As the first impression a visitor receives, the front door is arguably one of the most important pieces of your home. Whenever you’re rushing to get out the door, walking back in from a long day or inviting guests in, the front door should be a reflection of you and your style.

Photo courtesy of Urban Front

The glass around this front door also works to bring a modern flair. Both doors are conversation pieces for the home, inviting you and your guests in. 

For a more comfortable and warm approach, look toward different materials and textures. This rustic wooden door establishes an inviting atmosphere, and the dramatic lights add a striking feature. The distinctly modern approach paired with the rustic wood creates the perfect balance.

Photo courtesy of Garden Trading

Brick walls, although historically having a more industrial style, have become a trend in luxury apartments and homes. The rustic appearance, regardless of the colors, shapes or textures, can add a beautiful backdrop to any room.

Photo courtesy of LisaSarah

When it comes to the industrial design, however, balance is key. This style can be either perfected or overdone with brick walls. Soft fabrics on the furniture, found in this apartment, create the perfect confluence of style and comfort. If the bricks are only on one wall of the room, pair the other walls with large and industrial-style windows. They not only bring in a flood of natural light, but add the finishing touch to the trendy style.

Photo courtesy of Woodchip and Magnolia

Photo courtesy of Wallsauce

Inman News names Joyce Rey, a Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Property Specialist affiliated with the Beverly Hills South office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, to the inaugural Golden I Hall of Fame, the highest honor in luxury real estate presented to the top luxury agents and brokers in the United States.

No stranger to success, Rey is designated one of “The Los Angeles 500 Most Influential People” by the Los Angeles Business Journal, named the “First Lady of Luxury Real Estate” by the Chinese media, described as the “Billionaire’s Broker” by Luxury Real Estate and called the “Grand Dame of Real Estate” by the Los Angeles Times. She is also ranked in the Top 20 Luxury Brokers in L.A. County by “The Real Deal” Los Angeles. Passionate about helping others, she serves on the Southern California Executive Board for UNICEF, the Los Angeles Library Foundation Advisory Board and the Coldwell Banker Community Foundation Board. She has also is a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization and served on the Board of the Blue Ribbon Support Group for the Music Center.

Fall is in full swing in many parts of the U.S., and that means planning as many seasonal activities you can before the falling leaves are replaced by falling snow. Although it may already seem like it’s a little too cold for camping in some regions, the idyllic outdoorsy experience may still await. 

If you would like to heighten your camping adventures, consider looking into a trend that allows for all the things that make camping enjoyable, but with less work for you. 

Glamping, or “glam camping,” brings the comforts of staying in a luxury hotel to the outdoors. Companies such as Collective Retreats and Under Canvas are doing just that. 

Collective Retreats

With diverse locations across the country, Collective Retreats offers various options for people seeking an authentic and unique experience. The company’s goal is that each person gets the chance to create their own “Traveler’s Mark,” a mark that represents the individual and them as a traveler. 

For a traditional campground feeling, check out Collective Hill Country location in Wimberley, Texas. The retreat is located on Montesino Ranch, a 225-acre sustainable and eco-friendly area overlooking picturesque valleys, canyons and mountains. There are plenty of dining options and activities, including s’mores around a campfire and horseback riding. 

Each tent accommodation has its own amenities including French Press Coffee, in-tent spa services and private decks. Enjoy waking up to a Texas sunrise and gaze at the stars during a cool night in one of your private tents. 

Photos courtesy of Collective Retreats. 

If you’re looking to escape to the outdoors, but want to have a feeling of city-living, book a stay at Collective Governors Island in New York, N.Y. The company’s latest retreat, the Island provides guests with famous skyline of Manhattan’s lower side. Venture out of your tent to popular parks, the Brooklyn area or Lower Manhattan. 

Collective Retreat provides guests the option for a Farm-to-Table dinner that features sustainably sourced seafood and fresh produce from the Urban Farm that is located on the Island. Yoga and private boat tours around the city make this location special. 

Under Canvas

National Parks put nature on display and Under Canvas allows guests to stay within or near their natural beauty. The luxury adventure glamping company took inspiration from African safaris. With that in mind, the founders of Under Canvas combined the safari tent with lush amenities, still keeping the rustic atmosphere.

Photo courtesy of TheNomadicPeople.

With most of the camps being near National Parks, there’s one that is sure to create a memorable time. Each spot features multiple luxury tent options for people to choose from, each with their own individual comforts, such as a viewing window above the tent’s bed for stargazing before bed.

Glamping near Utah’s  Zion National Park borders the park and is located on 196-acres. The breathtaking famous red rocks of Zion provide the back-drop for the trip. Guests’ adventures include hiking trails, rock climbing and canyoneering. Wind down with you own in-tent massage and enjoy the extensive meal options provided. 

Explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park and be in awe at its natural beauty, bordering North Carolina and Tennessee. Go on a guided hike with a park expert or take the opportunity to tour the park from a helicopter view. Get a view of the mountains from the roaring white rapids or zipline from the mountain tops. There’s no shortage of exhilarating experiences here. 

Photos courtesy of Paul Joyner.

Featured photo courtesy of Collective Retreats. 

Colors, materials and the overall aesthetics often take the spot-light, while functionality takes a back seat. But storage, organization and tech-enabled appliances are as much the heart of kitchens today as cabinets and hardware. 

As the overall look for kitchens becomes more cohesive, functionality might be even more important, as maintaining a sleek aesthetic requires a subtle integration of storage and dedicated zones for everything from baking to beverages. Equally transformative is a growing array of tech enhancements that promise real value for consumers. All of which ensure the most beautiful kitchen also will be up to the tasks required of the hardest-working room in the home.

“Regardless of the size of the kitchen, the main design challenge is to balance space given to appliances, storage and work surfaces,” says Mary Jo Peterson, an award-winning author, educator and designer and president of Mary Jo Peter-son Inc.

“It’s a functional area and how your work in the kitchen is an important consideration,” says Stephanie Pierce, director of design and trends at MasterBrand Cabinets. Especially with high-end clients, she says, designers’ conversations have evolved to be more about lifestyle than appearance and style preferences. This all ties into the shift toward personalization of both aesthetics and function in homes.

In the last 10 years, she says, the industry as a whole has tripled the storage solutions offered to consumers. Additionally, there is a much greater focus on customization and adaptation for specific uses, which enables consumers to create the amount and the type of storage uniquely geared toward their use of the kitchen and their lifestyle. As an example, Pierce points to a cabinet designed specifically for dry goods. “That’s not something we would have seen five or six years ago. We would have tried to do something that was much more versatile and generic that could work with anyone’s objective.”

Amping up the need for enhanced storage and organization is an ongoing change in kitchen design. Several years ago, Pierce says, they identified an emerging trend of adding add light to kitchens with more windows and fewer walls. The end result? Storage moved to base cabinetry and, more recently, to floor to ceiling cabinets. Pull-out drawers offer the most versatility, according to Pierce, and recent research shows 79 percent of designers identified wide drawers as the top kitchen feature.

Kitchens have not only become a main place to entertain, but also a hub for a range of activities from charging devices to home-work to functioning as a home office. This is not a new trend, but Annelle Gandelman of A-List Interiors says, “lately, more peo-ple have been asking for dedicated spaces within the kitchen that cater to guests specifically. We get a lot of requests for coffee bars, butler’s pantries, and even breakfast bars filled with specialty appliances integrated into the cabinetry.”

Phil Kean sees a bar for liquor and wine gaining interest among consumers, which also moves some entertaining into areas adjacent to the kitchen. The New American Home 2019, a concept house designed and built for the home builders’ annual trade show, featured a large bar situated between the kitchen and great room that functioned both inside and outside the home. This year, Thermador introduced a dishwasher just for glasses. Kean says it’s interesting to see an appliance with such a specific function. “I think we’re going to see that more often. People might want to have a second dish-washer in their bar.”

Dedicated spaces for entertaining, such as this wine cabinet, please both hosts and guests, easing congestion in the main kitchen. Photo courtesy of Masterbrand Cabinets. 

“Convenience is luxury,” observes Gendelman. Motorization is a convenience, particularly in contemporary kitchens, where cabinet doors, even some appliances, open in response to a slight push. Additionally, manufacturers have introduced a range of ways to open cabinets, including doors that tilt upwards, allowing users to leave cabinets open without interfering with traffic patterns.

Consumers also see the value of technology as a way to create convenience. In research from the National Kitchen and Bath Association, 72 percent of consumers believe technology “adds market value to my home.” “Saves me time and steps” was perceived as a main benefit of kitchen technology by 70 percent of those surveyed. A majority also said kitchen tech is important because “it makes my life easier.”

In this research, consumers outpaced designers in their enthusiasm for and understanding of technology. There was strong approval and interest in smart appliances and tech solutions that enable consumers to control various aspects of the home from the kitchen, as well as solutions that make meal ideas/preparation easier and more enjoyable. Very appealing tech features for a large majority of consumers include appliances/faucets that send remote failure/leak alerts; cooking appliances that sense over-cooking or being left on; hands-free faucets with Wi-Fi interconnectivity; appliances that can be activated remotely; and sensors that can monitor/communicate food inventories in your cabinets.

