Brother Vs. Brother, LA: A Tale of Two Kitchens

Jonathan and Drew get set for round 2 in their grand-scale contest, each renovating a historic but neglected mansion in LA's Hancock Park — which is also the neighborhood that Drew and his wife Linda call home.

Guest judges for this round of the contest, which focuses on the kitchen and dining spaces in each of the respective houses, are Maureen McCormick — of A Very Brady Renovation (and The Brady Bunch) fame — and Dan Vickery, host of HGTV Canada's Love It or List It: Vacation Homes. Both will be part of the upcoming HGTV series Frozen In Time. "Maureen and Dan are all about taking an old, historic house and breathing fresh life into it," says Drew.

With the size and scope of the renovations, this Brother Vs. Brother challenge represents the Scott Brothers' biggest flipping challenge to date. Here, Drew ponders the possibilities of the massive kitchen space in his project home.

Drew's project house is a spacious and vintage house with lots of historic features. Jonathan feels that his design strategy that draws on classic Hollywood influences is his winning ticket.

Jonathan's project house is nicknamed "The House Nextdoor" since it's located directly next door to brother Drew's actual home. Jonathan's design strategy is a Spanish-themed upgrade. Jonathan scored victory in the first round of the competition with his striking living-room redesign. A massive kitchen upgrade is his next undertaking.

The Team-Jonathan House, Kitchen. Of the two project houses, Jonathan's was the one originally lacking in historic or stylistic character. As such, Jonathan's house effectively served more as a "blank canvas" than Drew's house, which had more distinctive period features. A case in point is the kitchen in Jonathan's house which, prior the renovation, is simply drab and reads more as "outdated" than "vintage."

The Team-Jonathan House, Kitchen. For the renovated space, Jonathan's expanded kitchen design includes large twin islands — one with integrated sink and centered in the space for standard utilitiy and a second one offering extra prep space and a breakfast bar with additional seating for four.

The Team-Jonathan House, Kitchen.

The Team-Jonathan House, Kitchen. Visual highlights in the kitchen include exposed wood beams in dark stain and ceiling-height custom cabinetry painted in striking blue-gray.

The Team-Jonathan House, Kitchen. The exposed beams and newly installed recessed lighting accentuate the drama of the kitchen with its high ceilings and newly enlarged space.

The Team-Jonathan House, Kitchen. The real show-stopper in Jonathan's kitchen design is the ornate tile backsplash offset by white stone countertops.

The Team-Jonathan Kitchen. The ornate pattern of the tile and combination of colors offers a perfect interplay with the backdrop of the blue-gray of the cabinets and the space's vEIWS mix of wood tones.

The Team-Jonathan Kitchen.

The Team-Jonathan Kitchen, Pantry.

The Team-Jonathan House, Kitchen.

The Team-Jonathan House, Kitchen.

The Team-Jonathan House, Dining Room.

The Team-Jonathan House, Dining Room. Jonathan's reconfigured dining room exudes elegance and style, with exposed wood beams and a brick-tiled barrel ceiling that Jonathan designed to help give the space a more distinctive and historic feel. The fresh white paint in this space serves as a neutral backdrop for playing with the rich, earthy colors — like the deep rust and blues of the area rug and drapes.

The Team-Jonathan House, Dining Room. The exposed brick and wood, coupled with the richly colored Persian rug, combine to provide the space with a warm and welcoming vibe. Guest judge Maureen McCormick likened the spectacular ceiling to "a work of art."

The Team-Jonathan House, Dining Room. Traditional and modern elements combine as clean-lined furnishings, curved glass doors and a feature chandelier offer contemporary flourishes. "I went all-in on this challenge, and it was daunting at times," said Jonathan. "But now I see it all coming together — and it looks unbelievable."

The Team-Jonathan House, Dining Room.

The Team-Jonathan House, Dining Room.

The Team-Jonathan House. This kitchen-adjacent space in the original floor plan is a dedicated wine room.

The Team-Jonathan House, The Wine Room. Jonathan and crew took the concept of a wine room to the next level — with wood cabinetry, custom wine racks and some impressive wrought-iron and glass doors.

