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2009-04-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

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Going Out In Style; At Houston's most elegant funeral home, death is just an excuse for the last, best party you'll ever attend.

2009-04-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

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(Copyright Texas Monthly. 2009)

Before I could even knock, the front door of Bradshaw-Carter Memorial & Funeral Services, on the edge of Houston's posh River Oaks neighborhood, opened without a whisper, and there stood the proprietor: a trim, dapper 49-year-old named Tripp Carter, wearing a tailored charcoal-gray suit, a starched white dress shirt, a black-and-white-striped Brooks Brothers tie, black Gucci slip-ons, and a Rolex watch. "Come in, my friend, come in," he said as he pulled the door farther back, ushering me into a breathtakingly high-ceilinged foyer. On one wall was an early-sixteenth-century icon on wood of the Madonna and child; on another were four pencil drawings by the old masters. A seventeenth-century Flemish chest with ebony and inlaid red tortoiseshell stood in a corner of the room. In the center was another seventeenth-century piece, an elaborately carved marble table made in Venice, and on top was a Ming-era porcelain bowl filled with white orchids. Surrounding the bowl were half a dozen Manuel Canovas Fleur de Coton candles imported from France, their scent lingering in the air.

"You're kidding," I murmured. "All this for a funeral home?"

"At Bradshaw-Carter we believe that beauty can soften sorrow," Carter gently replied, his perfectly brushed, prematurely gray hair glistening under the glow of an Italian crystal chandelier. He patted my arm and led me across the travertine floor into a library filled with settees, armchairs, oil paintings, and Oriental rugs; an English antler chandelier hung from the ceiling, and a rich red fabric covered the walls. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and classical music slipped out of invisible speakers. Carter handed me a long-stemmed glass of champagne, lifted his own glass, and then said, with a pleasant smile, "Cheers!"

It's the ultimate in death chic: a funeral home so fashionable that Houstonians drop in just to get a look at it. Besides the foyer and the library, there are sitting rooms and lounges and a "salon" filled with ivory and gold French furniture. Instead of a traditional dimly lit chapel with long pews, there's a sun-filled garden room with two hundred handcrafted Italian chairs and an exquisite hand-painted mural of an Italian landscape covering the four walls. There's even a classically designed "grief library," whose shelves are stocked with soothing books on death and dying.

Compared with a typical funeral home, with wall-to-wall carpeting, reproductions of famous paintings, bowls of potpourri, and furniture that actually came from a furniture store, the redbricked, Georgian-style Bradshaw-Carter, which opened in March 2004, looks like a baronial mansion. And it's not only the decor that stands out. Bradshaw-Carter stocks made-to-order caskets (one built by Trappist monks, another created from the willow trees of an English estate) and rare leather cremation boxes trimmed with game-bird feathers (made by Pineider, of Italy). It has salespeople on call at Neiman Marcus and the high-end boutique Tootsies to provide appropriately dark designer outfits (what Carter calls "specialized mourning dress") to the grief stricken who desire more-elegant funeral attire for themselves or their departed loved ones, and it has its own collection of luxurious pajamas and robes by Frette, also of Italy, so the deceased can look as though they have literally been laid to rest.

What is perhaps most unusual about Bradshaw-Carter is that it encourages mourners to hang around as long as they want after the funeral, going so far as to offer postfuneral receptions with "wake menus" created by Houston catering guru Jackson Hicks. The food and beverages--coffee, tea, and cocktails--are served by waiters in white coats. A harpist, a pianist, a string quartet, or a dance band is brought in to perform in the salon, and valet parkers are waiting outside to retrieve the guests' cars. "We want your time here to be both intimate and memorable," Carter told me as the classical music swelled. "We do our best to give you the ultimate goodbye experience."

Bradshaw-Carter was the brainchild of Carter's life partner, Ron Bradshaw, who died of pancreatic cancer last June, at age 49. For years, the winsome, boyish Bradshaw was one of New York's most respected interior decorators, renowned for re-creating historic European looks in five-star hotels and the grandest Upper East Side town houses. In the early nineties he had a staff of more than thirty, and Architectural Digest and Vogue regularly featured his work. He was such a delight at dinner parties that Gotham's ladies of leisure clamored for his attention.

Within a few years, however, those same ladies were rendered nearly speechless when he announced he was moving to Houston to apprentice at George H. Lewis and Sons, one of the city's most prominent funeral homes. "Ron used to talk about how he had gone to his uncle's funeral when he was a little boy and noticed how peaceful he looked in the casket," said Carter, who was the director of development for the Menil Collection when Bradshaw arrived in town. (The two met at their high-rise apartment building and quickly fell in love.) "He and his brother later began playing funeral director in their backyard clubhouse, making caskets for dead bugs out of matchboxes and having solemn services for them. It wasn't that Ron had some morbid obsession with death. He truly believed that a funeral could be a transforming experience for people during their time of greatest loss."

During his apprenticeship, Bradshaw honed his embalming skills, spending hours on a body, using a variety of solutions and cosmetics to achieve a lifelike look. ("He would not allow one of his bodies to come off the embalming table looking gray," said Carter. "He wanted them to look like they could get up and walk.") Whenever he would return to New York to finish up decorating jobs, he'd drop by Sotheby's auction house to buy items that would look good in what he called his "dream home"--the funeral home he planned to build someday.

Although most funeral homes are part of corporate chains--the biggest in the country is Houston-based Service Corporation International, or SCI, which owns more than 1,300 funeral homes, including George H. Lewis and Sons--Bradshaw was determined to run his own shop. Corporate funeral homes, he believed, were too profit driven. They operated like hotels for the dead, with giant lobbies where two or three families arrived at the same time and were ushered into adjoining rooms to view bodies. "He believed a funeral home should be just that--a home in which we serviced only one family at a time," Carter recalled. "He even said he was going to install an in-house crematory so that our mourners would know that their loved one's ashes were always here and hadn't been mixed up with anyone else's."

Bradshaw and Carter bought property on West Alabama Street, less than three miles from SCI's headquarters, and began building their 15,000-square-foot dream home, including a small upstairs apartment. By the time they opened they had spent every cent they had on the building and the furnishings--"several million dollars," Carter told me, "so much that everyone in the business thought we were completely crazy." Carter's friends were baffled when they heard he had given up his prized job at the Menil to work at the funeral home greeting mourners, leading them to their seats in the garden room, and making sure the services ran smoothly. "They said, 'What do you know about death?' I said, 'I'm sorry, but death is now my life.'?"

For their grand opening, the two men held a fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign, which lobbies for equal rights for gays and lesbians. Much of Houston society turned out in formal wear, chatting happily as they milled about in the grief library or by a display of urns. PaperCity was so impressed that it devoted an entire page to Bradshaw-Carter, assuring its status-conscious readers that it was a place that would send them into the hereafter "not with a whimper but with a no-expense-spared bang." Bradshaw posed for pictures in a blue blazer, shirt and tie, chinos, loafers, and no socks. Nobody had ever seen a funeral director dressed like that.

It wasn't long before charity groups began using Bradshaw-Carter for their own fundraisers. Arts organizations put on chamber music concerts. One well-known man about town, Gilbert Johnson, held his fiftieth-birthday party there, popping out of a casket with a champagne glass in one hand and twenty pounds of chocolate in the other. The grande dame of Houston's social scene, Lynn Wyatt, delivered Johnson's "eulogy."

But the main business, of course, was funerals, and Bradshaw's plan was to make sure that everyone, not just the city's elite, was given the opportunity to experience the Bradshaw-Carter send-off. Although other prestigious funeral homes charged more than $13,000 for a top-of-the-line service, they charged only $5,350. Their first funeral, in fact, was for a middle-class man who had died of a heart attack in front of his wife at the dining room table. "When the man's body was brought into the home, Ron and I wept," said Carter. "We were overcome with emotion that we had been given such a responsibility. To be honest with you, I can't remember any of our funerals where we didn't cry."

By the time Bradshaw was diagnosed with cancer, in June 2007, he and Carter were doing 150 funerals a year (not even close to the 400 to 500 a year reportedly done over at George H. Lewis, Carter noted, "but just enough for us") for everyone from infants--buried in bassinets designed by Bradshaw--to oilmen. For the postfuneral reception of her husband, an ice cream heiress had a jazz singer, a string quartet, and a country and western duo perform in different rooms. Bradshaw and Carter even did funerals for two of their own shih tzus, which were embalmed and placed in caskets.

Bradshaw's own funeral was one of the highlights of the Houston social season. Nearly two thousand people packed into St. Anne Catholic Church for his service--"there was not a peony to be had in the city that day," Carter said--and many of them later dropped by Bradshaw-Carter for the reception. Dressed in his favorite custom-tailored mourning suit, Bradshaw lay in the garden room in a mahogany casket he had designed himself, the interior lined with the plushest velvet. His eyes were closed; a peaceful smile was on his face. "The man has as much style in death as he did in life," someone said, munching on Jackson Hicks's finger food.

After Bradshaw's passing, corporate funeral home chains beseeched Carter to sell Bradshaw-Carter, but he adamantly refused. He still lives in the upstairs apartment and works seven days a week, continuing Bradshaw's quest to bring beauty to the sorrowful. (He has a staff of twelve, and his 82-year-old mother drops by each day to answer the phone and run errands.) When I asked if he ever considered finding a job again in the world of the living, he smiled and told me how he had recently arranged for a grieving mother to spend as much time as she wanted with her dead child, who had been laid out in an antique daybed with his toys scattered around him. "We put off the funeral, and she stayed there, on and off, for three days, until she finally began to feel she could let him go," he said.

Carter sipped champagne as tears filled his eyes. Then, before he could say a word, the phone rang. A man wanted to arrange a service for his father. "It would be my honor," Carter said. "It would be such an honor."

which room measures up?

2009-04-05T11:50:00.001-07:00

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the answer: The one on the right. And the reason? Balance and proportion. Without those things, even a space filled with the most stylish pieces won't look pulled-together. Avoid your own proportional faux pas (a bitsy painting over a long sofa, a lamp shade bigger than the table it sits on) by following a few simple guidelines. Turn the page to find out how to make the elements in your rooms work in beautiful harmony.

living room

For your living room to be truly livable, pay attention to the details--an easy-to-reach side table, a carefully positioned lamp.

Mount a large mirror 8 to 10 inches above the sofa.

A coffee table should be about two-thirds the length of the sofa.

Floor-to-ceiling curtains play up a room's height.

Leave 18 to 20 inches around an area rug.

PROPORTIONAL POINTERS FOR LIVING ROOMS

lamps: To avoid being blinded by a glaring bulb, situate a table lamp so that you're not looking into the top when you're standing or seeing the harp when sitting, says Manhattan-based interior designer Thomas O'Brien. For table lamps, the bottom of the shade should land at shoulder height when you're seated on a sofa or a chair. "And you don't want a floor lamp to be too high or else it won't feel connected to the sofa," says New York City interior designer Sara Bengur.

tables: A side table should be an inch or two lower than the arm of a sofa, says New York City interior designer Elaine Griffin. Why? So that you're not straining to pick up a book or put down a cup of tea. The coffee table "should be two-thirds the length of the sofa," says Griffin.

mirror: Most people hang mirrors and art much too high. "Mount a large mirror 8 to 10 inches above the sofa," says Griffin. In general, "hang it high enough so that you don't hit your head when you lean back, but low enough so that you see the sofa and mirror as one unit," says Bengur.

window treatment: To accentuate the height of the room, hang floor-length curtains as close to the ceiling or molding as possible. Make sure the curtains touch the floor for maximum effect.

area rug: To keep the room airy, "leave 18 to 20 inches of floor space around the rug," says O'Brien. While a small (four-by-six-foot) rug should stand alone under a coffee table, it's OK to rest a sofa's front legs on a rug that is 8 by 10 feet or larger.

Sofa: Oly Studio, 775-336-2100

Table lamp: Arteriors Home, 877-488-8866

Floor lamp: jamieyoung.com.

Coffee table: bakerfurniture.com.

Side table: Arteriors Home, 877-488-8866

Mirror: highfashionhome.com.

Curtain panel: westelm.com.

Rug: meridameridian.com.

Armchair: hickorychair.com.

foyer

In this typically narrow space, where people (and bags and pets) tend to congregate, it's crucial to maintain a streamlined setup.

Mount small frames about an inch apart. If they don't line up perfectly, that's OK.

The ideal height for a pendant lamp? Six feet eight inches above the floor.

Runners should lie 20 inches from the wall.

PROPORTIONAL POINTERS FOR FOYERS

pendant lamp: Install a pendant or a chandelier so that the bottom is six feet eight inches above the floor. If you hang it much higher, you'll lose its visual impact. And if you hang it much lower, "you'll truncate the space," says Bengur.

framed photos: Mount small framed photos about an inch apart and large ones about two inches apart, says O'Brien. For a unified look, strike a balance between the color of the photos (some light, some dark), the size of the mats (some small, some big), and the thickness of the frames (some wide, some narrow), says O'Brien.

console: Choose a modest console that won't impede foot traffic (the one shown here is 18 inches deep). "It's nice to have a table that's just wide enough to put down your mail and keys," says O'Brien. "Leave some blank wall space at each end so the room doesn't appear cramped," adds Susan Corry, an interior designer in Los Angeles.

table lamp: "A taller-than-normal lamp--about 18 to 24 inches high--will make a tight space appear to have higher ceilings," says Corry. Be careful that the shade doesn't stick out beyond the edges of the table or it might get knocked over.

runner: In a foyer, it's best to see some of the floor and to keep the runner clear of furniture so the space has a feeling of openness; O'Brien says the runner should be about 20 inches from the wall. And the runner shouldn't extend the entire length of the hallway. You want to be sure that the front door can swing open freely.