Now you see it, now you don’t. It’s the messy kitchen. Cabinet doors open to a second space for prep, storage and even cooking. Photos courtesy of Masterbrand Cabinets.

For consumers, the timing might be right. Smart-home technology has changed in only a few years, moving from a nice-but-quirky gadget to something worthwhile. “Smart is the new green” was the consensus of a trio of kitchen design exerts speaking at KBIS.

Ryan Herd is a tech veteran, NKBA industry insider and author of Join the Smart Home Revolution. He sees technology finally turning the corner, moving from a nice-to-have gadget to something offering real value to consumers. “Things are knitted together better” is his take on the cur-rent state of technology for the home and also for kitchens. Knitting together refers to ways different applications, devices and even appliances work together to produce outcomes consumers find beneficial. Some, such as the number of cooking apps integrated into appliances (highlighted at KIBS this year), are already in the marketplace. Others are on the cusp of being introduced. Appliance manufacturer Miele introduced Con@ctivity 2.0, which connects an induction cooktop with a ventilation hood. When the cooktop is turned on, the information is transmitted to the hood, which turns on. It continues to run for a few minutes after cooking is completed and then automatically turns off.

Bosch, along with Thermador and Gaggenau, introduced a line-up of voice assistants, all part of their smart, open-platform Home Connect. “All within one app, Home Connect empowers consumers to personalize the way they interact with appliances through any number of our partners and services, such as waking up to a fresh cup of coffee each day when the alarm goes off, setting the lights to flash when the washing machine cycle is finished, or selecting a recipe that will communicate with the oven to ensure it’s utilizing the right program and temperature for optimal results,” said Patrick Palacio, director of innovations for Home Connect. Partners includer Kitchen Stories, Drop and Innit. Chefling is the first AI powered kitchen assistant that provides pantry management, online shopping and recipe instruction.

Whirlpool won innovation awards at CES this year, including an innovation award in the Smart Home category for Kitchen Aid’s Smart Oven+, which includes grilling, baking and steaming within one appliance. The KitchenAid App gives status updates, and through the Yummly app users can send cooking instructions directly to the appliance. Voice control via Alexa or Google Home is another innovation.

Designers and manufacturers are look-ing for ways to remove the tangle of cords when multiple devices are being charged. Look for more ways to plug-in, with sockets and charging areas that pop up from countertops or can be installed in drawers. And also to not plug-in, using materials that charge wirelessly, such as a countertop material recently introduced by Corian.

Connectivity also means a manufacturer can detect a problem with an appliance, sometimes even before the consumer does. Herd uses the example of a wine refrigerator that has all the functions one would expect but also includes an app to scan the bottles and maintain an inventory. It has social aspects to facilitate collaboration with friends. The app also enables the manufacturer to monitor the compressor and other mechanical elements and alert consumers (along with scheduling service) if there is a problem, which Herd says is particularly valuable if you are storing $100 bottles of wine.

Winning a top award from NKBA was Flo by Moen, which detects and stops leaks from toilets, showers and faucets, to the pipes in the foundation and behind the walls. Not only does the device alert consumers to leaks, but it can then also turn off the water remotely.

In the not-too-distant future, a smart refrigerator will not only allow you to remotely see what’s inside, it will also keep an inventory that is updated every time something is added or removed. Eventually, cabinets will have a similar capability. “That’s where you get the stitching together,” says Herd. In the next step, the entire kitchen knows everything. Apps will not only keep track of what’s on hand, but they will also make meal suggestions and possibly tailor those suggestions to any specific preferences or even the allergies of guests.

Kitchens and appliances are long-term investments, and some might be reluctant to invest in technology. However, for upscale consumers it’s easy to envision a time when the convenience afforded by technology will far outweigh the cost.

Photo courtesy of Lights4Fun

1. Spooky Decorations

 A Halloween party wouldn’t live up to its name without the classic decorations. Orange and black are the go-to colors, while a pop of purple can be just what the setup needs. Add lanterns, candles and spooky lights for the perfect composition sure to charm your guests. Pumpkin lanterns also add the perfect seasonal decoration. The orange hues bring a warm and inviting light into the space to make your guests feel comfortable.

Photo courtesy of La Residence Interiors

3. Prepping for Thanksgiving

Halloween decorations don’t always have to be spooky, though. Add more seasonal options with a cornucopia and a beautiful arrangement of flowers. This way, the decorations can be up well into November and for Thanksgiving as well. These assortments of flowers, haystacks and pumpkins offer a charming composition sure to turn heads during the holiday season.

In luxury apartment buildings and community residences, amenities are everything. Without a vast array of opportunities for residents to live in the ultimate luxury, the quality drops. With this in mind, developments have been finding new and creative ways to elevate the standard of luxury living when it comes to amenities — and it’s through art itself.