The Team-Jonathan House, The Great Room. This drab and confining space gets opened up to create a free-flowing floor plan between the new kitchen and an adjacent great room.

The Team-Jonathan House, The Great Room. Maureen immediately fell in love with the expansive sectional sofa in lush blue upholstery.

The Team-Jonathan House, The Great Room. Highlights in this space include an open-design two-sided fireplace and a bank of windows offering an enticing view of the backyard.

The Team-Drew Project. Meanwhile, in Drew's project house nicknamed "The Corner Chateau," Drew takes on a serious project, re-engineering the outdated original fireplace in the dining room.

The Team-Drew House, Living Room and Kitchen. "I want this [renovation] to be about the character," said Drew, "the history of this neighborhood and all the little touches."

The Team-Drew House, Living Room and Kitchen. Guest judge Dan Vickery was impressed with the overall presentation and context of the kitchen. "I love that it just pulls you into the house," he says.

The Team-Drew House, Kitchen. Drew's objective for the kitchen in his project house was to execute a much-needed update while keeping a classic feel that will be in keeping with the overall character of the home.

The Team-Drew House, Kitchen.

The Team-Drew House, Kitchen.

The Team-Drew House, Kitchen. Drew's redesigned kitchen maintains a clean and bright feel, with a mostly white palette and white stone countertop for the large island.

The Team-Drew House, Kitchen.

The Team-Drew House, Kitchen. The newly modernized kitchen features textured white subway tile, new wood floors, farmhouse sink and a visually stunning set of pendant chandeliers above the island.

The Team-Drew Kitchen. The kitchen includes a sizable dining table with bench seating attached to one side of the island. The bench, combined with stylistically coordinating chairs, offers a substantial secondary eating area in addition to the adjacent dining room. Other special features in the kitchen include side-by-side industrial sized refrigerator and freezer — with an integrated pull-out spice cabinet between the two.

The Team-Drew Kitchen. Drew's kitchen remodel includes new hardwood floors in light stain and a wood surface with natural grain and texture.

The Team-Drew Kitchen. Other amenities include a pot-filler faucet, custom vent hood and a chef-worthy stovetop and range.

The Team-Drew Kitchen. "I would say it's not a huge kitchen, but they've really maximized the space," said Dan Vickery. "By keeping it so light, it feels bigger than it would have if there were dark cabinets."

The Team-Drew Kitchen. A secondary sink makes for a valuable addition for food prep and cleanup.

The Team-Drew Kitchen. The vintage styling of the stove is another nod to the home's classic roots. "We're bringing in another layer of history," says Dan, "in what is obviously a brand new kitchen."

The Team-Drew Kitchen.

The Team-Drew Kitchen.

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room.

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room. The sunken dining room just off the kitchen retains the original barrel ceiling with ornate tile but gets new black-and-white tile floors that are a motif seen elsewhere in the home's original design. "I know this room didn't [originally] have this tile," said Dan, "But this house had very similar tile. So bringing in that layer of history, and telling the 'story' of this home is, I think, fantastic."

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room. The original barrel ceiling with ornate vintage tile is one of the distinctive features that Drew was most excited about.

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room. "I'm so glad we managed to save and restore that original ceiling, says Drew. "It allows me to highlight the classic feel of the room and add so much value."

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room.

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room. The low-profile design of the refurbished fireplace and surround is visually well suited to the upgraded space and contemporary furnishings.

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room.

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room. Drew reworked the original fireplace, going with a cleaner, simpler geometry and white Neolith stone surround that matches the kitchen's stone countertops.

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room. "It's nice once in a while to have a space that just feels special," says Dan, "and this room does with the ceiling. Seeing it in person, it just feels great." Maureen's chosen adjective to describe the space: "Vibrant!"

The Team-Drew House, Dining Room.

The Team-Drew House, Main-Floor Half Bath,

The Team-Drew House, Main-Floor Half Bath,

The style and decor of the living room and kitchen are carefully coordinated and offer stunning sight lines between the two spaces.