Gorgeous Glassware To Instantly Upgrade Your Summer Drinks

1. Exposed Wood Beams

This project was a full gut renovation, designed to blend with the natural landscape while bringing the homeowners' vision to life. The couple, both in their 60s, wanted a home that felt nestled in the oak canopies of the Honda Valley Preserve while making the most of the light and sweeping views.

From the moment you step inside, wood beams pull the outdoors in, setting the tone for the entire space. The clients envisioned a retreat that felt both elevated and deeply connected to nature — warm, inviting, and sophisticated.

2. Floor-to-Ceiling Windows

The team wanted to maximize the ocean and mountain views by increasing the roof height and fenestration on the Southern façade. They also introduced upper west-facing clerestory windows to welcome the warm afternoon light. The result? Sweeping ocean vistas that take center stage, while natural light floods in throughout the day.

3. Folding Doors

The design team rebuilt the existing 1960s home to feel like a "treehouse in the sky." The folding door system blurs the line between indoors and out, extending the living space and creating a seamless flow to the deck.

When opened, they expand the home's footprint while framing breathtaking views, making the transition between inside and nature feel almost invisible.

4. Cozy Yet Refined Furniture

The result is a warm, multi-layered sanctuary — an elevated treehouse retreat that blends with its natural surroundings while revealing a refined yet cozy charm.

5. Shelfie Perfection

Balancing tradition and modernity, Bailee combined the couple’s beloved antiques and heirloom pieces with contemporary furnishings and carefully curated fixtures. This shelfie is a thoughtfully layered mix of books, pottery, antiques, and personal treasures — designed to be both visually striking and inherently soothing.

6. Fluted Island

Fluted kitchen islands are a hot trend right now and I love the architectural detail and modern aesthetic it brings to the space.

Adding a gentle curve at the end of the kitchen island enhances both form and function — creating a more visually dynamic focal point while also maximizing space and flow.

7. Layered Lighting

Want to create ambience in the kitchen? By combining different sources, layered lighting enhances the mood and versatility of a space, making any room feel more inviting and well-designed. Sconces here add warmth while the pendant chandelier above creates a statement while diffusing light beautifully.

8. Earthy Palette

Sunlight pours into the home, accentuating the rich woods, organic textures, and an earthy palette that enhances the seamless indoor-outdoor flow.

9. Statement Artwork

This vintage goose painting beautifully echoes the room’s palette while adding an almost whimsical energy. The expressive pose of the goose brings a sense of movement and charm, making it both a statement piece and a harmonious accent.

10. Floating Sink

Floating sinks are a game-changer for smaller bathrooms, creating the illusion of more space while maintaining a sleek, elegant look. Marble is also a hot trend we love for kitchens and baths.

11. Entertaining Deck

Outdoor living is essential, and this deck is the perfect extension of the Santa Barbara treehouse — designed for lounging, dining, and entertaining while embracing the beauty of the surroundings.

12. Modern Landscaping

Modern landscaping transforms the curb appeal by blending clean lines, native plants, and strategic lighting for a polished yet inviting look. Thoughtfully placed greenery, sculptural hardscaping, and layered textures create depth and dimension, while sustainable elements like drought-tolerant plants elevate the home's exterior.

​What's Replacing Upper Kitchen Cabinets?

First, you might be wondering what you'd do with all that empty space on your kitchen walls. Don't worry: it's not just going to remain bare.

Instead, open shelving — like these shelves from Wayfair — has become the go-to decor choice. It still affords you storage space but with a playful twist. This parallels the direction that numerous homeowners have been heading– moving away from their kitchen looking, well, just like a kitchen and infusing more personality into their unique space.

Think about it: your living room may have a typical couch and TV, like most homes, but it probably isn't a cookie-cutter replica of anyone else's house. You have knick-knacks, artwork, lighting fixtures, and other furniture that you've hand-picked and curated into your very own collection.

Of course, kitchens will always be used for cooking, and they should remain functional. At the same time, though, many homeowners recognize that if they spend so much of their lives in this room, it should almost be an extension of the rest of their decor, like with these shelves from West Elm!

That's precisely why open shelving is taking over. It affords you the ability to customize your kitchen to the max, adding anything from antique dishware, cool cooking tools, and vintage mugs to funky cutting boards or cookbooks as decor.