Pendant lamp: nichemodern.com.

Runner: pillowsandthrows.com.

bedroom

To balance out your bed, steer clear of dinky artwork and teeny side tables and opt for symmetry.

The bottom of the shade should hit just above the headboard.

For queen- and king-size beds, choose side tables that are 30 to 36 inches in diameter.

A four-by-six-foot rug by the bed is ideal for most bedrooms.

PROPORTIONAL POINTERS FOR BEDROOMS

sconces or lamps: "Position the base of a sconce so the bottom of the shade hits just past the top of the headboard, but not by more than an inch or two," says Griffin. This way, when you sit up in bed, "it will sit above shoulder height and you won't get shadows from your head falling on your book," says Corry. As for those charming little boudoir lamps, they look minuscule next to even a full-size bed, so go for a table lamp that's at least two feet tall.

artwork: Make sure the piece you choose can hold its own against the bed. Keep this rule of thumb in mind: It should fill two-thirds to three-quarters of the wall space above the headboard, says Griffin.

headboard: When you lean back to read, the top of the headboard should be no lower than your neckline, so that your body is fully supported and your head can't hit artwork positioned above.

side table: Narrow tables (15 inches across) are fine for twin beds, but "you need wide tables--30 to 36 inches--to balance wider beds," says Corry. Plus, a larger table will give you more surface area for a water glass and reading material. And carefully consider the height. "Ideally, the top of a side table should be slightly lower than the top of the dressed bed," says Griffin.

rug: Why place a large area rug in the bedroom if the bed will cover most of the design? "I prefer a four-by-six-foot rug to run lengthwise alongside the bed," says Corry. According to O'Brien, placement "depends on where you walk in. If you enter the room near the foot of the bed, place a small rug there. If you enter at the side of the bed, put it near the side."

Kitchen of the Month

2009-04-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

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2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Loveladies, New Jersey: A Zen simplicity, with watery green marble counters and handcrafted wood cabinets modeled after traditional Japanese storage pieces

KITCHEN BY MARGUERITE RODGERS

INTERVIEW BY CHRISTINE PITTEL

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIC PIASECKI

PRODUCED BY WHITNEY ROBINSON

CHRISTINE PITTEL: A Japanese-style kitchen for a beach house in New Jersey? Please explain.

MARGUERITE RODGERS: When you arrive, you open a gate and walk through a courtyard to get to this very compact one-story house, where all the rooms flow into each other. The spirit of the place reminded me of a Japanese teahouse.

Cooking, dining, and living all happen in one big room. How did that affect the design?

I didn't want it to scream, 'Kitchen!' So the island and the cabinets look more like furniture. We modeled them on a Japanese tansu -- a storage chest that often has slatted doors. They slide open, as opposed to swinging out, which allows you to have larger openings and works really well in a small kitchen. If two people are cooking, one doesn't have to move out of the way every time the other opens a cupboard.

No seats at the island?

No. Too kitcheny, and if people are sitting around the island, it really limits the chef when he's trying to work. He can't spread out. Instead, we put a slim counter against the window where you could sit and have a cup of coffee and look out at the bay. The counter is cantilevered, so you still see glass above and below. And it's another strong horizontal, which is very typical of Japanese architecture and makes the space feel wider than it actually is.

What's on the counters?

A watery granite that's the color of the sea grass outside, and the bay on a cloudy day. Polished to bring out all the greens and grays and even a tick of terra-cotta that picks up on the walnut. It would have looked a little dull if it were honed. Another great finish for granite is to sandblast it and acid-wash it, which we do with black granite all the time. It gives it a little texture and nothing seems to show on it.

You set up the furniture concept and then you put a big stainless-steel top on the island. How come?

To be modern. It looks so pure and simple when the counter and the sink are molded out of one piece of stainless steel, and it's actually easier to clean -- no crevices to collect dirt. If I'm not doing a custom sink, I'll often use a brand called Blanco. They make a sink with the kind of perfectly square corners I like.

Why did you want the steel on the island to look so thick?

I wanted the wood part of the island to be the same height as the Nakashima dining table, for a consistent line, and then the stainless steel brings it up to a better height for chopping. In some way, for me, the stainless steel just disappears -- it's almost like glass or a mirror. You look right through it.

What's the best way to care for it?

Wipe down the sink after using it, so you don't get that drippy, drainy look, and buy one of those cleaners made specifically for stainless steel by 3M or Miele or Mrs. Meyer's. But you have to accept how it's going to patina. I look at that Nakashima table and see all the age and character in the wood, but if you can't stand any imperfection, certain materials may not be for you. I've studied woodworking, and when we started this project, I suggested that we look at Nakashima furniture. My client and I bought that walnut table and chairs at auction and chose walnut for the cabinetry. A space feels calmer when you don't have a million different woods.

Any other tips?

I like pull-outs in lower cabinets, but that doesn't mean you have to do them all as drawers. Here, I installed pull-out shelves behind sliding doors, but only after my client had unpacked all his stuff. Then we knew that one had to be 14 inches high to accommodate a certain pot -- and you can easily adjust them if things change. It's much more efficient.

Compact and efficient: A slim pull-out pantry is just to the right of the refrigerator. Cabinetry designed by Marguerite Rodgers and fabricated by Pappajohn Woodworking. Pine Valley granite from Doyle Gerlach. Altar hanging light with electrified candles from Holly Hunt.

Stainless-steel sink and countertop fabricated by Barry's Commercial Installations. Sliding Brazilian cherry cutting boards by Old World Butcher Block. Mythos faucet in satin nickel by Franke.

The George Nakashima table and chairs were bought at auction. The hanging system for utensils on the backsplash is from rosleusa.com.

Japanese stools from Liao Collection.

The table is set with handmade ceramic plates by Alice Goldsmith, through Barneys. Linen napkins from Crate and Barrel.

Iron hardware from Hida Tool & Hardware has an antique Japanese look. Moon pull.

Warabi pull on Fisher & Paykel dishwasher drawer with custom front.

One of Nakashima's signatures is the butterfly joint, as seen on the dining table. He was a master of traditional Japanese woodworking techniques and was also influenced by American Shaker furniture.

The breakfast bar by the window has a water view.

Cabinet doors slide open instead of swinging out, which takes up less room.

GET THE LOOK...

Custom cabinetry fabricated by Pappajohn Woodworking: 215-289-8625.

Pine Valley granite from Doyle Gerlach: 856-218-4500.

Stainless-steel sink fabricated by Barry's Commercial Installations: 570-674-9016.

Mythos faucet from Franke: 800-626-5771.

Dishwasher drawer from Fisher & Paykel: 888-936-7872.

Hardware from Hida Tool & Hardware: 510-524-3700.

Sharp Shops

2009-04-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

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2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Before, during and after the summer season, our favorite Hamptons home stores stylishly serve up the goods.

Turpan is 500 square feet of modern hits for home and body. Some are iconic, others deliciously under the radar. Opened: 2000. Specialty: High-functioning designs for kitchen, bath and dining room that show, according to cofounder Greg Turpan, that "quality has nothing to do with price." Witness the store's durable Japanese shopping totes ($48). Best sellers: Hermès china, Orrefors glass, Cire Trudon candles, Comme des Garçons clothing. Top shoppers: Joe D'Urso, Annabelle Selldorf. 55 Main Street, East Hampton; 631-324-2444.

[Photograph]: Katherine Turpan sets the table-cum-window display at her eponymous shop.
PHOTOGRAPHS: ELLEN WATSON (THE ELEGANT SETTING); KARL JUENGEL/STUDIO D (ALL OTHERS)

Balasses House takes some time to explore -- there are three barns and a main house loaded with European and American antiques -- but you'll come away with something that adds patina to any shingled saltbox. Opened: 1964. Specialty: "Tables!" as the late Teda Balasses was fond of saying. "Work everything else around them." It's still the mantra here, even though the shop's lively founder passed away last summer. Best sellers: 18th- and 19th-century furniture, crystal, and ironwork chandeliers. Select patterns of new casual china are easy to carry home for instant gratification. Top shoppers: Robert Stilin, Marshall Watson. 208 Main Street, Amagansett; 631-267-3032.

[Photograph]: Part of the midcentury mix at Wyeth.

Wyeth debuted in the Hamptons more than a decade ago before moving to lower Manhattan; last month the Mecca for hip, modern furniture and lighting returned, opening in a renovated barn in Sagaponack. Specialty: Midcentury Danish furniture and American classics, like pieces from Dunbar and Eames. Look past some mediocre seventies upholstery to original-production fifties designs. Best sellers: Hans Wegner Elbow chairs, custom bamboo tables. Top shoppers: D.D. Allen, Victoria Hagan. 3654 Montauk Highway, Sagaponack; 631-604-2103; wyethome.com.

[Photograph]: A desk vignette at Balasses House.

The Elegant Setting, the creation of Stephanie Finkelstein, carries new and vintage tableware as well as monogrammed linens and tote bags, both of which make smart hostess gifts. Opened: 2004. Specialty: The store's personal "archival" service will track down a hard-to-find vintage china or crystal pattern. Best sellers: William Yeoward and Riedel crystal, monogrammed accessories. Top shoppers: Dennis Basso, Alex Papachristidis. 31 Main Street, Southampton; 631-283-4747; the elegantsetting.com.

[Photograph]: Monogrammed gifts at the Elegant Setting.

MAKING A DAY OF IT A few more shops that are worth a stop this season: H Groome (9 Main Street, Southampton; 631-204-0491); Loaves & Fishes Cookshop (2422 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton; 631-537-6066); Kinnaman & Ramaekers (2466 Main Street, Bridgehampton; 631-537-3838); Urban Archaeology (2231 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton; 631-537-0124); R.E. Steele (74 Montauk Highway, East Hampton; 631-324-7812); Sylvester & Co. at Home (154 Main Street, Amagansett; 631-267-9777); Wayne Schwartz (303 Main Street, Amagansett; 631-267-2400).

Where Time Stands Still

2009-04-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

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Like many city slickers, Michael and Emilie Bolton fantasized about trading their hectic Fort Worth, Texas, existence for a slower pace. But unlike other dreamers, these two up and moved to the Hill Country for a new start in a tiny old barn.

WRITTEN BY SKIP HOLLANDSWORTH

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBIN STUBBERT

STYLING BY BRIAN ANDRIOLA

In the barn's kitchen, a plank from Michael and Emilie Bolton's former house (propped against the cupboard) charts the growth of children and dogs. The table and chairs came from Homestead and Friends, a shop owned by Michael's brother.

Salvaged clock- faces hang by the stairs.

Michael and Emilie relax with Kylie the Weimaraner and Thula Grace, a Great Dane.

Vintage dishes turn a plate of figs into an elegant still life.

A pair of slipcovered Lee sofas, along with leather hassocks from the Arrangement in Dallas, furnish the Boltons' new living room; on the coffee table stands a classic Bolton detail, a vintage toy horse made from papier-mâché and horsehair.

A hallway coatrack becomes a creative composition of safari hats and photographs.

A $500 iron bed -- one of Emilie's most expensive purchases -- anchors this whitewashed bedroom.

Tucked behind these portraits of her parents, an empty frame creates a 3-D tableau.

The couple found both the hutch and vintage sign on antique-hunting jaunts.

This painted wooden dresser represents the only piece of furniture the Boltons brought with them from Fort Worth. Emilie picked up the wall hanging at Homestead and Friends. "I have no idea what it says," she admits. "I just like pigs."

In the mid-1990s, Michael and Emilie Bolton lived in a pleasant four-bedroom home in a pleasant neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas. Both enjoyed successful careers as sales reps for large furniture manufacturers, and with their two kids off at college, they spent weekend afternoons at the country club playing golf and tennis. "If you wanted a portrait of a contented couple," says Emilie, "we were it."

Then Michael suggested they move to an abandoned 850-square-foot hay barn in the Texas Hill Country, near Fredericksburg, about four and a half hours away. Located on the property of Michael's brother, Tim, the barn was a century old. It had decaying floors, a rotted roof, and no electricity or plumbing. "Honey," Michael told Emilie, "this could be our dream house."

Their friends, of course, thought they were crazy. "You want to move to a little barn?" said one. "You'll kill each other in such a small space." Another wondered where the couple would shop -- Fredericksburg, she pointed out, had no mall.

But the Boltons -- together since the day they met in Austin at the University of Texas in 1971 -- "realized this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure," as Michael puts it. Their jobs allowed them to live anywhere they wanted, so in late 1997 the couple sold almost everything they owned, threw their dogs in the car, and off they went.

Michael's brother helped them hire a contractor to get to work on the barn right away, adding electricity, plumbing, new pine floors, and corrugated steel siding. Once the couple moved in, they began putting their stamp on the place. Emilie wanted a bank of French doors for the downstairs sitting area -- "What's the point of being in the country if you can't see it?" she says -- and also suggested painting the pine-wood ceilings and rafters white.

