A generation ago families were large and children were expected to share bedrooms. These days teenagers expect to have their own rooms. It's almost like a rite of passage, a learning process in decorating to express one's personality. Indeed, the novelist Virginia Woolf believed that women, in particular, needed "a room of one's own" in order to develop fully as human beings and writers. For three area teenagers, having their own bedroom is a joy.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Having moved five times in the last nine years, Pam Syx, now of Venice, Fla., had many opportunities to chuck some of her two children's artwork along the way.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Whether you're hosting a full-force dinner party or a cozy brunch for four, your tabletop can shine with these ideas for harvest decor, using unexpected items, found objects and botanicals foraged from your own back yard.
Shine on
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Q: It won't be long before winter hits us again, and I promised myself last year that we'd do what we could to our home to make it more comfortable this year. It stayed cold indoors all last winter and we hated it. You and others I read often talk about passive solar heating, and how this is a great way to keep your home warm in winter without spending a lot of money on your heating bills.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Since we were cave dwellers, the hearth has been the heart of the home. Over time, fireplaces naturally became the focal point in the family room, dressed up with elaborate moldings and ornamental mantels.
But designers are seeing fireplaces return to basics, where the fire itself is the star of the show. Behold the modern fireplace.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Q: We got back from our summer vacation last week and when I went to flip the breaker to turn our water heater back on, it wouldn't work. I know that electric water heaters like ours constantly cycle on and off to keep the water hot, so it's always made sense to me to turn the breaker off when we're away so we save energy. Now all of a sudden, the thing won't come back on. Any idea on this?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Fall is a busy time for decorating, second only to Christmas, and the period when vegetables are valued more for their beauty than their flavor.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Given today's trend toward sustainable landscapes and native plants that support wildlife, I think it is hard to beat the wax myrtle.
There are several great options across the country. It seems as if all wax myrtles have been known botanically as Myrica species for forever and a day. But now when you go shopping, you'll more than likely find them under the name Morella.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Once upon a time, the ideal for a child's room was a cozy haven filled with sturdy push-pull toys, handmade dolls and a few baskets of dress-up clothes.
That was before batteries, computer programs for toddlers, and the array of stuff that talks, squawks, jangles and jolts in little hands.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - When Kiva Slade makes biscuits for her family on Saturday mornings in January, she has fruit from a nearby farm to spread on top _ despite the fact that she lives in Upper Marlboro, Md., and it's freezing outside.
How does she do it? Canning. The kind that involves ladles, timers and lots and lots of glass jars. The kind your grandmother used to do.
