Diana Braun Point of View

We Have Some Catching Up To Do

Newsletter · August 8, 2026

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

Back From Berlin, Still Closing Deals

I have been away, and I have missed you!

This past month was one of those rare stretches where life and work blurred together beautifully. Time with my family in Germany, long meals at tables I have been sitting at since childhood, and somewhere between all of it, a closing from a café table in Berlin. This job, when you love it, does not really stop. It just changes location.

I also came home with a suitcase full of ceramics and I cannot stop thinking about hosting.

KPM, the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur, has been producing hand-painted porcelain in Berlin since 1763, and walking through their showroom felt like moving through centuries of craft. Every piece made by hand. Every one signed by the artist who painted it. I brought home more than I intended to.

The hosting trends I keep coming back to right now are less about perfection and more about atmosphere. A slightly rumpled linen, candles already half-burned, terracotta tones and hand-finished ceramics, and long dinners that drift into the evening. Lighting that makes any night feel like somewhere worth staying. The KPM pieces fit right into all of it.

Start at kpm-berlin.com. Fair warning: you will want everything.

What the Luxury Market Is Telling Us Right Now

I came back from Germany to some very interesting data, and it connects directly to what I have been seeing on the ground here.

The Global Luxury Mid-Year Report just dropped and the headline is hard to ignore. Prospective buyer interest in US luxury real estate has doubled in the first five months of 2026, with California and New York leading international buyer demand. More than 82% of Luxury Property Specialists say their clients are maintaining or increasing their real estate holdings, up from 69% just a year ago, and nearly half now view luxury real estate as a safe-haven asset.

The trend everyone is talking about is landmaxxing. Wealthy buyers are purchasing adjacent lots, neighboring homes, and expansive acreage to maximize their footprint, protect their views, and create multigenerational family estates. Searches for unique properties rose 146% year over year. Searches for land rose 97%.

The logic is not vanity. It is scarcity they can own and no one can copy. The land next to you, and the land under you, is the scarce asset.

On the Westside this is not a new idea. Canyon homes, large lots, properties with room to expand have always commanded a premium here. What is new is that the broader market is finally catching up to what Westside buyers have understood for years. If you have been sitting on a larger lot or thinking about acquiring the property next door, this is the moment the data is telling you to move.

Palisades Village Is Coming Back, and It Means Everything

I have been waiting to write this section for a long time.

Palisades Village, Rick Caruso's beloved coastal village in Pacific Palisades, will celebrate its grand reopening on August 15th, returning to life after the devastating fires of 2025 that shook our entire community.

The village will reopen with over 40 boutiques and dining venues, the historic Bay Theater, and a mix of returning favorites and exciting new names. Neighborhood staples like Erewhon, elysewalker, Brunello Cucinelli, and Blue Ribbon Sushi will be back, alongside new concepts including Nancy Silverton's Italian steakhouse Spacca Tutto and the first West Coast location of LESET.

Rick Caruso said it best: this is a moment to turn the page together. A comeback story for the history books and a love letter to LA.

That is exactly what it feels like. Palisades Village was never just a shopping center. It was a place where this community gathered, celebrated, and felt like itself. Getting it back is something I do not take lightly. Mark August 15th on your calendar and go.

From a Berlin café table to a Palisades village coming back to life, this summer has been full of things worth coming home to. I am glad to be back and I cannot wait to show you what is next.

xx. Diana

Westside Market Report

First Week of August 2026 | Single Family Homes

City Spotlight: Santa Monica

Inventory: 85

Median List Price: $3,125,000

Median Days on Market: 42

Curious about your market? Reach out.