Emilie liked the results so much, she decided that "absolutely everything" that went into the barn had to be some shade of white: plain white, off-white, creamy vanilla, taupe. "And I wanted things that looked, well, distressed -- the more knocked-around, the better," she says with a cheerful grin. "Just so long as they were white."

Was this design scheme based on consultations with professional decorators? "Oh, heck no," says Emilie. "My mother always said that if the color is light, you're in a better mood, and I thought, Sounds goods to me."

The only new pieces of furniture Emilie purchased, which she put in the downstairs sitting area, were a white slipcovered sofa and two chairs by Lee Industries, the furniture company she represents (her husband works for Natuzzi). She found almost everything else while wandering through Fredericksburg's flea markets -- and Homestead and Friends, her brother-in-law's store. "Oh, man, he regretted giving me a family discount," she says, laughing. Emilie lugged home a dining table and mismatched chairs, old storefront signs, lamps, a collection of coffee cups -- even a wasp's nest that was, of course, off-white in color. Being on a limited budget, she wasn't searching for pricey antiques. "I liked the challenge of finding those odd little things that make a room come alive."

Over the years, the tiny barn became a sun-filled rustic cabin, brimming with enchanting and surprising arrangements of Emilie's purchases. She hung a cluster of salvaged clockfaces by the stairs -- "My way of letting people know that time here stands still" -- and placed a vintage wine rack next to the bathroom sink, where it holds rolled-up washcloths instead of the expected bottles of Chardonnay. "A lot of what I found cost just a few dollars," says Emilie. "I loved putting things together to see what would happen. I was having the time of my life. I didn't want to stop."

In fact, the Boltons didn't stop. In 2002, they built a 2,500-square-foot home next door, "to keep the adventure going," Michael says. The barn is now a guesthouse. As for those Fort Worth friends who said the Boltons would kill each other in the 850-square-foot space? They sleep out there -- quite happily -- whenever they come for a visit.

Customer preference for Pacific Northwest hardwoods

2009-04-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com

Two logs each of the Pacific Northwest hardwoods Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) and bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) were sawn into flitches, then sliced into veneer. The veneer was wrapped around molding stock. Veneer-wrapped molding of eastern red oak (Quercus rubra) and eastern maple (Acer spp.) was obtained. Samples from all four species were cut to 18-inch lengths and were either stained with light or dark finish or left unfinished as controls. These samples were used in face-to-face interviews of homecenter customers and professional homecenter buyers to determine preferences. Oaks were preferred over maples; eastern red oak was the most preferred species. The dark stain had a significant influence on customer preference; bigleaf maple was the most preferred species within this treatment. There were 43 of 59 customers who valued woods with "character" variation such as small knots or wavy grain patterns common to both Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple. Twenty-eight of those customers indicated that they have decorative trim or furniture resembling bigleaf maple or Oregon white oak, respectively, in their residences.

Previous marketing studies on hardwood specialty products have found that oak is the most preferred hardwood in the decorative hardwood market (2,5). However, these studies only assessed eastern hardwoods. Little information exists about customer preference for Pacific Northwest (PNW) hardwoods. This lack of information is understandable given that PNW hardwoods, except red alder, are not readily available. Although PNW hardwoods are currently used for a variety of products including cabinets and furniture, incomplete knowledge regarding the market performance of PNW hardwoods has contributed to the underutilization of this resource.

Niemiec et al. (6) provided the first regional survey of these commonly overlooked species. Inventories of California, Oregon, and Washington hardwoods show volumes of 2,170 and 463 million ft.3 for bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) and Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana), respectively (6). However, studies on the feasibility of manufacturing and distributing decorative products made from these hardwoods are needed, especially as softwood harvests decrease and lumber prices rise.

Our overall objective is to add to the growing body of knowledge about the potential utilization of PNW hardwoods. In this study, we examined the feasibility of processing Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple into veneer for profile wrapping. We then used the veneer samples in a customer preference study to examine the market performance of Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple compared with two eastern hardwoods.

METHODS

VENEER WRAP STUDY We obtained two Oregon white oak logs of 8.5 and 11.9 feet in length and two bigleaf maple logs of 10.7 and 10.3 feet. Log volumes were calculated with Newton's formula (1). Although not commercially used because of the number of measurements required, it is reported to be the most accurate method of measuring the cubic volume of a log (1). The logs were then sawn on a Wood-- Mizer portable bandsaw to produce clear flitches approximately 1.5 to 1.75 inches thick and 5.5 to 6.0 inches wide. Oak flitches were dominantly quartersawn; maple flitches were quartersawn when possible, but were sometimes flatsawn to produce enough clear flitches of the appropriate dimensions. Lumber recovery factor (LRF) was calculated for each log as:

(lumber volume in cubic feet/ log volume in cubic feet) x 100

A sample of clear flitches was transported to the slicing mill. Flitches were placed on edge, separated with stickers, and conditioned in a concrete block chamber. Flitches were conditioned under a continuous cascade of hot water (180degF) for 48 hours, then were removed and transported to the slicer. Flitches were placed with the wide face down on a merry-go-round system where they were held down, with one flitch butted against the next. After one veneer was sliced, each flitch re-entered the hot water bath until it came around to be sliced again. Veneer was sliced lengthwise from the bottom of each flitch to a thickness of 21 to 22 thousandths of an inch; target thickness for wrapping was 20 thousandths of an inch. Veneer will shrink to about 19 to 20 thousandths of an inch during drying. A fleece backing was applied to add flexibility during wrapping. The fleece backing added approximately 3 thousandths of an inch to the thickness. Veneer was lightly sanded to the target thickness of 20 thousandths of an inch, then was transported to another mill for wrapping.

The Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple veneers were profile wrapped around molding stock. Wrapped samples were also made from veneers of eastern red oak (Quercus rubra) and eastern maple (Acer spp.). The veneer samples from the four species were transported to the Forest Research Lab, Oregon State University, where they were cut into 18-inch lengths and either stained with light or dark finish or left unfinished (control).

MEASURING CUSTOMER PREFERENCE

Sampling design. - We used a purposive sampling method, which consists of picking sample units based on their likely representation of the population of interest (3). The population of interest consisted of homecenter customers and professional buyers for the homecenter. A list of major central Willamette Valley homecenter and building material stores was compiled to access these two groups. Stores were located in Oregon at Corvallis, Albany, Salem, and Eugene. Six stores were chosen from these four cities; at least one store was visited in each city.

Interview design. - A questionnaire was developed for face-to-face interviews. We chose face-to-face interviews as the main survey method for two reasons. First, we could not compile a list of those who purchased from homecenters, since such a population is not fixed or readily accessible. Using face-to-face interviews with customers intercepted at the distributing location provided a way of surveying a population for which no list exists (4). Second, this was the only method that allowed the use of visual aids in the form of the molding samples. The questionnaire and interview format were first reviewed and tested by personnel at the Forest Research Lab. The questionnaire was then pretested on nine customers and one professional buyer at a local homecenter store.

Data was gathered on several Saturdays in the spring of 1996. Customers were asked to evaluate the finished (light and dark) and unfinished molding samples from all four species on the basis of their own personal preferences, while buyers were asked to evaluate what they thought their "average" customer would prefer. The same questionnaire format was used for both groups. Common names of the species were not revealed until the end of the interview to reduce potential bias. Factors such as price, availability, and product consistency were kept constant to further reduce bias.

In the first part of the interview, respondents evaluated the four species a total of three times. Both groups were asked to separately rate each species for light-stained, dark-stained, and unfinished sets of samples. For a particular finish, the respondent was shown one species at a time and asked to rate it on a 7-point scale (7 = very appealing; 1 = not appealing).

In the second part of the interview, both groups were asked to identify positive wood qualities of unfinished samples of each species. Additionally, customers were asked whether any of the species resembled decorative woods in their residences. If so, the product the sample matched was identified.

Analysis tools.- Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the results of the customer interviews (7). Differences in preference between stores were analyzed with a one-way design; a two-- way design was used to make comparisons of ratings among species across the light-stained, dark-stained, and unfinished samples. The analyses were followed by a multiple-range test to uncover specific differences. A regression approach was required to assess the interaction of species and finish. Preference was measured for statistical significance at the 0.05 probability level using Fisher's least significant difference.

Five professional homecenter buyers and 61 customers were interviewed. Not all interviews were complete; however, the interviews of at least 4 buyers and 59 customers were used in each analysis.

RESULTS

VENEER WRAP STUDY

The veneer wrap study provided insight into lumber recovery, internal stress, and slicing waste associated with manufacture. LRFs were calculated as 45.5 and 37.3 percent for the Oregon white oak logs and 60.5 and 47.0 percent for the bigleaf maple logs. Internal stress was evident in both maple logs, as boards "peeled" away from the cant during sawing. One board split lengthwise before being completely sawn from the cant. This exhibition of stress did not occur in oak logs.

Because of the sawing variation and other variables in the primary processing, sample flitches were not consistent in thickness. Different flitch thicknesses caused variations in the sliced veneer. Some of the first veneer sliced was unusable until the flitch thicknesses became equal. Mill management stated that the value of each slice of veneer wasted was from 40 to 50 cents. The maple veneer became wavy and would not lay flat during drying; however, Oregon white oak veneer remained flat. Although quartersawn when possible, some of the maple flitches were flatsawn. The mill manager stated that flatsawn veneer has more tendency to ripple while drying.

Veneer from Oregon white oak and eastern red oak had more defects after wrapping than did veneer from bigleaf and eastern maples. Unfinished samples of the oaks exhibited an increase in the severity of checks during the 3-week course of the survey. Most of the checks occurred near the contours of the molding; the Oregon white oak veneer even began to chip away from the core. The customers noticed the checks in Oregon white oak more than in eastern red oak. Oak is more susceptible to checking than is maple, but will not check when properly finished.

CUSTOMER PREFERENCE STUDY

Customer preference did not vary among the four store locations (p 0.05). There were significant differences (p 0.05) in customer preference among the four species for each of the three finishes. The two-way design showed that differences among species were somewhat dependent (p = 0.07) on the finishing of the samples. For each finish treatment, customer preference differed significantly among species. The rating scores were not significantly different between the light-stained and unfinished treatments. For both of those treatments, the order of most preferred to least preferred was red oak, Oregon white oak, bigleaf maple, and eastern maple (Figs. 1 and 2). Customers significantly preferred red oak over the other species and Oregon white oak over the maples for the light-stained and unfinished sets. There was no significant difference in customer preference between bigleaf maple and eastern maple in those treatments.

Dark stain was the only treatment that changed customer preference for a particular species. The mean ratings for the oaks and for eastern maple significantly declined as a result of the dark stain. Preference for bigleaf maple significantly increased above its preference in the light-stained and unfinished trials (Fig. 3). All dark-stained oaks had a muddy appearance, which may have caused them to be rated lower.

In addition to rating the individual species, each respondent was asked to comment on positive wood qualities such as grain, color, and special features of the four species. Special features included wavy grain and knots, which were the dominant features of the Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple samples, respectively. Unfinished samples were used for this question. Most customers interviewed provided remarks about these wood qualities. Forty-one (69%) of the respondents liked the knots in bigleaf maple; of those, 16 (27%) would not be willing to buy a wood with knots unless the knots were evenly dispersed through the grain. Forty (68%) of the respondents liked the wavy grain variation in the Oregon white oak samples; however, 12 (20%) said they rated Oregon white oak lower because they did not like its greenish-blue color.

Twenty-eight customers (47%) said that Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple resembled decorative wood in their residences; 7 respondents (12%) claimed that Oregon white oak resembled wood furniture in their homes (Fig. 4). Oregon white oak did not resemble any interior structures, such as paneling or flooring, nor did it resemble any cabinets in the respondents' homes; 13 (22%) felt that bigleaf maple resembled their trim.

Respondents did not typically recognize the maples. They often thought bigleaf maple was cherry, birch, or cedar. Eastern maple was often mistaken for hemlock, which is one of the most commonly used woods in trim work. This may explain why a large proportion of respondents matched eastern maple with trim in their homes. Respondents had a more difficult time distinguishing between the oaks. Several respondents knew they were looking at oak, but could not distinguish between red oak and Oregon white oak.

Customers did not show as strong a preference for red oak and eastern maple as buyers thought they would. Buyers felt that customers would significantly (p <>

DISCUSSION

It is technically feasible to use Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple for veneer and in trim applications. Better control over primary processing will produce flitches of acceptable size variation. As with most applications, a finish should be applied to oak before it begins to check. Such improvements would increase acceptance by manufacturers and customers.

Conditional preference for bigleaf maple demonstrates both the highly variable nature of its wood characteristics and customer acceptance of that variability. Almost 70 percent of respondents interviewed preferred bigleaf maple when the knots were well dispersed. The pattern of knots in wood cannot be controlled, however. Thus, only 40 percent of customers seeking a decorative wood with knots might actually prefer bigleaf maple, holding price and availability constant. This could make bigleaf maple more of a market risk than Oregon white oak.

