#BlogTourLA in the Kitchen

The Poggenpohl LA showroom hosted #BlogTourLA Oktoberfest style

One of our first nights in LA was hosted by three of the premier #BlogTourLA sponsors: Poggenpohl (custom kitchen cabinet solutions), Blanco (designer quality kitchen sinks and faucets) and Gaggenau (German engineered cooking appliances). We carry Blanco in the Designer Bath showroom, so I am quite familiar with their innovative product line. The other two I have also seen before, but learned a lot more about the history of these exceptional brands while enjoying authentic German-fare and a stein or two with my BlogTour pals in the very chic, just opened Poggenpohl LA showroom.  

A modern all white kitchen by Poggenpohl with backlit back splash.

Washing dishes in this extra large sink from Blanco would be a pleasure!

Poggenpohl kitchens are completely customizable. In their LA showroom, warm wood finish cabinet doors combined with stainless steel accents and glass wall panels creates a look that is predominantly modern with a hint of traditional. I’d call this clean look “professional minimalist.” 

Poggenpohl pull-out drawers provide accessible storage and ease of use

– photo courtesy Gaggeneau –

This induction cook top from Gaggenau will recognize a pan regardless of where it is placed. Induction ranges use a magnetic field to immediately transfer heat to a special cooking vessel designed to work with induction. It is an extremely energy efficient way to cook that also allows for precise control of temperature. Another bonus is that the cooking surface is cool to touch as soon as the special pan is removed, instead of it having to “cool down” like a typical cook top. I love this safety feature, especially with children in the house (although almost all of mine are old enough – or at least tall enough – to prepare their own meals now!) 

– photo courtesy Gaggeneau –

The Vario cooling series from Gaggeneau offers modular units that may be combined countless ways to create a custom refrigeration wall. The spacious interiors are stainless steel, and these sleek units are noted for being the quietest in their class.

Blanco Silgranit sink in cinder (on my kitchen remodel wish list!)

with the matching Alta faucet // photo courtesy Blanco

Blanco products have won numerous awards for rethinking the kitchen sink. Their Silgranit finish comes in a wide range of appealing colors (biscotti, truffle, and metallic gray are just a few). The surface is extremely durable while being scratch, stain and heat resistant. Silgranit, which is composed of about 80% granite, is also inherently anti-bacterial. I love how the sink above looks like a modern version of a traditional slate or soapstone sink. I know it will fit in perfectly with my farmhouse kitchen remodel. #onmylist

Finally meeting Lori Dolnick of Blanco

Poggenpohl cabinetry is meant to feel furniture like, allowing them to function beautifully in open concept living spaces.

Part of our BlogTourLA group enjoying their Oktoberfest meals.

Thank you Poggenpohl, Gaggenau and Blanco for sharing your brand stories with us, for a delicious Germany-inspired dinner, and for sponsoring #BlogTourLA! 

Saying goodnight: bloggers Emily Anderson of Good with Style

with Los Angeles designer Christian May of Maison21

The following day, we got to see some of these quality brands on display at the WestEdge Design Fair, staged in the Barker hanger in Santa Monica. Gaggeneau had a number of chef-worthy cooking combinations set up for us to explore.

BlogTourLA capturing Emily posing with Gaggenau at WestEdge Design Fair

Gaggenau Vario cooktops at just 15 inches across each combine seamlessly

A Boston area Poggenpohl flashback ...

A couple of my favorite Poggenpohl finishes seen while attending

a design event at a local showroom that carries the line.

Our LA gathering captured by Blanco ...


Watch the BlogTourLA Oktoberfest video here!

Thank you Modenus and BlogTourLA sponsors!


More of what we saw while on
#BlogTourLA to come ...

Looking Sharp at the Chamberlain

Before I start sharing my #BlogTourLA sponsor posts, I need to set the stage. Veronika Miller of Modenus put us bloggers up at a trendy boutique hotel, the Chamberlain West Hollywood. It was designed based on the Kelly Wearstler aesthetic, which was fitting as she was on our agenda of people to meet while in Los Angeles! Graphic patterns, high contrasts, and sharp edges were a recurring theme ...

The Chamberlain lobby: our meeting spot during #BlogTourLA

Cloth and Kind design duo Tami Ramsay and

Krista Nye Schwartz in the hotel lobby

#Blogger19 alumni on #BlogTourLA: Ronique Gibson,

Veronika Miller, Cheryl Kees Clendendon and Susan Serra

Our suites were spacious and energetic with lots of cool

marble pieces that had an art-deco-like edge.

I really loved the chevron pattern on the sofa. We were gifted a handsome lavender sachet in charcoal gray flannel from Platner and Company that matched it beautifully! 

The look of the suite bedroom was appropriately more restful and subdued, while the bathroom floor kicked it up a notch with a pinwheel patterned black and white tiled floor.

Loose stripes pair well with the tightly dotted pattern on the headboard

A black grasscloth like wallpaper covered the walls in the bath (which was well appointed and appreciated!) The same charcoal paper was repeated in an upstairs sitting area adjacent to the rooftop pool.

waves of triangles and a little watery blue

the rooftop pool at the end of the day

the poolside cabana had a bit more color than elsewhere,

making it a different kind of inviting

I have to say my absolute favorite spot at the Chamberlain was the Bistro lounge on the lower level of the hotel. I adore these watery greens and the space was very pretty and soft with the exception of a collection of sharp ocean corals displayed on decorative wall sconce shelves. The leather banquet and tiled floor shared a diamond pattern, keeping the space inline with the graphic look seen throughout the Chamberlain.

Visiting hotels is a great way to explore design continuity in public and private spaces. Where have you enjoyed great design in your travels?

More from #BlogTourLA to come!

Back from #BlogTourLA!

#BlogTourLA Instagram photo courtesy Veronika Miller of Modenus

I am just about getting over my souvenir jet lag from my recent trip to southern California via #BlogTourLA. Our exclusive tour of the LA design scene was both creatively inspiring and mentally relaxing – the ultimate laid-back West Coast get away! I arrived back in Boston late Sunday night and was surprised at home with a fresh bottle of Sauvignon Blanc chilling on the dining room table, set next to a dish piled high with Cheez-It crackers (my boys – and husband – know me so well!) While I sort through five days worth of BlogTour photos, here is a link to my first guest post written for Williams-Sonoma Designer Marketplace that went online while I was away. By blogger coincidence (as in there are no coincidences?) I got to spend the week with another blog writer in the WS Designer Marketplace roster, Mindy Miles Greenberg, a New York based designer who pens Encore Decor (seen in the picture above with me on the left and Will Taylor of the UK blog Bright.Bazaar on the right).

before and after photo credits: Yvonne Blacker Interiors

– read the full post here –

Veronika Miller welcoming #BlogTourLA attendees

I had so much fun getting to know my fellow design bloggers during our days together in the California sunshine. Come back soon to see photos from our visit to the WestEdge Design Fair and many colorful design stops along the way. Special thanks goes to Veronika Miller of Modenus, for getting us all together for this fabulous brand-curated event, filled with memories to last a lifetime! 

The courtyard at the West Hollywood Chamberlain

photo credits: Yvonne Blacker