And by giving yourself the opportunity to decorate on a vertical plane, you're opening up a ton of counter space that might've otherwise felt cluttered and, again, dark due to upper kitchen cabinet shadows.

While this might sound great, you may still be concerned about all those pots and pans that are currently stacked in your cabinets. Luckily, there are other more practical storage solutions you can integrate alongside open shelving.

Pantries are a great option. You can transform a broom closet to store your extra dry goods and cookware. Or, infuse your kitchen with even more character by picking up a vintage armoire and using it as an unexpected pantry.

Your lower cabinets can get an upgrade as well. Many homeowners are opting for deeper kitchen drawers, meaning they can hold more pots and pans, as well as shelves that are tiered and roll out.

It's important to remember that everyone's space (and amount of kitchenware) is different, so being thoughtful is key. Consider how much storage you really need, say goodbye to anything that's no longer serving a purpose, and get creative.

One thing is certain: you won't miss having to drag out the stepstool or stand on your tip-toes to access those hard-to-reach upper kitchen cabinets anymore.

Blake Lively (Serena van der Woodsen)

Of all the Gossip Girl cast alumni, Blake Lively is arguably the most well-known. Not only has she gone on to major roles in movies — including The Age of Adaline, The Shallows, All I See Is You, and most recently, It Ends with Us— but she's also married to fellow actor Ryan Reynolds (married in 2012).

Blake shares four beautiful daughters, James, Inez, Betty, and the youngest (born in 2023) whose name has not been announced publicly with Ryan. True to her Gossip Girl character, she's quite the fashionista! In her spare time, she likes to hang out with her BFFs, who just so happen to include Taylor Swiftandthe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants ladies.

Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf)

Leighton Meester has a career that would make even her cunningly ambitious Queen B character proud. Since Gossip Girl's end in 2012, she's acted in films including Life Partners, The Judge, The Weekend Away, and most recently, EXmas. She even recorded and released songs such as "Good Girls Go Bad" with Cobra Starship and the solo effort "Somebody to Love," and even starred on Broadway in Of Mice and Men back in 2014.

Leighton is married to actor Adam Brody (The O.C., Jennifer's Body, Gilmore Girls) as of 2014. She has two kids – one daughter and one son.

She has been heavily involved in philanthropy while taking on acting projects, primarily volunteering and campaigning with Feeding America and the Los Angeles Food Bank.

Taylor Momsen (Jenny Humphrey)

Long gone are the days when Taylor Momsen played Dan Humphrey's sweet (and a bit messed up) little sis, Jenny. The actress left the Gossip Girl cast in 2010 in order to pursue her dreams of a music career, and all these years later, she's still doing just that as the frontwoman of the uber-successful rock group, The Pretty Reckless. With four records under their belt, the four-member band has supported bands like Evanescence, Soundgarden, and Guns N' Roses, and has toured in numerous cities and music festivals.

Momsen has typically kept her dating life on the down-low. She is currently single and appears to be putting all of her energy into her band.

Penn Badgley (Dan Humphrey)

Everyone’s favorite Gossip Girl — er, guy — Penn Badgley, followed in his on-screen sister's footsteps after the show ended, pursuing his musical interests with rock band MOTHXR. The band's most current project, Centerfold, was released back in 2016.

Badgley has since acted in several movies and TV shows including Easy A, The Paper Store, and Here Today, but his most notable work has been on the ongoing book-based Netflix series, You. He plays Joe Goldberg, a charming bookkeeper with eerily odd characteristics, especially when it comes to love.

Badgley currently has a podcast titled Podcrushed, which explores the awkwardness of adolescence and revisits guests' best (and worst) middle school memories. He cohosts with Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari. One episode even features ex-Gossip Girl co-star, Leighton Meester!

Badgley is married to singer and doula Domino Kirke as of 2017. Kirke already had a child from a previous relationship. Badgley and Kirke had their first son together in 2020.

Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass)

Ed Westwick tapped into his angsty side post-Gossip Girl, starring as Tybalt in a 2013 adaptation of Romeo & Juliet. Since then, he has fought crime as Kent Grainger on Wicked City, played a crime lord on Snatch, and sold double-glazed windows on White Gold. Is there any role he can't play? Most recently, Westwick stars in the movie DarkGame.