Photo courtesy of LoveWell Creative

The luxury Manhattan condo 277 Fifth Avenue, in partnership with the global luxury service brand LIVunLtd, is providing opportunities for children to participate in music classes, dance classes, arts and crafts. The playful atmosphere in the rooms inspires children to have fun and get creative. 

Photo courtesy of Swire Properties Inc

But these amenities aren’t always exclusive to children — at 1000M in Chicago, the residents will have access to both a music conservatory and a sound studio. The soundproof room is perfect for anyone looking to advance their skills or begin learning a new instrument. Either way, both children and adults can now feel artistic and inspired.

Photo by Alem Sánchez.

With literally millions of shades and hues to play with, color can also be intimidating. In a recent post by Northeast Meetings + Events, a series of experts give their professional advice on how to utilize color to enhance an entertainment venue and decoration. Fulfill the entertainer in yourself with their insight!

Photo by Kaboompics.com

“The use of cool colors and hues such as blues can help calm and relax individuals and generate clearer and a more relaxed mind-set, great for business sessions,” says Sarah Kelly, senior event producer with Cantrav Services. She often incorporates color to set a mood. “While the use of warmer colors and hues such as ambers and reds can help stimulate and generate a more active and warm response, great for team-building or brainstorming sessions,” she adds.

You can even use color to play off of factors such as the season of the event, suggests Dwayne Thomas, owner of Portland lighting company Greenlight Creative.

“There are some perennial things. If I do a fundraiser in the fall, there’s a 50-50 chance it’s going [to show] fall colors. In winter, blues tend to be more popular, and in the summer, reds are more popular.”

“Color adds an additional depth and sparks interest,” says Kelly, who suggests that planners be bold and purposeful — but not too bold. “There are two mistakes people can make, either using too much color and overwhelming guests’ senses or being afraid to use it at all and not fully committing to the event’s theme or identity,” she says. “But, as long as you stick to some basic rules such as making sure you use colors that complement one another … there’s no reason to go wrong.”

For more color tips, visit Northeast Meetings + Events post!

Yerba Buena Island will be a residential development like no other in San Francisco! Boutique developer Wilson Meany and real estate investment firm Stockbridge Capital Group recently announced the start of the vertical construction of this two-decade long milestone project. 

The 266 luxury residences will have sweeping 360 degree views of the city, a first of this area’s kind. A naturally formed island in the heart of San Francisco Bay, the island’s community will feature a number of “wellness-minded amenities” such as hiking trails, access to parks and more. Residents will be able to lounge out on Clipper Cove Beach and travel only 10 minutes to the city’s downtown. 

“Sustainable” is a keyword for this new development as the island’s diverse topography was kept in mind when designing each condominium, flat and townhome. Meany’s developments, which include the historic San Francisco Ferry building, typically reflect the importance of holistic living and people’s connections with each other and the nature that surrounds them — Yerba Buena Island will be no exception. 

More than half of the island’s environmental space is being reserved for open area parks,  sandy beaches, and hiking and biking paths. A team of award- winning architecture firms —Hart Howerton, BDE Architecture, Inc., Cliff Lowe Associates, Inc., Hood Design Studio, Edmonds + Lee Architects, Meyer Davis and Aidlin Darling Design — teamed up to create residences that incorporate and celebrate the island’s unique geography. 

Residential sales will begin in early 2020, with the The Agency Development Group being the exclusive marketing and sales firm for Yerba Buena Island.

Photos courtesy of Hayes Davidson. 

Mariann Cordova

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties

111 Corporate Dr., Suite. 210, Ladera Ranch, CA 92694
Phone: 949-307-4040 | mc@southorangecountyliving.com | www.marianncordova.agent.bhhscalifornia.com

Mariann is a multi-award-winning Realtor and marketing expert with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. Her goal always has been successful marketing of residential properties, employing professional ethics, sound planning, persuasive skills and a strong support system. With a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California and a certificate of interior design from the Los Angeles Design Center, Mariann carries years of in-depth real estate and current market knowledge. Her fluency in English and Swedish and working knowledge of Norwegian, Danish and German are valuable assets in assisting international clients and those looking to relocate.

Listing by Mariann Cordova

Coto de Caza, California

23111 Maravilla Lane, Coto de Caza

Stunning Georgia estate is situated on 5.8 acres. Visit www.23111Maravilla.com for more information.

Video: https://vimeo.com/273382691  |  Brochure: https://bit.ly/2tveiOj

Offered at $15,900,000.

Mariann Cordova originally appeared as an Elite Agent in the Unique Homes Spring ’19: Elite edition. See her page here.