity House of the Week: James Franco's Hollywood Chateau

Listen up, all you James Franco-philes out there!  The sexy star seen in Milk, Pineapple Express, and the Spider-Man flicks has placed his gorgeous chateau on the Sunset Strip up for sale.  This right-sized 3BR/3.5BA house has 4,000 sq. ft. and comes with city views.  The asking price for this Hollywood beauty (No, not him!) is $3,695,000.

The master bedroom study above offers a glimpse of the city views as well as the type of decor and architectural details found throughout the house.   We'll show you the master bedroom in a little bit.

There are plenty of other wonderful lounging areas too.  Perhaps even too many!  Here are a couple:

The kitchen and dining areas are also nice:

But we like the bathrooms even better:

The bottom photo is of the master bath.

See MASTER BEDROOM & MORE PHOTOS after the jump!!!

Here are couple of shots of the master bedroom.  Notice there's yet another lounge area!

Last but not least, we have a few photos of the back porch, yard, and pool.  Yes, there's yet another lounge area steps from the back yard!

We love this house!  It is our Celebrity House of the Week.  All in all, it's just a terrific home.  We're guessing it won't be on the market long.

These days, it seems as if almost every house for sale that we choose as our Celebrity House of the Week is awash in a sea of white.  We're starting to wonder whether real estate agents are all just staging these houses this way to emphasize the architecture.  Don't get us wrong, it works!  And it certainly beats that stale budget catalog furniture look usually offered up by home stagers.

For more photos --yes there are MANY more -- go here.  Hat tip to Trulia.