Tasteful Surroundings
YOU’VE HEARD THE OLD SAYING, “Location, location, location.” It bears repeating when you’re talking about homes nestled near some of San Diego County’s most picturesque spots, including Black’s Beach in La Jolla and San Elijo Lagoon in Solana Beach. And for the kitchens of these homes, compatibility with the environs, in look and materials was at the forefront of the homeowners’ and industry experts’ design visions.
JULE AND HARRY EBERLIN decided that if you want something done right, do it yourself — at least when it came to remodeling their kitchen.
“This is our pride and joy,” Jule Eberlin says of her family’s home near Black’s Beach in La Jolla. “But I hated my kitchen. It was very ’80s Scandinavian. We have an acre, and we wanted it more open to the yard.”
By moving the home’s laundry room, the Eberlins got the extra space they wanted and enhanced the view of the lush outdoors from the kitchen using iron windows. “The first thing I get (from visitors) is, ‘Oh my gosh, how amazing!’ You walk in my front door and you go straight to the kitchen and you see right out the back.”
The homeowners refer to the design of their remodeled kitchen as “industrial French.” Amenities include three Subzero refrigerators, an undercounter fridge and three sinks — that’s the industrial part. Then, on the French side, the Eberlins have antique stone floors and limestone and marble countertops.
The kitchen is suitable for more than just cooking. One of the sinks is perfect, Jule says, for potting herbs and even bathing the family’s small dogs. This lively household includes four dogs, two cats, seven birds, kids and grandkids.
During the remodel, the Eberlins had to rough it, kitchen-wise. “We cooked in our garage for seven months for seven people,” Jule says. But, she adds, it was worth it. “I got my dream kitchen.”
Homes: By David Coddon Photography by Martin Mann