We found that knots were an attractive feature to customers who preferred bigleaf maple. Grain variation was also favored by those who preferred Oregon white oak. Our results are consistent with the results of Idassi et al. (5); the customers interviewed in that study rated straight/even grain and the absence of surface flaws as contributing less to overall product value than perceived by producers. In our study, customers preferred decorative woods that had "character," which indicated to them that they were looking at real wood. The proliferation of artificial-grain products that resemble red oak may be a contributing factor to this preference among customers. The buyer-customer discrepancies may be due to the inability of the buyers to recognize some of the wood attributes that their customers actually prefer.

Integrating Oregon white oak into a marketplace dominated by red oak is problematic for both manufacturers and customers wishing to use local products. Several respondents said they would prefer to buy Oregon white oak over red oak once they were told where each species came from. However, a large proportion of respondents already had trim, interior structure, and cabinets that resembled red oak. Oregon white oak would not match well with red oak in such applications.

Targeting the furniture market might be a better marketing option for Oregon white oak. Respondents did not match their furniture with red oak as often as they did for Oregon white oak (Fig. 4). The unfamiliarity of Oregon white oak made many respondents feel uncomfortable about its workability. Customers might not have this discomfort if they could see finished furniture made from Oregon white oak.

CONCLUSIONS

Successful marketing of Oregon white oak and bigleaf maple to PNW residents will require appropriate strategies. Marketing of bigleaf maple should take advantage of its broader resemblance to other popular woods and its greater appeal when darkly stained. Visual demonstrations of dark-stained bigleaf maple at the point of sale might help in this regard. Marketing of Oregon white oak should address its association with furniture-- based products and its greater appeal when lightly stained.

This study indicates that there are opportunities for successfully developing markets for PNW hardwoods in veneer-- wrapped applications. However, market development efforts must acknowledge the differences between PNW and traditional species. Targeting consumers who value the unique characteristics of PNW hardwoods is key to success.

Effects of UPC barcoding on the relationships between homecenter buyers and wood products suppliers

2009-04-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com

Over the past two decades, the adoption of communication technologies that link marketing channel members has led to modified buyer/supplier interactions and structures. These technologies, termed interorganizational systems (IOS), are electronic buyer/supplier information exchanges that facilitate business transactions and increase the efficiency, competitiveness, and profitability in channels. Universal Product Code (UPC) barcoding, an IOS technology, was researched in the context of effects on channel relationships. UPC barcoding allows retailers to point-of-sale (POS) scan merchandise at the customer checkout and is an essential tool for inventory control and management. Retailers strongly encourage, and in many cases require, suppliers to provide UPC-barcoded products. As a component of the product offering, UPC barcoding is a non-core attribute that strongly influences supplier choice criteria.

OVERVIEW OF THE BUYER/SUPPLIER ENVIRONMENT

Research hypotheses were tested using data collected from wood products suppliers and retail homecenter buyers. In the homecenter industry, a number of interorganizational system (IOS) technologies are being adopted. These technologies link them with wood products suppliers and result in shortened order cycles and improvement in inventory replenishment and management (19). Wood products suppliers to these homecenter retailers are expected to adopt IOS technologies in order to remain competitive, since homecenter retailers may select only those wood products suppliers capable of IOS technology.

An emerging IOS technology important to homecenters is Universal Product Code (UPC) barcoding of individual products for point-of-sale (POS) scanning at the cash register. Vlosky and Smith (21) report that homecenter retailers implement UPC barcode POS scanning for a number of specific reasons, all of which are intended to increase efficiency, profitability, and competitiveness.

IOS TECHNOLOGY AND BUYER/SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS

IOS systems are based on information technology that transcends organizational boundaries. IOS technologies such as electronic data interchange EDI)1, barcoding for inventory management and control, and UPC barcoding support new approaches to managing product flow based on just-in-time (JIT) or quick response (QR) logistics strategies (24).

IOS technology adoption changes the way companies interact. Before addressing specific relationship impacts, we will present a brief review of buyer/supplier relationship research. Generalized models describing relationship interactions have been proposed. These models discuss antecedent conditions and processes for buyer/supplier exchange relationships (9,11-13,15). In addition to generalized models, specific channel dyadic interactions and relationships have been studied. For example, in the manufacturer-distributor context, models and conceptual frameworks that investigate relationship structures and success factors have been developed (2-5). In the manufacturer-homecenter retailer arena, Wortzel and Venkatraman (27) examine relationship linkages that support homecenter retailer competitive strategies and performance and manufacturer support activities.

With regard to effects of IOS adoption on relationships in channels, Clemons and Row (6) found that new IOS technology intended to coordinate business activities between buyers and suppliers are often met with distrust, ambivalence, and open resistance by exchange partners. They believe that some companies may never realize the potential benefits of cooperation and coordination between supplier and buyer that accompanies IOS technology. Taking a longer term perspective, Han (11) and Han and Wilson (12) see technology as the foundation in the development of structural bonding which, in addition to social bonding, constitutes the basis for relationship development. Accordingly, it is hypothesized that in the long term, adoption of IOS technology can affect the stability of channel relationships by developing structural bonds.

CORPORATE STRATEGY AND IOS

Vlosky and Smith (21) suggest that IOS technology represents a means by which products may be differentiated and business relationships enhanced and may serve as the basis for long-term and sustainable competitive advantage. Porter (18) cited technological change as one of the principal drivers of competition and competitive advantage in the value chain. In addition, he suggested that technology can shift the bargaining relationship between an industry and its buyers, create buyer/supplier interdependencies, and generally modify industry and channel structures. Parsons (17) describes a "strategic gap" that exists when companies do not implement available advanced information technology. He suggests that competitively, firms in industries where channel relationships are being altered by technology must be concerned with 1) consequent effects on relative power; 2) how technology affects the rate of new entry into industries by negating existing entry barriers or creating new ones; and 3) how technology changes industry structures by affecting rivalry bases among competitors within an industry. In addition, Konsynski and McFarlan (14) suggest that IOS technology improves the ability to compete by facilitating cooperation and partnership development with exchange partners. Partnerships may provide for shared investments in hardware and software, lead to reduced risk in leading-edge technology adoption, and serve as a new basis for supplier differentiation.

However, as exchange partners make the transition from paper-based to electronic-based communication, a number of events take place. IOS technology impacts all functional areas in channel organizations including documentation requirements, business procedures, personnel role modification, communication channels and modes, and transaction cost structures (25). As channel and business procedure practices progress to an electronic environment, these changes can create short-term system stresses.

A MODEL OF IOS-IMPACTED RELATIONSHIPS

The transition to an electronic business environment has distinct short- and long-term effects on channel relationships that occur in different stages. (Fig, 1) (23). The relationship before IOS adoption (to) is assumed to be stable and to have gone through the expansion phase in the relationship development process, as described by Dwyer et al. (9), where exchange partner roles are firmly established and performance requirements are mutually satisfactory. A benchmark level of commitment (Co) exists at this stage. It is proposed that IOS technology introduction into the relationship leads to disequilibrium and reduces relationship satisfaction and level of commitment (C1) for both parties (t1). It is not until later in the IOS technology-impacted relationship process (t2) that realized expectations of long-term relationship stability lead to strengthened structural bonding. Adjustment and accommodation typify the process toward re-establishment of trust, interfirm bonding, and commitment (C2) at or above pre-IOS adoption levels. With the introduction of IOS technology into the relationship, commitment drops and then regains ground in the long term (Co > C1 <>

The factors that determine pre-IOS relationship strength, countered by relationship stressing impacts, determine the width and duration of the "Relationship Satisfaction Gap" depicted as the trough in t1. Vlosky and Wilson (24) identified IOS-induced relationship stresses that create the "Relationship Satisfaction Gap" and gap counter forces. This gap is minimized when exchange partners are cooperative and exhibit a high degree of understanding and commitment to the other party through the IOS implementation process. Additional factors that minimize the gap include trust that has evolved in the relationship over time, the existing mutually accepted power balance, the level of importance that the exchange partner represents from a strategic perspective, and the general relationship structure.

A number of possibilities exist that may explain short-term relationship disruptions. First, both homecenter retailers and their wood products suppliers make investments solely to accommodate linking technology requirements. Specific investments such as these are of considerably less value outside the focal relationship (13). By making idiosyncratic investments in a relationship, channel members create incentives to maintain the relationship (1).

Homecenter retailers that scan UPC barcodes make specific technology investments by installing POS barcode scanning capabilities that require supplier support to function effectively. Wood product suppliers also make specific investments in developing UPC barcode application capabilities to satisfy customer requirements.

In addition to the financial costs, implementing unfamiliar technologies may have other negative effects on wood products suppliers. The typical supplier behavior to accommodate customers is an example of exercised power, as distinguished from latent or potential power. The customer mandating to the supplier to meet their IOS technology needs is consistent with the definition of channel member power given by E1-Ansary and Stern (10): The ability of a channel member to control marketing strategy decision variables of another member in a given channel at a different level of distribution.

From the buyer's perspective, short-term relationship stresses stem from a sense of frustration that wood products suppliers are not reacting swiftly or efficiently enough in implementing IOS technology. Konsynski and McFarlan (14) found this to be the case with many companies that initiate EDI. These companies were often shocked to find partners unable to assimilate even modest data technologies and applications. Homecenter buyers are also often frustrated at supplier lack of understanding regarding IOS technical fundamentals and implementation.

HYPOTHESES

The propositions and hypotheses center around the notion that short-term relationship disruption is due to differences in perceptions between wood products suppliers and their homecenter customers on how IOS technology should influence the relationship. These perceptual differences were tested in hypotheses H1, H2 and H3. First, homecenter customers, the initiators of technology, may perceive themselves to be in a position of power in the relationship as wood products suppliers attempt to respond quickly to their technical requirements. However, wood products suppliers that successfully satisfy customer IOS requirements early in the technology process may believe that they are in a favorable position because the IOS technology they provide is available in the short term from only a few wood products suppliers.

P1: The short-term channel relationship deterioration that results from IOS technology adoption is caused by the differences in how buyers and suppliers perceive the dependence that exists after IOS technology adoption.

H1: The greater the difference in perception of dependence, the greater the relationship deterioration.

Significant idiosyncratic investments may be made by both buyers and sellers when IOS technologies are implemented. These investments may be a means for improving process efficiencies that, in turn, make a positive profit contribution , or may simply be strategic costs of doing business incurred to maintain or develop market position. In any event, these investments are not readily redeployable to alternative business activities. One issue that complements the specific investment issue is the question of value that should be received for making these investments. One measure of value, the incremental price for implementing a customer-mandated IOS technology, was examined.

P2: The short-term channel relationship deterioration that results from IOS technology adoption is caused by the differences between how buyers and suppliers perceive the value of the IOS technology to the other partner.

H2: The greater the difference in buyer/supplier perception of IOS value, the greater the relationship deterioration.

IOS technology implementation can be an exasperating experience for companies that have little or no prior experience. Frustration can be compounded for wood products suppliers if technology adoption is customer mandated with seemingly impossible deadlines or when the technology is in the early phase of adoption in their industry. Wood products suppliers in this study faced both circumstances.

P3: The short-term channel relationship deterioration that results from IOS technology adoption is caused by disparate buyer/supplier perceptions of appreciation by the other exchange partner for the effort required to implement IOS technology.

H3: The greater the difference in perception of effort required to implement IOS, the greater the relationship deterioration.

Although there may be exchange partner frustration in the short term, the reward often is the expectation of a strengthened long-term relationship. The wood products industry is characterized by commodity products offered by many suppliers in an intensely competitive environment. Those suppliers that adapt to customer technology requirements believe that their market position will eventually be secured and anticipate subsequent future relationship stability. Homecenter buyers are also thought to initiate IOS technology with preconceived expectations of long-term relationship stability.

P4: In the long-term, after periods of disruption and relationship readjustment, IOS technology adoption strengthens channel relationships (t2 in Fig. 1)

H4: As more time passes after IOS implementation, the channel relationship becomes stronger.

The homecenter retail industry is but one customer base for wood products suppliers. Most wood products are used for construction and industrial applications that do not require the application of UPC barcodes. In addition, not all homecenters require wood products suppliers to barcode their products. Buyers and sellers that continue to conduct business in a non-IOS environment do not experience technology-induced relationship disruptions and, as such, should have better short-term relationships with exchange partners.

H5: The short-term relationship between buyers and suppliers who have not adopted IOS technology is stronger than between IOS technology adopters.

METHOD

DATA COLLECTION AND RESPONSE RATES

The study sample consisted of the 500 largest (by sales) homecenter retail companies in the United States. The National Home Center News "Annual Retail Scoreboard" (16) was used to identify and select sample frame members. The Directory of Home Center Operators and Hardware Chains (8) was used to identify key employees of sample frame companies. The sample design was determined to be most appropriate due to the belief that larger, more influential homecenters are early adopters of IOS technologies (22,26), a premise that was found to be statistically significant (19). The sample of the 500 largest firms represents 67 percent of the 1992 $67 billion homecenter industry, with the range of sales revenue by firms in this group from $7,148 million to $12 million (16).

On the supplier side, the sample consisted of the 597 largest (by sales revenue for distribution intermediaries and by volume for manufacturers) wood products companies in North America taken from 8 supplier populations (manufacturers of 7 major product groups: softwood lumber, hardwood lumber, treated lumber, softwood plywood, particleboard, medium density fiberboard, and oriented strandboard/waferboard, as well as distributors/wholesalers), Industry directories were used to identify and select sample frame members and to identify key employees. As is the case with homecenter retail buyers, the purposive (judgment) sample design was determined to be appropriate (20).

