California Kitchens

Hello, San Francisco! This season, we landed in one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. We reinstated the traditional Brother vs. Brother rules: We each buy, renovate, and sell a property, and the brother with the biggest net profit wins, with all proceeds going to charity. This time around, we added an extra layer to our brotherly competition. Because houses sell so quickly in the Bay Area, we bought ours online, sight unseen—unprecedented craziness for Brother vs. Brother!

For our second challenge of Season 6, we renovated the kitchens in both homes. Read on to learn about our inspiration and the design details we’re particularly proud of.

BVB S6 E2

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Drew’s Canyon House

My California modern ranch vibe is in full effect, from top to bottom! I lit things up with higher ceilings, an additional skylight, and a bigger window peeking into the backyard, all of which maximize the available natural light. And once the wide-plank flooring was installed over a solid new subfloor, it was time to focus on the design details.

Drew’s Before & After

Drew’s Inspiration

Drew’s Design Highlights

TABLE TALK

My house’s setup calls for a large dining table that straddles the kitchen and living areas. This Brayden Studio masterpiece is completely handcrafted, with a weighted concrete top and gorgeous wood detail underneath. The only people who could possibly love it more than I do? The lucky family that will eat here every night!

KITCHEN BLING

The kitchen got some extra dazzle with a pair of glass pendants suspended over the island and a suite of shiny new appliances. (We ended up blending the refrigerator door into the cabinets with a matching wood panel.) I also opted for quartz countertops instead of marble—it’s just as beautiful and half the price!

BOLD BACKSPLASH

The backsplash framing the kitchen window is made of olivine—it’s one of the most common minerals on earth but looks incredibly special when turned into glossy tiles. Meanwhile, the floating shelves showcase a collection of kitchen wares and decor that have a fittingly earthy feel.

Team Drew

Local construction support: Jason Bliss and Scott Bliss of Benchmark Construction
Local design support: Laura Martin Bovard of LMB Interiors
Electrician: Darryl Haber
Countertop Specialist: Cesar Lopez at Bay Countertops
Tile: Fireclay Tile
Cabinets: Gilmans Kitchens & Bath
Kitchen sink, faucet and door hardware: Belmont Hardware
Window and doors: Dolan’s Lumber
Skylight: Royalite
Appliances: Friedmans Appliance

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Jonathan’s Hilltop House

Not to sound dramatic, but this is one of the best kitchen renos I’ve done … ever. And that’s, in part, because it’s one of the biggest! We flipped the living room and kitchen areas—which itself was no small feat—then completely removed the tiny bathroom and created a spacious powder room out of the front hallway closet. Throughout the entire space, I continued my eco-chic theme.

Jonathan’s Before & After

Jonathan’s Inspiration

Jonathan’s Design Highlights

“POPLAR” MECHANICS

Remember my stunning living wall from the living room? Well, once again, I brought the outside in—this time in the form of a bark-clad wall from Bark House. This innovative feature takes eco-chic to a whole new level: The bark is stripped right off the tree, then flattened into panels and kiln-dried before being installed. It sounds pretty simple, but the Bark House crew describes the bark-shaving process as “surgical” and the perfect poplars as “elusive.”

KITCHEN TRIO

What’s black and white and wood all over? This slick kitchen. I had a very specific vision for this space, and it combined premium quartz countertops—the shades are Arctic White and Concerto—with dark matte cabinets and a sustainable bamboo backsplash from Gilmans Kitchen & Baths. The finishing touch: contrasting graphic counter stools to gaze out at that million-dollar view.

THE NOT-SO-LITTLE PRINTS

Transforming the hallway closet into a powder room allowed me to turn this floor’s original bathroom into bonus kitchen footage. It also gave me an opportunity to use this bold patterned wallpaper, which just so happens to be called “Drawn from Nature.” It was meant to be!

Local construction support: Bob McLaughlin of McLaughlin Renovations
Local design support: Pamela Lin of Urbanism Designs
Plumber: Roberto Carriedo
Cabinet Specialist: Joyce Van Den Dungen Bille at Bay Countertops
Sewer Line Specialist: Michael Neal
Bark Wall: Bark House
Kitchen backsplash and powder room floor tile: Fireclay Tile
Faucets, shower fixtures, toilet, and door hardware: Belmont Hardware
Appliances: Friedmans Appliance
Windows and doors: Economy Lumber