In the 18 years since she debuted, Carrie Underwood has produced nine studio albums, one greatest hits album, and 29 number-one hit singles. As if those aren’t enough, she’s now giving closet hacks, too.
In an Instagram post from June 2020, the American Idol winner shared a photo of herself in a bikini from her CALIA athleisure wear line. Her followers liked the swim combo, but some of the more eagle-eyed ones noticed an unconventional but brilliant hack: a washer and dryer in the closet.
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“Wait is that a washer and dryer in your closet!? That’s genius!!!!!!!!” said a commenter, while another added: “Love the suit but the real winner in this photo is her washer and dryer in her closet 👏🏼👍🏼😍 #goals.”
While everyone might not have space for these appliances in their closet, if you can make it work, it makes a lot of sense. It’s convenient, since there’s no more having to carry clothes back and forth between the closet and the laundry room. While a space-saving stacked pair could be tucked into a corner in a smaller space, Underwood made her washer-dryer an island in the center of the room, with a convenient surface on top for folding. If you have the square footage, it’s a creative option.
Before installing one in your closet, take note that there are a few drawbacks to this setup, such as noise, if the dryer can be properly vented, reduced storage space, and depending on the size of your closet, limited washer-dryer style options. But if you don’t mind these factors, then Underwood’s idea might be worth a try.
Olivia Harvey is a freelance writer and award-winning scriptwriter from outside Boston, Massachusetts. She’s a big fan of scented candles, getting dressed up, and the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. You can make sure she’s doing okay via Instagram and/or Twitter.
When Cindy Crawford’s personal trainer-turned-close friend, Sarah, and Sarah’s husband, Rick, announced that they were finally moving into a home of their own after years of renting, Cindy knew exactly how she wanted to give back. In the latest episode of HGTV’s “Celebrity IOU,” Cindy called on Drew and Jonathan Scott to help her renovate her friends’ home in the weeks leading up to their move-in date.
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The biggest renovations took place in the kitchen and family room. The two spaces lacked character, color, and were disconnected by a wall. “The main thing that doesn’t work in this house is that the kitchen is separate from the family room, which I know was the way things used to be, but that is not how families live today,” Cindy said. “It’s about creating an open area where you cook, you hang out, you watch TV.”
The kitchen began as a cramped room with outdated cabinets, countertops, and hardware. While the space had definitely been renovated at some point, the design was still too old for Sarah, Rick, and their family. The overall layout of the kitchen wasn’t conducive to their cooking and hosting needs and required a renovation more in line with the couple’s warm and welcoming lifestyle. A poorly placed laundry room was located off of the kitchen, so Cindy wanted to move it to another spot in the house in order to extend the kitchen into a larger entertaining space.
Jonathan, Drew, and Cindy kicked off the renovation by ripping out the old cabinets and countertops. They demolished the walls between the family room and laundry room, which opened up the space. The team replaced the old cabinets with warm brown wood and installed quartz countertops for a clean and modern look. They also brought in sleek new appliances and a kitchen island, which featured built-in gray bench seating. From there, they brought in a wooden table and four additional chairs, which maximized the number of people that could comfortably dine in the kitchen at the same time.
The team tore up the old flooring and installed medium tone hardwood floors throughout the house. Cindy wanted to pick flooring that was lighter than the original, but dark enough that it wouldn’t show every single dog hair or scuff mark. Later, they painted all of the walls a soft white color. They also switched the large window and door in the kitchen and living room area. “We love reusing what we can so it doesn’t end up in a landfill, and the backdoors and window are in great shape, but for us to maximize the function and flow in this space, swapping them is a must,” Jonathan said.
The family room was in similar shape as the kitchen and was in greatest need of cosmetic updates. After tearing down the wall between the kitchen and living room, Cindy wanted to make the remaining wall into the new focal point of the family room. She opted to have the team extend the wall and build in a trio of arches (along with white shelves and cabinets). They put a large flat-screen TV in the center arch and added various accessories to the others. They also brought in comfortable gray furniture, a small coffee table, and a new rug. “To put in arches and custom bookshelves, it just brought this depth and warmth,” Sarah said. “It just really took my breath away.”
“Celebrity IOU” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV and discovery+.
The world of network television is a small one. So small, in fact, that “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo bought her Malibu beach house from Martha Kauffman, the co-creator of “Friends.” The actress, a mainstay on the Thursday night drama for nearly 20 years, opened up her coastal hideaway in the new issue of Architectural Digest.
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While Pompeo is known for her unique real estate portfolio, she’s now going to have a bit more time to spend relaxing on the Cali coast, thanks to her decision to step back from “Grey’s.”
“I like to say I manifested this house,” Pompeo joked to AD. “I am entering a very exciting phase of my life, if I do say so myself.”