The study was conducted using mailed surveys. Survey development and implementation followed methods and procedures recommended by Dillman and described as the Total Design Method (TDM) (7). Accordingly, the mail questionnaire procedures, including pre-testing, pre-survey notification of the initial mailing, a post-survey reminder, and 2 additional survey mailings resulted in an adjusted response rate for homecenters of 35 percent (177 usable surveys from 500 firms) and an adjusted response rate for wood products suppliers of 50 percent (272 usable surveys from an adjusted sample size of 540 firms).

There were 54 wood products suppliers capable of using UPC barcoding and 16 homecenter retailers. The low number of IOS-capable companies indicates the early stage of adoption in this industrial channel.

PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS

The 1992 average sales for the 177 homecenter retail respondents was $177 million and ranged from $12 million to $7.1 billion. The 177 responding homecenter companies represented $30. billion in total sales in 1992 or 33 percent of the entire homecenter industry (16). To illustrate the importance of large multi-store companies in the homecenter industry, just 15 percent of homecenter respondents (26 companies) account for 88 percent ($28.3 billion) of total 1992 respondent sales. Point-of-sale scanning homecenters are characterized as large (sales > $100 million) multi-store chains (20).

Respondents for the seven wood products manufacturing sectors surveyed represented an unweighted average of 47 percent of total North American production in 1992 across all sectors (22). Distribution intermediary respondents represented over $18 billion in revenue in 1992. As is the case with homecenter retailers, large wood products supplier companies lead in implementing UPC barcode technology to serve the homecenter customer base, with respondent UPC barcoding company production being 218 percent higher on average than that of non-UPC barcoding companies in 1992 (19).

MEASURES

Homecenter retail customers and wood products suppliers responded to questionnaire items to assess short- and long-term effects of technology adoption on their business relationships. The following measures were used: dependence-power, short-term commitment, long-term commitment, supplier adaptation to customer technology requirements, and sensitivity to supplier technology implementation challenges and customer technology needs. Items used 5-point scales indicating varying levels of agreement (1 = strongly disagree; 3 = neither disagree nor agree; 5 = strongly agree).

Paired questions were asked of buyers and wood products suppliers for each of the key measures and although these pairs conceptually are parallel, question wording was problematic. An attempt was made to minimize confusion by presenting results in a paired format.

RESULTS

In testing hypotheses related to short-term channel relationship disequilibrium, the items in Table 1 were used. (All results in Table 1 are for technology adopter respondents.)

Dependence was measured with questions regarding exchange partner importance in the relationship, general dependence, and specific technology investments made. All measures are statistically significant at a = .05 for 1-tailed t-tests, except for the degree of importance that buyers and sellers ascribe to themselves due to the volumes of product they buy or sell to technology-capable exchange partners. Differences are greatest in perceptions of supplier adaptation to customer IOS requirements and in the degree of specific technology investment.

Perception of value to the other partner was measured by asking whether a premium should be paid by customers for barcoded products. Buyer/supplier disagreement on whether such a premium should be paid is strongly significant at a = .05 for a 1-tailed t-test.

Effort expended was measured by asking homecenter retailers if they appreciate the technical challenges that wood products suppliers face in supplying barcoded products to them, and by asking wood products suppliers if they believed their customers in fact appreciated the challenges they face. The difference in buyer/supplier perception is significant at a = .05 for a l-tailed t-test.

Long-term strength of relationships was tested in two ways. First, by using both summary and detailed measures found in Tables 2 and 3, and second, by doing an analysis of variance (ANOVA) for an index of relationship measures for four successive time periods since implementation.2

Both buyers and suppliers were asked questions regarding their short- and long-term relationships with exchange partners. Table 2 compares the answers of buyers to suppliers and shows that the two groups did not statistically differ in the degree of agreement regarding short and long-term relationships. Table 3 compares the answers regarding a short-term situation with the answers for a long-term situation. When asked to compare their relationships with UPC-capable customers versus non-UPC customers, suppliers indicated that their relationships would be better with UPC customers in both situations, but the degree of agreement was significantly stronger (a = .05) when considering the long term. For buyers, agreement was also stronger in the long term, although the difference was not significant at a = .05. However, a p-value of.08 and t-value of -1.45 lend support to this hypothesis for buyers. This lack of significance at a = .05 is attributed to a lack of statistical power due to a small sample size (n = 16).

ANOVA yielded significant differences between relationship strength and the time period of UPC adoption for both buyers and suppliers at a = .05. Relationship strength was measured by indexes of relationship questions for both buyers and suppliers at the four different time periods. Even with small sample sizes, a strong positive linear relationship existed between relationship strength and time since companies began barcoding. Figures 2 and 3 show that the pattern of means for respondent companies for selected relationship questions over the four successive implementation periods further support our model. In some cases, relationship strength declines and rebounds over time; in other cases, relationship strength is positively related to length of relationship over all four time periods.

Short-term relationship quality (H5) was tested using the items in Table 4. UPC-capable buyers did not significantly differ from non-UPC buyers in their degree of agreement with selected relationship items. The same was true for suppliers, except for the item regarding the investment of time and expense. Although differences were detected and all are directionally as hypothesized, Hs was rejected at a = .05. It is important to note that, because both wood products suppliers and buyers are in the early stages of UPC implementation, the sample sizes of implementers are small vs. non-implementers (homecenter buyers: 16 implementers vs. 161 non-implementers; suppliers: 73 implementers vs. 143 non-implementers).

DISCUSSION

The results from this study suggest a number of implications regarding the impact of IOS technology on the relationships between homecenter buyers and wood products suppliers. Four of the hypotheses were supported reasonably well by the data, indicating that channel relationship deterioration does occur during early stages of IOS technology adoption. The data reveal a number of factors that contribute to this disequilibrium. The primary reason for relationship disruption is the chasm between buyer and supplier perceptions of the relationship status. In the short-term, there appears to be little sensitivity and understanding regarding exchange partner efforts to adopt this channel technology. Buyers are wary of supplier commitment to developing solutions in a timely manner and suppliers feel pushed to quickly adopt an unfamiliar technology without adequate customer support. Financially, wood products suppliers think their customers should compensate them for their efforts, but customers are vociferous in their opposition and are steadfast in not paying a premium for barcoded products. Over the course of time, relationship strength and satisfaction increase as exchange partners adjust to IOS technology. As channel members become accustomed to the relationship as it has been modified by IOS technology, the shocks to the relationship system seem to dissipate.

A realization that IOS technology is not extraordinary and that it is becoming a requirement for doing business leads to the anticipation of a higher quality relationship in the future. Both homecenter buyers and wood products suppliers feel that they will indeed have better business relationships with their technology-capable exchange partners in the long term than they have with them today.

LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH

Although this exploratory analysis identified a number of issues, limitations exist in the study. First, the analysis was conducted post-hoc using data collected as part of a broader research study. Second, a single IOS technology was studied in one channel. In order to generalize the stated conclusions, parallel studies should be conducted that examine other IOS technologies in this and other channels. Third, IOS technology in the wood products supplier and homecenter buyer channel is in the early stage of adoption, which does not allow for confirmation that long-term relationships eventually stabilize or exhibit relationship strength higher than found at pre-implementation. As technology adoption diffuses to other channel members, a temporal study might be conducted to examine long-term relationship stability. As a result of this channel being in the early stages of technology adoption, there is a small homecenter buyer sample size. Buyer data supported our hypotheses but the small sample size (n = 16) has low statistical power.

There are significant opportunities to build on this exploratory research, such as studies to investigate if other building material industries and marketing channels experience short-term relationship disruption as a result of IOS technology adoption and to identify underlying reasons for differences in buyer and supplier perceptions identified in this study. Although this study generates a number of questions, it has shed new light on implications for IOS technology adoption for wood products suppliers and their homecenter customers.

Internet technologies in the homecenter industry

2009-04-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Homecenter Coupon Codes

As competition intensifies in the $127 billion homecenter industry (1998 data), homecenter retailers are implementing electronic commerce technologies in order to generate and maintain competitive advantages. Internet technologies give companies an alternate method of expanding their trading communities, thus creating a streamlined supply chain and reducing costs (6). This research was designed to explore how internet technologies are impacting a key retail channel for forest products: the homecenter retail industry. The study sample consisted of the 500 largest homecenter retail companies (by sales) in the United States. This group of large homecenters represented over 75 percent of the total homecenter industry sales in 1998 (10). Study results show that 87 percent of the homecenter respondents had access to the Internet in 1998 and 57 percent of these companies used the Internet for company promotion via home pages. Results also showed that in 1998, 32 percent and 13 percent of respondents had intranets and extranets, respectively. As expected, large homecenter retail respondents are lead adopters for these important Internet technologies.

The homecenter market is driven by the repair and remodel demand sector, which includes expenditures by both doit-yourself (DIY) customers and professional (PRO) contractors (15). In 1998, homecenter industry sales totaled $127 billion, with the two largest homecenter chains, Home Depot and Lowe's, combining for 33 percent of total homecenter sales (10). In addition, the top 500 retailers had over 75 percent of the total homecenter industry sales in 1998 (10).

As the homecenter industry continues to grow, homecenter retailers are fiercely competing for market share through the strategic location of stores, aggressive pricing, larger warehouse-style shopping venues, and more sophisticated promotional materials such as displays, point-of-purchase (POP) literature, and interactive information technologies. Many homecenters recognize that the effective use of electronic technologies will likely improve their logistics efficiency and as a result, will reduce their costs, thus securing a more competitive position in the marketplace. This paper focuses on internet technologies, an emerging form of electronic commerce (EC), including home pages, intranets, and extranets.

THE INTERNET

"The body of interconnected computer networks that today is collectively known as the Internet" is the largest and most powerful computer network on the planet (17). In 1993, there were only 90,000 Americans with Internet access (1). This number increased more than 900 times to 81 million Americans by early 1999 (1).

The World Wide Web, the fastest growing part of the Internet, is "touted increasingly as the great new marketing medium of our time" (13). It allows twoway communication, which makes it a powerful marketing tool. According to a study by Silvia Watkins-Castillo (20), "the most common use of the Internet by companies is ... for information purposes, either to gather information or to disseminate information."

In 1998, there were 829 million Web home pages (1). This number is projected to reach 1.45 billion by 1999 and 7.7 billion by 2002 (1). Ted Blackman (4) has stated that websites mostly contain information about the company and its activities, therefore focusing more on marketing the firm, not its products. For example, WTD Industries' Vice President, Bob Riecke said, "our website is useful for news and financial information (which) has been very popular" (4).

The Internet is dramatically altering the way companies do business with each other, even for those already using electronic commerce to improve productivity (6). The Web allows companies to present information on the Internet using attractive graphics, text, sounds, and videos that can be found by very inexperienced computer users (6). Companies are attracted to the Internet because of its user-friendliness, but also because it offers the following: 1) open connectivity: the Internet is compatible with nearly every computer from personal computers (PCs) to mainframes; 2) a global presence: by creating a website, a company's information can be accessed by any computer in the world; and 3) economic value: the Internet can be used to lower marketing and logistics costs and potentially increase sales and revenue by creating new distribution channels (6).

INTRANET

An intranet is a network of computers within an organization that are connected using standard Internet protocols (12). An intranet can be as small as two computers or as many as a thousand computers spread around the world. Companies with intranets usually limit access to a select target of users ( 12).

Intranets are linked to the outside world through the Internet, where special software called a "firewall" protects the company from unauthorized visits by monitoring the incoming and outgoing information (14). Users of an intranet can access the Internet but Internet users cannot access an intranet without permission (or the password). The danger of unauthorized access is a concern and security is often an issue both inside and outside the company.

The major benefit of an intranet is its ability to efficiently share information such as management and safety policies, newsletters, memos, bulletins, trip reports, schedules, calendar of events, product descriptions, customer information, job training, and job postings (12). Shared intranet information is available to the people who need it, when they need it, and in the form they need it (14). Other benefits of an intranet include "speeding up activities, reducing the need for paper documents, making continually updated material available, and automating repetitive documentation processes" (14).

EXTRANET

"When a company makes its intranet available to customers outside its security firewall, it creates an extranet" (14). An extranet is often viewed as an extended intranet. A more formal definition is a collaborative network of computers that uses Internet technology to link businesses with their supply chain. A company creating an extranet usually opens or allows members of its supply chain to view parts of its intranet; therefore a solid intranet is required before a company can have a usable extranet (8).

"Businesses today are under incredible pressure to trim time and costs from their supply-chain processes, as well as to increase market share and revenues" (6). Many companies are noticing that extranets are creating business opportunities (9). Benefits of extranet business activities include improving customer service, gaining product and marketing information, reducing costs, reducing paperwork, shortening order cycles, increasing the efficiency of inventory management, and reducing errors (9,14).

Extranets allow for easy sharing of ideas, easy access to product information, pricing, company information and policies, and can therefore be used to train and support value-added resellers and manufacturers' representatives. Companies are also using extranets for electronic data interchange (EDI) because there are no compatibility problems (2). "EDI generally uses expensive, proprietary communications and data-handling technology which companies hesitate to abandon in favor of extranets" (14). However, extranets can incorporate most forms of EDI with software that translates information between systems (14).

