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Two Seating Pieces can Double Your Fireplace Pleasure
Q: How should I arrange furniture in a large contemporary living room with a fireplace on one wall adjoining a window on the side wall, with the space open to the dining area? I plan to buy a new sofa, but I have no idea where to position it. We …Read more.
An Open-and-Shut Case For Dressing Doors Differently
Q: Our sun porch has six windows plus a French door that leads out to the patio. My furniture is mostly traditional, so I'm thinking of using pleated draperies on the windows. But what should I do with the door? It opens into the room, so more …Read more.
Ask Michelangelo: To Wallpaper a Ceiling, it Helps to be an Artist
Q: We have a quirky room, a sun porch with six, large arched windows and a cove ceiling — lots of different angles. I would like to wallpaper the ceiling, too, but I don't know how to handle the curves. Any helpful hints?
A: Wallpapering …Read more.
Wood You Believe? Yesterday's Timber Leads a Second Life
Q: Our son and his two young children are moving in with us after his divorce. We had planned to move ourselves, but now we'll stay put and add a great room for the kids. Our house is Tudor-style, so we want the new room to blend with the old things,…Read more.
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Consider Laminate Flooring as an Inexpensive OptionQ: We don't have great antiques, but over the years our home became a warm, traditional "cocoon" — so our friends always tell us. Now we're moving to a fixer-upper that needs a lot of renovation, including replacing the floors. Our budget's too tight for hardwood, and we hate the idea of wall-to-wall. My husband thinks we should install ceramic tile that looks like stone. Is that our only option? A: Stone-look tile is a relatively inexpensive option when you're looking for natural materials. But it's not your only choice, as you'll see if you consider some of today's man-made options. Many laminates appear very similar to real wood; you'll forget they ever came from a test tube instead of a tree. New photographic technologies, coupled with realistic embossing and surface-protecting finish, make laminates all but impervious to household wears, tears, spills and accidents. Plus, as you can see from the pictured traditional living room, they blend easily into a vintage-decorating theme. This cherry-look floor is from the "Elegant Expressions" collection by Pergo (www.pergo.com), one of the largest laminate manufacturers in the world. Q: Still optimistic enough for yellow? A: Presidential election and economic downturn aside, the prognosticators at Benjamin Moore Paints think they see a hint of hopefulness in the year that lies ahead. They're predicting yellow, traditionally the color of optimism ... yellow, as in "flickering firelight with a touch of green," says Benjamin Moore's Eileen McComb. The hue the paint company calls St. Elmo's Fire, "radiates warmth and energy like no other color," she adds. "Once upon a time, yellow was thought to be for kitchens only," McComb explains. No longer. Skeptical? Then take a trial run before reaching for a paintbrush. Benjamin Moore is one of several paint producers that allow you to paint your room virtually and receive a preview of the finished job. You can buy 2-ounce samples of the actual paint, or click onto Personal Color Viewer — an online program that lets you "paint" with any of the company's 3,500 colors. Check it out at www.benjaminmoore.com. Q: Want to eke out the last of the outdoor living season? A: Borrow a clever idea from designer Kathryn Tafaro Platt (KP Interiors, Mendham, N.J.), who found herself almost out in the cold on the front terraces of the historic Twin Maples Show House this fall. Unknown to her, show house officials decided to take out the old and huge trees that had sheltered the terrace, leaving her outdoor display out in the open. Platt's solution: Create a visual windbreaker by standing a tall porch column at the outer corners and attaching two swing-arm curtain rods to form a 'V.' She then draped each arm with a sheer curtain, a filmy suggestion of the walls that aren't there.
Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Hampton Style" and associate editor of Country Decorating Ideas. To find out more about Rose Bennett Gilbert and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC. 
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