Before she starts her new Hulu series, Pompeo can soak up the sun with her husband, Chris Ivery, and the couple’s three kids, Stella Luna, 13, Sienna May, 8, and Eli Christopher, 6. Inside the 3,000-square-foot mid-century modern home they’ve owned for 10 years, sleek Black Agatha marble walls greet you in the entry, where a vintage cutting table from Yves Saint Laurent holds court. Swedish dining chairs from the ’60s bookend the table, which is a frequent dining spot for her kids. A study of contrasts, inspiration for the house came from a variety of places, blending Pompeo’s love of Mediterranean style with the ’70s fashion (”Big Lincoln Continentals, giant fur coats, thigh-high boots”) she loved growing up outside Boston in the town of Everett.
The living room is just as unique, boasting a vintage patchwork DeSade sofa from the ’60s, which Pompeo says she and designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard built their inspiration around. The same black marble walls as the entry provide a striking viewpoint in the living area.
“Some people want a sterile home that makes them feel like they’re at a spa,” said Pompeo, who brought in warm textures to complement the concrete floors and glass walls. “But I love design that tells a story.”
Pompeo cooks a lot, so she says that’s why she has “a lot of rules” for her kitchen, which features the same black marble. “This kitchen is very small. I don’t like anybody in the kitchen when I’m in here. So everybody has to stand behind this line,” she says, pointing out the set of teal bar seats under white countertops. Apothecary jars from a Parisian flea market are taped down “because in Los Angeles, the ground moves,” Pompeo laughs. The formal dining room has floor-to-ceiling glass walls on three sides and incredible views of the backyard and the ocean behind it. It’s where Pompeo drinks her morning coffee at the custom circular lazy Susan-style table.
The primary bedroom also features marble, but with a twist: it was inspired by the movie “I Am Love.” In front of it, a custom bed was designed so the whole family of 5 could pile in on the weekends and watch movies over the fireplace. The primary bath is equally as luxe: A Terry cloth bench offers the perfect spot for lounging, and marble walls open up to the outdoor sitting area, where there are seats surrounded by tropical plants on a small deck.
“I truly enjoy the craft and art of houses,” Pompeo says. “It exercises a different creative muscle.”
Outside, a fire pit overlooks the bluff under a Yucca tree. A sparkling swimming pool is lined in white marble, and a corner bar is where Ivery tends to make “pina Coladas and margaritas” for their frequent guests. There’s also a guest house built around the wallpaper Pompeo fell in love with, which features green and blue palm trees. The closet doors were lacquered in teal, and the grasscloth wallpaper also features a teal color.
It seems Pompeo has already started on her next project, however. According to the story, she just purchased the property directly behind the house.
Forget “turning back time.” If we lived like Cher, we’d be thrilled to stay in the present.
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The Oscar-winning actress and singer opened up her Malibu home to Architectural Digest, and it’s an exotic vision straight out of Europe surrounded by the sun-drenched shores of the Pacific Ocean.
“Every room has two different views of the ocean,” Cher told AD of the home, which she purchased in 1998 and spent the next five years transforming. “This house wraps its arms around you.”
Outside the 16,000-square-foot mansion, a pair of vintage bronze bulls, inspired by Cher’s astrological sign (Taurus) sit outside the entrance next to her Bentley. In the grand entrance, limestone block walls, custom bronze doors, and carved panels from India provide an exotic welcome. In the central courtyard, an octagram-shaped fountain is surrounded by inspiration derived from Venetian palazzos, Renaissance villas of Europe, and the Alhambra palace. The sun beams down on the space under palm trees.
Cher brought designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard on to update the property 16 years ago. She presented him with “hundreds of tear sheets” from magazines to share inspiration for the estate. “Working hand in hand, we reworked all the finishes with her signature style of opulent comfort, theatrical elegance, and a timeless color palette,” Bullard told AD.
Now, the living room features a ceiling that was hand-painted using gold leaf stencils and a tea stain. A large Moroccan chandelier hangs overhead, while hand-carved furniture sits below. Massive windows highlight the stunning landscapes outside. Similar windows are shown in the dining room, where the tin ceiling was painted white. Moroccan lanterns and mirrors surround the hardwood floor and mid-century dining chairs. The family room is equally as stunning, and makes one “feel like you are floating on a turquoise sea” when seated, said Bullard.
One of the most fascinating spaces in the home is Cher’s bedroom, which she calls “my sanctuary, my fortress, really my very special place.” Decorated with a 1920s Syrian bed formerly owned by famed Hollywood couple Rudolph Valentino and Natacha Rambova, it features a plush seating area that includes sofas upholstered in hemp silk. Walls are lined in silk and sit next to Moroccan Mashrabiya wood panels that were hand-carved in Fez, Morocco. An atrium off the primary bedroom is the ultimate retreat — it features an antique marble fountain that sits next to a chaise lounge (appropriately named the Cher chaise!) In front of six large windows highlighting the beauty of the coastline. As you’d expect, the primary bath is crafted out of limestone walls, which Art Deco Egyptian paintings hang on the walls.
One of the most unexpected features of the piece is the casual mention that after 20 years in the home, Cher is preparing to move on. Since a home of this size would never be permitted to be built in Malibu these days, it will remain an important piece of history.
“This house has been one of the greatest passions of my life,” Cher concluded. “I have enjoyed every moment of its creation and evolution, but now it’s time to pass this magic on to others.”