ELECTRONIC COMMERCE AND THE HOMECENTER INDUSTRY

To reap the full benefits of Internet technologies and electronic commerce, the entire supply chain should be included. Therefore, homecenters are increasingly making electronic information system linkages a requirement in their vendor selection (16). As a result, wood products suppliers who adopt these technologies can improve their ability to sustain or develop market position with this essential customer base.

Internet technologies allow easy, quick, and cost-effective access to EC, thus allowing companies to achieve the benefits of electronic technologies and the synchronization of supply and demand. Internet EDI is less complex than traditional EDI, therefore making EC less intimidating for first-time users as well as flattening the learning curve (6). As a result, it can improve productivity for both EC veterans and novices (6). The Internet creates business opportunities for anyone who can access the information regardless of the type of computer, database, or web browser (2,6). The $27.4 billion business-to-business volume that was transacted with Internet EC in 1998 is expected to reach an astonishing $978.4 billion by 2003 (1). This increase supports the projection that extranets will replace 40 percent of the business-to-business EC applications by 2002 (6).

This research was designed to explore how the Internet is impacting a fundamental channel for U.S. building materials, that is, the U.S. homecenter industry. The specific research objective was to examine "Internet presence" of homecenters by assessing the extent to which companies use various Internet technologies such as home pages, intranets, and extranets for their business activities. Based upon previous work that found "large" homecenters to be lead adopters of EC technologies, the top 500 U.S. homecenter respondents were divided into large and small homecenters according to their 1997 annual sales (18,19).

METHODOLOGY

SAMPLE DESIGN AND SAMPLING

The 500 largest homecenter retail companies (by sales) in the United States, representing over 75 percent of total homecenter industry sales of $127 billion in 1998 (10), were used as our study sample frame.

DATA COLLECTION AND RESPONSE RATE

The 1998 Home Center Operators & Hardware Chains CD-ROM Directory (5) was used to identify our sample of homecenters, as well as key informants and titles at their corporate headquarters. Pre-testing of the research instrument was conducted with six faculty members with extensive knowledge of this industry and two homecenters in central Pennsylvania. Survey implementation followed a modification of Dillman's Total Design Method (7). This procedure included an initial survey mailing, a reminder postcard, and a second survey mailing, resulting in the return of 135 usable questionnaires and an adjusted response rate of 27.3 percent.

To ensure that the largest and most influential homecenters were included, pre-survey notification and follow-up phone calls were made to the top 20 homecenter retailers (by sales) to encourage participation and increase their response rates. The top 20 homecenters represented 53 percent ($57 billion) of total homecenter industry sales in 1997 (5). These additional primary data collection efforts resulted in 16 of the top 20 homecenters responding to our study. NONRESPONSE BIAS

The Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)' technique and a two-tailed t-test2 were used to test for non-response bias by comparing the first 45 respondents to the last 45 respondents (3). The assumption in this methodology is that late respondents, who respond only after increased follow-up efforts, tend to be similar to non-respondents. No significant differences were found between early and late respondents in terms of firm size or the adoption of Internets, home pages, intranets, or extranets at a 95 percent confidence level. As a result, non-response bias concerns were set aside.

RESULTS

PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS

Sales and locations. - Respondents represented a total of $57.2 billion in homecenter sales (n = 135) in 1997 resulting in a 72 percent weighted response rate (by sales) and representing 53 percent of the total homecenter retail industry sales that year. Average sales for responding homecenters were $424 million and ranged from $17 million to $24 billion. Homecenter respondents had an average of 29 locations and ranged from I store to 656 stores.

The top 500 homecenter respondents were divided into two groups: "large" (n = 20) homecenters with 1997 sales ranging from $200 million to $25 billion and "small" homecenters (n = 115) with 1997 sales ranging from $17 million to $199 million. In 1998, there were 35 U.S. homecenters in the study sample of top 500 homecenters that had sales greater than $200 million (5).

INTERNET

Of the 135 homecenter respondents, 86.7 percent (n = 117) had Internet access in 1998 and an additional 4.4 percent (n = 6) were planning to be on-line by 2000 (Table 1). The 117 companies with Internet access represented 99 percent ($56.6 billion) of the total respondent revenue while the 6 companies that were planning to implement Internet access by 2000 represent an additional 0.3 percent ($171 million) of the total respondent revenue.

One hundred percent (n = 20) of the large homecenter respondents had Internet access in 1998 (Table 1). Eighty-four percent (n = 97) of the small homecenters had access to the Internet in 1998 with an additional 5.2 percent (n = 6) planning to be on-line by 2000.

The large and small homecenter respondents with Internet access were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis oneway ANOVA statistical technique. This non-parametric test for nominal data computes a statistic with a chi-square distribution under the hypothesis that the groups have the same distribution (11). Using this test, Internet access between our large and small homecenter respondents differed significantly at x = 0.058 (Table 1).

Of the 117 homecenters that had Internet access in 1998, over half (n = 67) used the Internet to promote their company (Fig. 1). Other key Internet uses by respondents included providing on-line services (n = 36), to make purchases (n = 31), and for sales (n = 28).

As expected, all 67 responding homecenters that used the Internet to promote their company also indicated that they had home pages (Table 2). These 67 homecenters represented 86.7 percent ($49.6 billion) of the total respondent revenue. An additional 33 companies (24.4%) were planning to create a company home page by 2000 and represented 11.0 percent ($6.3 billion) of the respondent revenue.

Of the large homecenter respondents, 85 percent (n = 17) representing 90.3 percent ($47.4 billion) of the large homecenter respondent revenue had home pages in 1998. The other three large homecenter respondents were planning to create a home page by the year 2000. Forty-three percent (n = 50) of small (n = 115) homecenter respondents had home pages in 1998, with an additional 26.1 percent (n = 30) planning to create a home page by 2000. Home page usage by large and small homecenter respondents differed significantly at (x = 0.001 (Table 2).

INTRANET

Of the 135 homecenter respondents, 31.9 percent (n = 43) had implemented an intranet in 1998. These 43 firms represented 79.1 percent ($45.3 billion) of the total respondent revenue (Table 3). Sixty-five percent (n = 13) of the large homecenter respondents and 26.1 percent (n = 30) of small (n = 115) homecenter respondents were using intranets in 1998. The implementation of intranets by large and small homecenter respondents differed significantly at alpha = 0.001.

Homecenter respondents that had intranets were asked to indicate the types of information contained or provided on their intranet (Fig. 2). Of the 43 homecenter respondents that had intranets, 20 (46.5%) of the intranets included access to phone directories and memos. Homecenter respondents' intranets also frequently have access to schedules, management policies, price lists, and calendars of events.

EXTRANET

Thirteen percent (n = 18) of the 135 homecenter respondents had implemented extranets in 1998 and an additional 16.3 percent (n = 22) were planning to implement extranets by 2000 (Table 4). The 18 companies that had extranets represented 58.2 percent ($33.3 billion) of the total respondent revenue while the 22 companies that were planning to implement an extranet by 2000 represented an additional 26.5 percent ($15 billion) of the total respondent revenue.

INTRANET

EXTRANET

SUMMARY

This study reports the status of Internet EC among the top 500 homecenter retailers in 1998. Study results showed that nearly 87 percent of the 135 responding homecenters had access to the Internet in 1998. Over half of these 135 homecenters had home pages that were used to promote their company. Approximately one-third of U.S. homecenter respondents had intranets in 1998 and only 13 percent of responding U.S. homecenters had implemented an extranet with their suppliers.

Study results show that large homecenters are leading the adoption of Internet-based EC. Also, results show that large and small homecenter respondents implemented their extranets for different reasons. Large homecenter respondents rated cost savings and business relationships as their primary reasons to implement their extranet, while small homecenters rated corporate strategy and vendor transactions as their top two reasons for implementing their extranet.

Although businesses are increasing their use of the Internet, this study suggests that the use of the Internet for business-to-business activities was not yet firmly established among the top 500 homecenter retailers in 1998. However, since 87 percent of our 135 respondents had Internet access, it seems that the foundation has been set for future expansion of Internet-based business activities.

CONCLUSIONS

Internet-based electronic commerce can drastically alter the way companies do business. Because the Internet is compatible with any computer, language, or web browser, it offers a myriad of business opportunities. Therefore, Internet EDI via extranets can be transacted between current users of EDI and non-EDI users. As a result, business-tobusiness transactions over the Internet are expected to increase dramatically.

The Internet is a revolutionary tool that allows companies to perform a multitude of business functions. A company can use a home page for cost-effective promotion. For example, LouisianaPacific's website is designed primarily to enhance communication and serve their customers' informational needs such as the companies' financial data, growth strategies, company news, and environmental programs (4). In contrast, Crestbrook Forest Industries' website includes product availability information for their customers to access inventory in real time and at their convenience rather than waiting for a weekly fax (4).

The forest products industry and the homecenter industry are rapidly expanding their use of the Internet. Companies that fully utilize the Internet's potential for business activities at the corporate level have opportunities to increase their competitive position within the marketplace.

eBusiness exchange between homecenter buyers and wood products suppliers

2009-04-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com

eBusiness is the application of Internet-based technologies for conducting business. It includes eCommerce (i.e., the actual transaction activities) as well as other business-oriented applications such as logistics, order entry, information sharing, and transmission of information between exchange partners. This study examined eBusiness exchanges between homecenter retailers and wood products suppliers in the United States from the homecenter perspective. In 1999, 78 percent of respondents had a website, compared to around 34 percent of forest products manufacturers in the United States in the same year. Seventy-one percent of respondents said that they planned to develop or improve their website over the following 12 months. Respondents used an array of business applications facilitated by the Internet. Although regular mail and fax were the most common methods of transmitting business documents for respondents, e-mail, electronic data interchange (EDI), and websites were becoming more prevalent. This is an indication that the homecenter industry was poised to adopt eBusiness strategies and capabilities.

The Internet offers a revolutionary tool for business development and management. Companies are currently crafting Internet business development and marketing strategies. Through the Internet, many barriers to new markets, resources, and competitive positioning can be reduced or eliminated. The Internet levels the playing field as it allows small/ large and rural/urban companies alike to participate (7).

eBusiness is the application of Internet-based technologies for conducting business. It includes eCommerce (i.e., the actual transaction activities) as well as other business-oriented applications such as logistics, order entry, information sharing and transmission of information between exchange partners (7). Electronic business is forcing more companies to scrutinize their supply and distribution channels, looking for new ways to deliver products faster and more efficiently. The trend is generating a flurry of activity in the market for supply-chain management applications, which are used to coordinate the flow of material between businesses and their suppliers and distributors.

A study by Deloitte Consulting revealed that business-to-business purchasing (eProcurement) is delivering real and dramatic returns on investment (ROI). In fact, the ROI reported by more than 200 survey respondents averaged 300 percent over the first 2 to 3 years, based on an average implementation cost of $2 million to $4 million and annual procurement savings of nearly 9 percent over the first 2 years (1).

This is an area ripe for widespread automation. Companies that transition away from manual methods of procurement will start to see some gains in efficiencies and cost savings, according to a report from The Hackett Group, a division of AnswerThink Consulting Group (5). Of the companies that are using eProcurement solutions extensively, the vast majority (85%) is highly satisfied with the resulting benefits. And, in contrast with companies' experiences with other technology investments, the returns from eProcurement are meeting expectations.

This study reported herein examined the homecenter industry perspective regarding Internet-based technologies to conduct business with solid wood products suppliers. Internet-based technologies were studied in the context of implementation strategies across a number of wood products (lumber, plywood, particleboard, etc.).

AN OVERVIEW OF THE HOMECENTER INDUSTRY AND EBUSINESS

Each year National Home Center News publishes an overview of the homecenter industry. According to the 2000 edition, total industry sales were $200.7 billion in 1999, an increase of 10.9 percent from 1998 (2). Home Centers/lumberyards accounted for 64 percent of the industry ($128 billion). The top 500 companies accounted for $109 billion in sales in 1999 represented by the following company types: warehouses: 54 percent; pro dealers: 25 percent; homecenters with lumberyards: 7 percent.

The importance of wood products, particularly lumber and plywood, to industry sales is highlighted in Figure 1. This category contributes the highest percentage to industry sales. In addition, the percentage of home improvement retailers in the top 500 that stocks wood products is high (Fig. 2). Nearly 80 percent of the top 500 stocked lumber, plywood/panels, and doors/windows in 1999.

The homecenter industry is dominated by two players: Home Depot and Lowe's (Fig. 3). These two companies account for 49 percent of top 500 sales. The market leverage for Home Depot in particular is staggering. It is often considered a coup to develop an account with Home Depot although the service and program requirements can be daunting.

Overall, 13 percent of the top 500 companies sold some type of product over the Internet in 1999. As is often the case, this could be simply using e-mail or a website to facilitate communication between the merchant and customers. Because this is a sell situation, the transaction is between the merchant and consumers/builders/contractors. Fifty-six percent of the top 500 companies had a website in 1999. For the same year, only 34 percent of U.S. solid wood products manufacturers had a website (8).

