Claudia Clow originally didn't want to sell Pick's Drive-In, a 103-year-old roadstop burger stand, when a venture capitalist asked to buy the restaurant last year. But Clow relented and sold the business after owning it for 35 years, and now a month after it reopened, she believes it's the best decision she could have ever made. "I could cry how happy I am," Clow said.
Fully renovated in 2021, this rowhome features exposed brick and custom window treatments throughout, plus three outdoor spaces. The open-concept living room includes a gas fireplace, a large bay window for natural lighting, and wide-plank hardwood floors. The dining space includes a wet bar and wine fridge. Bedrooms include a king-sized primary bedroom, a second bedroom with a private balcony leading to a roof deck, and a basement bedroom with a full bath for guests.
Sixty years ago, Laurance S. Rockefeller looked out at the turquoise waters of Kaunaoa Bay on Hawaii Island and imagined something extraordinary, a resort where world-class hospitality met the raw beauty of the Hawaiian coast. That vision became the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hawaii Island's first resort and an instant icon of midcentury modern design. Fast forward to 2026, and the legend just got a serious glow-up.
After a $100 million makeover, the center is back after being closed for nearly 20 years. Some big names already booked for this year, says CEO Terri Trotter. "Just coming up in the next few months, we have Mandy Patinkin, for our 'Princess Bride,' TV show and Broadway fans. Really excited for that. Kamala Harris. The Gypsy Kings," shares Trotter.
Paris property prices can certainly stretch into the millions, and even at that level, many homes need a little imagination - or even a full renovation - to make them truly comfortable, functional and stylish. The bones are often beautiful, but layouts can be quirky, storage scarce, and finishes in need of love. Still, with the right guidance, you can absolutely find a one, two, or three-bedroom home that strikes that perfect balance of charm, location, and potential.
Now Eber, as executive director of what's formally called the Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center, is finishing up a $19.5 million renovation - the first major overhaul since the Egg opened in 1978. She hopes the glow-up will change the Egg from a place to sit and watch shows to a forum for immersive works - or just a quirky place for people in Albany and around the state and region to enjoy. The unique space itself should become a touchstone for performances.
When I tell people I bought a fixer-upper in Vermont with my siblings, the reaction is almost always the same: part envy, part amusement, part horror. "That's so exciting, but you must really like your siblings. I could never do that with mine. It would end in disaster," they say. Did I mention the house - tucked deep in the woods - is nearly impossible to find, three stories tall, and has no interior staircases or electricity?
Ana Skobe + 16 Category: Renovation, Cultural Center Collaborators: Saso Badovinac, Olga Bombac, German Bosch, Grega Cerar, Oscar Espinosa, Jure Kolenc, Carlos Parra, Damian Plouganou, Bor Pungersc Client: Ayuntamiento de Liubliana
By the time Jason Saft, an award-winning home stager and founder of New York city-based Staged To Sell Home, was called in to work his magic on this unit in The Clebourne, an Upper West Side co-op, it had been sitting on the market for an astounding 779 days. Saft describes how he "fell for it instantly," even though the walls were scuffed and the air was stale.
The Barbican will close its doors for 12 months from June 2028 as it undergoes a multimillion-pound renovation that its leaders say will secure its future. The arts organisation's Beech Street cinemas will remain open but its theatre, music venue, conservatory and visual arts galleries are set to shutter as the overhaul of the 43-year-old building begins in the lead-up to its 50th anniversary in 2032.
One of the things that I have seen not commented on was back to when the West Wing was built. It used to be on the west side of the White House there were large glass conservatories and stables for a short period of time. Those were all torn down, which allowed the colonnades to the west side and then the building of the West Wing. Nobody's talking about that, but that was just as large a project.
Deciding to renovate a listed building adds in a whole other level of skill and determination, not just from you, but from your professional team too. Whether it's the mysteries you uncover, the damage you find, or the planning constraints that can make design and purchasing more time consuming and costly, it's not a journey to take without gaining some understanding of just what's involved.
When we renovated and extended our house, around 10 years ago now, we were on a tight budget and, given that we had no option but to stay living in the property with two children under four, wanted to get it done and dusted as quickly as possible. Having said that, building an extension while living on site with limited means meant that the whole thing still took around four years from start to finish - you'd have thought that would mean that we got everything we wanted from all our efforts, particularly given that we did most of the work ourselves. Not so.
Makeovers can be hard to get right, especially when you're working with old buildings, and even more so when it's a cherished community spot. You want to make sure the original character of the property remains, but that it's brought into the modern age when it comes to things like decorations and double-glazed windows. That's the sort of balance that developers are looking to strike at St John's Tavern in Archway, which is set to reopen this week.
The wait is over. Gold Mirror, the 56-year-old family-owned Italian restaurant out in the Sunset that has been closed since early 2024, is reopening at the corner of Taraval Street and 18th Avenue. The DiGrande family, which has owned the restaurant since 1969, is celebrating with two days of invitation-only parties for city politicos including the mayor, family, friends and neighbors, starting Saturday at 5 p.m. It will be open to the public next Wednesday.
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