With a background in music, Westwick also currently sings in the bandFor You. Their most recent release is the song "Tailspin," and they're set to release a new single "Here Comes Trouble" in March 2024.

Westwick had been dating model and actress Amy Jacksonsince 2021, with the pair getting happily engaged during a ski trip in January 2024.

Chace Crawford (Nate Archibald)

Following his stint as a wealthy Upper East Sider on Gossip Girl, Texas native Chace Crawford tried his hand at playing a greedy oil worker on ABC's short-lived TV series, Blood & Oil. He's had several film roles since – you can catch him in movies like Undrafted, Eloise, Nighthawks, even voice-actingin Belle. Most recently, Crawford stars as The Deep on The Boys.

Crawford has previously dated Carrie Underwood, Rachelle Goulding, and Rebecca Rittenhouse, though he is currently single as a Pringle.

Jessica Szohr (Vanessa Abrams)

Jessica Szohr, who played Dan Humphrey's BFF slash on-again, off-again girlfriend (needless to say, we were confused too), has been a lot busier than her character was after season four, when she was all but written off the show.

In the years since Gossip Girl, the actress scored several roles on TV shows such as Complications, Kingdom, Twin Peaks and The Orville. She even starred in Taylor Swift's music video for "22" back in 2013!

Jessica also welcomed a daughter with her longtime boyfriend in early 2021.

Jessica currently hosts a podcast called "XOXO" that dives deep into the Gossip Girl cast, crew, and behind-the-scenes moments. Some notable episodes have featured Zuzanna Szadkowski (Dorota), Aaron Tveit (Tripp van der Bilt), Kelly Rutherford (Lily van der Woodsen), and Michelle Trachtenburg (Georgina Sparks).

Michelle Trachtenberg (Georgina Sparks)

Since her stint as the "bad girl" Georgina Sparks, Michelle Trachtenberg landed roles on shows like Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles, Sleepy Hollow, and Sister Cities among other numerous series and movies. She even reprised her role as Georgina for the 2021 remake of Gossip Girl on HBO Max!

She managed to keep her personal life largely out of the tabloids, including her dating life. The last update on her relationship status was in 2023, and that she was dating her talent agent, Jay Cohen. She reportedly previously dated Shawn Ashmore, Joshua Radin, and Jason Segel.

Unfortunately, Michelle passed away on February 26, 2025.

Kelly Rutherford (Lily van der Woodsen)

Besides being a New York Fashion Week icon (we'd expect nothing less of Lily van der Woodsen's alter ego!), Kelly Rutherford has popped up in several TV shows over the years, including Quantico, Jane the Virgin, and Dynasty.

She also frequently travels to France and Monaco, where, after years of custody battles with her second ex-husband, Daniel Giersch, she has extensive visitation rights to see her two children, who reside there with their father.

"Yes, it was a challenging time. It was a heartbreaking time," she told People. "But I focus on the good most of the time, I really do," she says. "I'm very thankful of where we are. I have a great relationship with my kids."

When she's not with her kids or working on a project, Kelly is dropping iconic 'fit pics on her Instagram account.

Matthew Settle (Rufus Humphrey)

Matthew Settle, who played rockstar dad Rufus Humphrey, continued acting after the Gossip Girl cast dissolved. He hasn't been on any other TV shows other than one episode of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders in 2016. He mostly stuck to movies, acting in titles like Ouija, Marshall the Miracle Dog, and Valentine: The Dark Avenger.

Settle is also a dad of two children, having welcomed his first with actress and model Naama Nativ in 2009. He had divorced her in 2011 and went on to have a second baby with girlfriend Maria Alfonsin in 2015.

Zuzanna Szadkowski (Dorota Kishlovsky)

Though Blair's loyal maid and, ultimately, best friend, wasn't technically a main character, there's no denying that it would have been a different show without her unwavering presence! Zuzanna Szadowski has dabbled in film and television since then, appearing in shows such as Girls,The Good Wife, and Modern Love.

In 2010, she partnered with Sam Weisman to open The Sam Weisman Studio, an acting school (now closed).

Oh, and did we mention she just so happens to be one of Leighton Meester's real-life BFFs?