Until recently, the forest products industry has taken a wait-and-see position with regard to eBusiness adoption. In addition, despite a steady drumbeat of public announcements from high-profile partners gathering millions of investor dollars, eCommerce providers to all industries are still far away from wide-- spread rollouts and real life applications of their programs (2).

Large companies have established Internet-based initiatives in both the business-to-consumer and business-to-- business marketplaces (6). Home improvement products currently account for a minuscule portion of what is purchased on-line (3).

Business-to-business eCommerce is where the majority of large dealers and suppliers have concentrated their efforts and expenditures on the grandest scale; consortiums are being formed to develop huge eMarketplaces over which all facets of business could be transacted. The most prominent of these so far have been Global NetXchange, which includes Sears, Carrefour, Metro, and Sainsbury; Construction Supply Exchange, made up of state and regional dealer groups; and Channelinx; and ForestExpress, the exchange constructed by Georgia-Pacific, Weyerhaeuser, Mead Corporation, Willamette Industries, Boise Cascade Corporation, and International Paper (3).

THE STUDY

RESEARCH CONTEXT

This study examined current and potential use of Internet-based technologies to conduct forest products procurement by home improvement/building materials retailers. Internet-based technologies were studied in the context of implementation strategies across a number of business types and industrial sectors. A sample of the top 250 companies was surveyed. The sample frame was selected from the National Home Center News Top 500 Scoreboard (2).

Respondents were asked to discuss their current or planned Internet procurement strategies and impacts that are perceived to exist with Internet-facilitated linked suppliers. Objectives were to:

1. Examine current and potential Internet-facilitated buyer/seller exchange between home improvement/building materials retailers and solid wood products suppliers;

2. Discern the general readiness of the home improvement/building materials industry to do business through Internet-based technology;

3. Identify concerns and perceived opportunities from participation in Internet-facilitated business practices.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Data collection. - Mail questionnaires were used because they are a cost-effective method of data collection for examining industry structures and business applications. The method affords a high degree of anonymity and is less limited by rigid time constraints that can impede the effectiveness of other survey methods.

A questionnaire was developed that tested concepts using questions developed by the authors and adapted from other sources (10,11). The survey was reviewed and revised by the researchers. An iterative process resulted in the final instrument. Survey development and implementation followed methods and procedures recommended by Dillman and described as the Total Design Method (4). Pre-addressed, postage-- paid envelopes and a signed cover letter were included with the questionnaire. The cover letter also promised summary results of the study to participants who completed and returned the questionnaire, a tactic that has been used successfully by the researcher in many previous studies. Pre-notification and reminder postcards were also sent to targeted companies. The study results are based on two mailings. All surveys were sent to either the highest-level manager available or the Forest Products Procurement Manager.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Demographics. - Figure 4 shows that the respondents for this study represented all regions of the United States. The figure also shows the number of respondents initially sampled, the adjusted sample size after accounting for undeliverable surveys (due to company closures, change of address, or deceased) and adjusted response rate. All industry survey respondents were surveyed at the corporate headquarters level. Given that typical response rates for industrial studies range from 15 to 30 percent, a response rate of 29 percent in this study is considered to be good.

Non-response bias is a common concern in survey research. In mail surveys, the bias associated with non-response is generally due to two factors. First, people with an interest in the subject matter are more likely to respond than disinterested parties. The second major bias is that better-educated people usually return questionnaires faster than less-educated people. Because late responders tend to behave like non-responders, bias due to non-response can be evaluated by comparing those who responded to the initial mailing with those who responded as a result of subsequent mailings and other follow-up efforts.

By examining differences between the two mailings using two-tail t-tests, statistically significant differences (at alpha = .05) were found for only 3 of the 85 paired questions in the study. No differences were found for company size, geographic location, wood products purchased, reasons for eBusiness implementation, purchasing distribution channels, etc. This lack of difference between the groups reduces the concern about response bias.

The largest companies in the sample frame did not respond to the survey. As a result, respondents represented smaller companies, which are more common in this industry. Although 30 percent of the respondents had 1999 sales of $10 million to $49 million, 24 percent of companies had sales greater than $100 million.

Similar to total industry figures, a significant majority of respondents stock wood products (Fig. 5). All major primary solid wood products are represented in respondent sales.

Lumber and plywood account for approximately 19 percent of sales for the industry as a whole. For respondents, this figure averaged 55 percent of sales. This is likely a function of the profile of respondents being skewed to small- and mid-size companies that rely more heavily on forest products in the sales mix.

One-third of respondents purchased forest products directly from manufacturers, while 60 percent of purchases were made through distribution intermediaries such as wholesalers (27%), brokers (18%), and stocking distributors (15%).

Respondent use of eBusiness. -Much of eBusiness deals with electronic transmission of business documents. Business documents most often processed by respondents with forest products suppliers are purchase orders and invoices (Fig. 6). Respondents annually processed over 3 million documents with forest products suppliers. Regular mail and fax were the most common methods of transmitting business documents for respondents (Fig. 7). However, e-mail, EDI, and websites were becoming more prevalent, whereas they were not used to any discernible degree only 5 years ago. EDI is computer-- to-computer electronic transmission of business documents between business trading partners. The documents are in structured formats that can be processed by each party's computer application software. This is an indication that this industry is poised to adopt eBusiness strategies and capabilities.

Seventy percent of invoices received and purchase orders sent by respondents were entered directly into computers, indicating a significant comfort level with using desktop PCs. To a lesser degree, order acknowledgements (27%), order status (26%), and shipping notices (24%) were received or entered directly into computers. The balance of these documents went through a two-step process of writing down the information by hand and then entering it into computers.

Twenty-four percent of respondents said that they currently used the Internet to support forest products purchases. There was no correlation between Internet purchases and company size, indicating a consistent level of usage across the industry.

All respondents were asked to rate benefits that they felt the Internet could offer to their companies (Fig. 8). The first five benefits focused on information exchange and supplier/product discovery. The next set of benefits included adding value for the company, lowering costs of doing business, and greater access to the company by customers and suppliers. Benefits ranked just below neutral (3.0 on a 5-point scale) indicated that respondents generally were indifferent in their belief that the Internet can improve relationships with suppliers (2.9), or that the Internet can enhance their company's image (2.9). The lowest-ranked benefit indicates that respondents did not believe that the Internet allows them to charge higher prices to vendors (2.5).

A set of questions focused on the respondent company's own web capabilities. Seventy-eight percent of respondents had a website. Sixteen percent of respondents said that their website was integrated into their company business systems. Seventy-one percent of respondents said that they planned to develop or improve their website over the following 12 months.

Of those companies that had websites, 54 percent of the sites were developed in either 1999 or 2000. If 1998 is included, the figure is 78 percent of respondents. These homecenter respondents, on average, developed web capabilities later than the forest products companies surveyed in research previously conducted by the senior author (8,10).

The most used function of respondents' websites was promotion/advertising (91% of respondents). Second was customer service (31%), followed by operational functions (11%), and last, eCommerce (7%).

In the past, security was the major concern for both buyers and sellers considering participation in eBusiness (10, 11). In this survey, the number one concern was the loss of relationships with exchange partners (8,9) (Fig. 9). Respondents clearly rated this as their number one concern. Second ranked was the concern that the investment is not warranted because there are not enough forest products exchange partners that use the Internet to conduct business. Third was the perceived high cost of doing business on the Web.

IMPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS

The importance of wood products to the homecenter industry cannot be understated; they contribute the highest percentage of any category to industry sales. Nearly 80 percent of the top 500 homecenters in the nation stock wood products. Results of this study suggest that there is potential for growth in the ability of homecenter retailers and their wood products suppliers to conduct eBusiness. Although the main benefits that respondents felt the Internet could offer focused on information exchange and product searches, many believed that the Internet is an attractive new channel to purchase products.

Although not used extensively by the respondents, eBusiness promises to make an impact on the purchase of wood products by the homecenter industry. As wood products sectors increase rates of eBusiness adoption, the industry as a whole will be better poised to participate in bilateral Internet-facilitated exchange with homecenter trading partners. A gap in technology trajectories between these two sectors is a limitation to eBusiness adoption.

One significant limitation to this study is that the top homecenter retailers in the industry did not respond. As mentioned earlier, Home Depot and Lowe's Companies, Inc. alone account for 49 percent of top 500 homecenter sales.

Making the Space Station a Home

2009-04-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

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2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Prepping the International Space Station for a larger crew is the ultimate in high-end home remodeling.

It takes some planning to prepare a small space for new roommates, especially if the apartment is 220 miles above the planet. NASA engineers have been developing space-ready versions of familiar fixtures to prepare for an expansion of the International Space Station's crew, which this year will double to six. Engineers must build household items that balance space, power consumption, weight and repairability. "Those tradeoffs were made at the very beginning [of the gear's design]," says Marybeth Edeen, who heads vehicle hardware development for NASA's ISS program. The systems that rely on chemistry and fluid dynamics, such as plumbing, are tougher to develop than a new bedroom. "In microgravity, solids don't go down and gas bubbles don't go up," she says. "Everything just goes where it wants." These pieces of orbital home design, most delivered in a single space shuttle trip late last year, provide a realistic glimpse of what it's like to live in space.

Orbital Renovation

Kitchen

The crew's galley has to be expanded; new items include suitcase-shape warmers that gently close around as many as 12 metallic foil bags holding prepared foods. The sink, based on the space shuttle's, has its own hot-water heater for bags of stew or cups of instant coffee.

Exercise Equipment

The Advanced Resistive Exercise Device uses vacuum canisters and ropes to create resistance that mimics weights. The ARED provides the equivalent of 600 pounds of weights that can be used for dozens of exercises. Astronauts' muscles and nerves can deteriorate if they don't work out.

Bedroom

ISS residents each have individual 3 x 3.5 x 6-ft quarters with laptop connections. "They're living in a closet," Edeen says. "And it's not a walk-in."

Astronauts have just enough space to dress.

Bathroom

The ISS received a new toilet that NASA purchased from Russia. A gentle vacuum pulls waste into a funnel that leads to a solid-liquid separator. Urine gets converted into clean water in a recycling system. Water quality is tested in space and on the ground.

The Design of Everyday Life: Homecenter

2009-04-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

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People become "human-non-human hybrids" (Bruno Latour's term), members of a complex network Ln which "competence Is embedded Ui and distributed between tools and materials and many other sources Including people, DIY manuals, and the Internet" (p. 57). [...] DIY is not routinized, mindless labor, but instead qualifies as "exploratory" work because of aU the uncertainties involved: new problems Ui the home are revealed with each project, new skills learned, the capabilities of new tools and building products understood.

Carbon Neutral On a Shoestring; [House & Home/Style Desk]

2009-04-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company

THE floor tiles made from smashed television screens did not, in the end, work out. Neither did the pulley system Petz Scholtus's boyfriend rigged to haul her stuff up three very steep flights of stairs to her new apartment in the Barri Gotic, or old city, when she moved in over a year ago. But the move itself -- by bicycle through the streets of the oldest and most cinematic neighborhoods here -- was a carbon-neutral success. (It helped that Ms. Scholtus had no furniture then.) So, too, were other elements of her eco-renovation.

That is the phrase Ms. Scholtus, a 28-year-old product designer from Luxembourg, has been using to describe the ongoing restoration and decoration of a one-bedroom apartment in the 18th-century building where she lives and works. In Barcelona, a city that has long prized the new and the glossy, Ms. Scholtus's project amounts to a countercultural effort.

"Here people have an idea that sustainable is for the rich or that it's something horrible and low-quality hippy," Ms. Scholtus said. "I wanted to see if it was possible to make it inexpensive but also, you know, cool."

As Americans fumble with their green goals and begin to cast a critical eye on sustainable practices on many levels -- from a cap on industrial emissions to the use of fluorescent light bulbs -- Ms. Scholtus's experiences (which she recounts on her blog, r3project.blogspot.com) are an object lesson in how fully one can realize green ideals on a budget in an existing home in any city.

On a dark, raw February morning, Ms. Scholtus's apartment was bright, if not exactly toasty, from the fluorescent bulbs tucked into her handmade Bidon lamps. The English translation of bidon is jerry can or container; Ms. Scholtus found a few on the street and fitted them with compact fluorescent bulbs and PVC-free wiring. One was hanging over a door frame; another sat on a rug like a small pet.

There was a voluminous beanbag chair made from recycled car-seat fabric by a company called Waste; a planter made from an old tire; a chair found nearby at the Placa George Orwell and decoupaged by Ms. Scholtus with newspapers; and floor-to-ceiling stenciled shelving made from fiberboard (planks of recycled sawdust) certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and painted with pigments low in volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.'s). On the terrace, worms were quietly gnawing through Ms. Scholtus's kitchen scraps, making compost for her herb garden.

Ms. Scholtus, who grew up on a farm in Luxembourg and studied eco-design at the University of London, arrived in Barcelona five years ago. She was teaching English and eco-design, creating products (collapsible felt storage containers called Stuff Bumps, developed in partnership with the green resource and news blog TreeHugger, for whom she is a contributor), art installations and other projects for folks like Chicks on Speed, a German electropop art band.

Rents were high, but purchase prices in the Barri Gotic, where the newest buildings date from the 18th century and require extensive renovation, were relatively low. Still, this apartment, which Ms. Scholtus bought for 235,000 euros in 2006 (just under $300,000), was hardly a steal: it had no plumbing, no electricity; no glass in its windows; the toilet was in a closet on the terrace; and what would become the bedroom was closed off by a bearing wall (the only entrance was from the terrace). The massive ceiling beams were pocked from wood lice and encrusted with paint in many colors, layered in over the centuries.

Because Ms. Scholtus had challenged herself to be environmentally responsible during every stage of home ownership, she began by researching green financing. To buy the place, she obtained a mortgage from what is known as an ethical bank. Ethical banks -- a rara avis in this country (they are more common in Europe and Canada) -- invest only in socially or ecologically responsible businesses and projects.

Triodos, a Dutch ethical bank established in 1980, had just opened a branch in Barcelona. Maria Felipe Larios, a spokeswoman for Triodos Spain, described its core business as financing "companies and organizations from the social, cultural and environmental sectors," citing organic farming, sustainable tourism, welfare and fair trade organizations as examples.

Ms. Scholtus's loan, Ms. Felipe Larios said, was a departure for the bank, "the first eco-mortgage we have given here." Technically, the bank extended Ms. Scholtus a professional loan, as if she were a company or an organization.

"We are still developing residential products in Spain," Ms. Felipe Larios said. "She was very proud of what we've been doing, and we're very proud of what she's done in her home."

Ms. Scholtus became an apartment owner on Buy Nothing Day, an anti-consumerist holiday celebrated in the United States the day after Thanksgiving and 24 hours later elsewhere. The coincidence, she said, made her feel ill.

"I called Graham Hill," Ms. Scholtus said, referring to the founder of TreeHugger, "and he said, 'For goodness sake don't put that on TreeHugger.' "

IN making her new home livable, Ms. Scholtus's challenge to herself was to hew as closely as possible to the three R's of environmentalism: reduce, reuse, recycle. (Restore and respect are the other R words listed on her blog, but she liked R3 as a title for the project because her street address is 3.) Could she find products that were made close to home, were produced without a huge environmental impact, could be dismantled after her tenancy (following the cradle-to-cradle recycling model) and did not use too much energy? Oh, and all for under 30,000 euros (about $38,000)?

There were hits and misses, but the budget didn't waver.

One miss: The smashed-television-screen floor tiles she found for the kitchen and bathroom in off-white turned out to be a sickly beige. When she phoned the company that sold them to her, she was told that the color she had chosen was no longer being made. She quickly found ceramic tiles made by a local company that had its own water-treatment plant -- that was the good part. But because they were ceramic, they could only be installed with grout -- in other words, the old-fashioned permanent way, not ideal for a cradle-to-cradle proponent.

"The only way to remove them is to smash them," Ms. Scholtus explained.

To save on rent during the demolition, she embarked on six months of couch surfing and house-sitting, working from her laptop and wearing summer clothes long past August.

She found a contractor who claimed to be a green builder. Unfortunately, as she discovered later, just before she fired him, the green projects in his portfolio had been cut from magazines and represented the work of other builders.

"I was going to be the real example for his portfolio," she said. In over his head, the contractor was relieved to be let go, she continued. Truth be told, he had handled the demolition part just fine, sandblasting the woodwork (a nontoxic alternative to using chemical strippers), hauling out the rubbish and obtaining the environmentally friendly materials that Ms. Scholtus had located (like cork flooring that fits together like a jigsaw puzzle, without glue).

An electrician from Colombia became her lieutenant and then her full-time contractor, though he initially mocked her instructions to find things like PVC-free pipes for the new plumbing (PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is a ubiquitous building material; environmentalists are concerned about toxic emissions during its manufacture and disposal.).

"In the beginning, he couldn't understand why I'd go through the trouble of finding PVC-free pipes when the standard PVC ones are easy to find and very cheap," she said. "In the end, he got into it, and asked me, 'Is this sustainable?' or 'Why is this not good?' "

Ms. Scholtus delights in making do with materials at hand. She and Mette Bak Andersen, a Danish designer who lives in Barcelona, have devised a workshop called Materialize Me that they hold at schools like the Elsivava Design School here and the Krabbesholm School in Denmark.

In the workshops, students are challenged to make products from materials that are close at hand, like leaves, scrap metal or their hair. At one workshop in Krabbesholm, a team scooped waste from a sewage treatment plant and made bricks out of it ("they were very brave," Ms. Scholtus said admiringly); another team hacked CDs to bits and baked them into the shape of a classic Danish lamp.

Ms. Scholtus's dining room table is a glass slab she found in the rubble of her apartment. "The workers kept complaining that it was too big to remove," she said. So she found trestles on the street, painted them and placed them under the slab to make a table. Dismantled wine boxes await deployment as the doors to her Ikea kitchen cabinets; ancient drawers rescued from the street, which smell of incense -- "I think they must have come from a church," Ms. Scholtus said, wrinkling her nose -- sit on casters and hold magazines.

To heat the apartment and the water, Ms. Scholtus purchased an efficient condensing gas boiler, which she tucked into the closet on her terrace where the toilet once lived. But only after researching a solar solution, her first choice.

"There are more solar panels per capita in Luxembourg than here," she said, "and where is there more sun?" Ms. Scholtus's apartment, however, is two floors below the building's roof, so solar heating was not a viable option, according to a few companies she contacted.

She also dreamed of radiant floor heating, but its cost pushed her toward radiators. She chose Low-H2O radiators (which use two liters of water, rather than 20, a big energy saver), made by the stylish radiator company Jaga.

The other day, though, when an American visitor stopped by, none of them were in use. Spoiled by years of environmental indolence , the visitor shivered a bit. Ms. Scholtus, grinning in her sweater, offered her coffee, a European's best retort to the energy crisis.

Residential Sales Around the Region; [Real Estate Desk]

2009-04-04T05:31:00.001-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company

Manhattan

Hudson Heights . . . . . . . . $260,000 273 Bennett Avenue (192nd St.) r 1 f 1 h 0 o 4 weeks 550-sq.-ft. co-op in a postwar building; elevator, renovated kitchen and bath, h/w floors, laundry room in building; maintenance $333, 50% tax deductible; listed at $260,000. Broker: Barak.

Battery Park City . . . . . . . . $548,500 280 Rector Place (South End Ave.) r 1 f 1 h 0 o 2 weeks 650-sq.-ft. condo in a postwar building; 24-hr. doormen, renovated kitchen, marble bath, h/w floors, gym and common roof deck; common charge $793; taxes $8,124; listed at $560,000. Broker: DJK Residential.

y East Midtown . . . . . . . . $755,570 212 East 47th Street r 1 f 1 h 0 o 12 weeks 685-sq.-ft. condo in a postwar building; 24-hr. doormen, renovated kitchen and bath, oversize windows, h/w floors, north exposure, laundry room in building; common charge $569; taxes $6,996; listed at $755,570. Broker: Citi Habitats.

Upper West Side . . . . $2.725 million 121-123 West 80th Street r 3 f 2 h 0 o 15 weeks 2,000-sq.-ft. duplex co-op in a brownstone; renovated kitchen, breakfast bar, sunroom, 2 fireplaces, terrace; maintenance $2,287, 46% tax deductible; listed at $3 million. Brokers: Halstead Property; Corcoran Group.

Four Boroughs

Silver Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . $321,000 310 Stanley Avenue, Staten Island r 3 f 1 h 1 o 3 weeks 47-year-old brick ranch; dining area, eat-in kitchen, h/w floors, full basement, 1-car garage, 40-by-99-ft. lot; taxes $3,248; listed at $379,000. Brokers: Robert DeFalco; Gateway Arms.

y Whitestone . . . . . . . . . . $593,000 157-55 19th Avenue, Queens r 3 f 1 h 1 o 15 weeks 59-year-old ranch; dining area, family room, finished basement, h/w floors, private driveway, 44-by-121-ft. lot; taxes $5,324; listed at $655,000. Broker: Re/ Max Millennium.

Park Slope . . . . . . . . . . . . $749,000 12 Webster Place, Brooklyn r 3 f 1 h 1 o 1 week 110-year-old wood town house; dining area, renovated eat-in kitchen, woodburning stove, finished basement, 15- by-88-ft. lot; taxes $1,385; listed at $749,000. Broker: TB Shaw Realty Associates.

Riverdale . . . . . . . . . . $1.175 million 4623 Arlington Avenue, Bronx r 5 f 2 h 1 o 36 weeks 54-year-old wood colonial; dining area, renovated eat-in kitchen, living-room fireplace, c/a, h/w floors, 65-by-117-ft. lot; taxes $7,512; listed at $1.495 million. Brokers: Halstead Property; Trebach.

Long Island

Deer Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . $385,000 238 Burlington Avenue r 3 f 2 h 0 o 10 weeks 51-year-old wood ranch; renovated eatin kitchen, h/w floors, new roof and heating system, 1-car garage, 75-by-78-ft. lot; taxes $7,323; listed at $399,999. Brokers: Coldwell Banker Residential; Prudential Douglas Elliman.

Garden City . . . . . . . . . . . $625,000 38 Edgemere Road r 3 f 2 h 0 o 23 weeks 53-year-old ranch; vinyl siding, eat-in kitchen, living-room fireplace, 3-season room, rec room in finished basement, 2-car garage, 75-by-116-ft. lot; taxes $12,594; listed at $649,000. Broker: Daniel Gale Sotheby's.

y Huntington . . . . . . . . . . $728,500 80 Grandview Street r 4 f 2 h 1 o 4 weeks 4-year-old wood colonial; front porch, 2-story entry, granite counters, kitchen island, family-room fireplace, c/a, garage, 0.17-acre lot; taxes $17,691; listed at $762,500. Brokers: Coldwell Banker Residential; Anastasio Associates.

Roslyn Estates . . . . . $1.425 million 20 The Glenada r 6 f 3 h 1 o 12 weeks 79-year-old wood colonial; entry hall, eat-in kitchen, den, 2 fireplaces, back staircase, c/a, finished basement, 2-car garage, 0.48-acre lot; taxes $27,231; listed at $1.549 million. Broker: Daniel Gale Sotheby's.

Westchester/Putnam

Carmel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $232,000 167 Tibet Drive, Putnam r 3 f 1 h 0 o 28 weeks 31-year-old wood ranch on Lake Tibet; parquet floor and fireplace in living room, sunroom, patio, h/w floors, 1.1- acre lot; taxes $8,957; listed at $264,000. Broker: Prudential Rand.

Dobbs Ferry . . . . . . . . . . . $513,000 9 Highland Avenue, Westchester r 3 f 1 h 0 o 20 weeks 54-year-old ranch; vinyl siding, renovated eat-in kitchen w/island, oak floors, 2 fireplaces, renovated bath, new roof and windows, 0.17-acre lot; taxes $14,240; listed at $519,000. Brokers: Coldwell Banker Residential; Houlihan Lawrence

Pound Ridge . . . . . . . . . . . $825,000 16 Bob Hill Road, Westchester r 3 f 3 h 1 o 34 weeks 41-year-old wood contemporary; eat-in kitchen, living-room fireplace, library, office, guest suite, greenhouse, 2 decks, 2.26-acre lot; taxes $12,891; listed at $899,000. Brokers Prudential Holmes & Kennedy; Vincent & Whittemore.

y South Salem . . . . . . . $1.4 million 178 Elmwood Road, Westchester r 4 f 5 h 1 o 12 weeks New wood colonial; eat-in kitchen w/butler's pantry, living- and family-room fireplaces, finished basement, attic, c/a, garage, 3.5-acre lot; taxes $27,000; listed at $1.539 million. Broker: Houlihan Lawrence.

Rockland/Orange

New City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $325,000 4 Bender Road, Rockland r 4 f 2 h 1 o 6 weeks 46-year-old colonial; vinyl siding, dining room, eat-in kitchen, family room, fireplace, h/w floors, central vacuum, 2-car garage, 0.34-acre lot; taxes $324,500 (multiple bids). Broker: Coldwell Banker Residential.

Warwick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $430,000 12 Briarwood Court, Orange r 4 f 2 h 1 o 9 weeks 11-year-old colonial; eat-in kitchen w/maple cabinets, family room w/vaulted ceiling and fireplace, whirlpool bath, h/w floors, deck, pool, 2-car garage, 1.3-acre lot; taxes $14,518; listed at $449,500. Broker: Prudential Rand.

y Valley Cottage . . . . . . . $730,000 235 Old Mill Road, Rockland r 3 f 3 h 0 o 69 weeks 69-year-old farmhouse on Lake De Forest; wood and vinyl siding, renovated master bath and eat-in kitchen, family room, cathedral ceilings, deck, 0.74- acre lot; taxes $15,354; listed at $769,000. Broker: Prudential Rand.

Piermont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $999,999 53 Harbor Cove, Rockland r 2 f 2 h 2 o 21 weeks 2,135-sq.-ft. 9-year-old town-house condo; eat-in kitchen, cathedral ceiling in living room, h/w floors, deck, 2-car garage; common charge $1,138; taxes $21,911; listed at $1,377,500. Broker: Coldwell Banker Residential.

New Jersey

Marlboro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $275,000 43 Orange Drive r 3 f 2 h 1 o 1 week 1,610-sq.-ft. 17-year-old town-house condo; eat-in kitchen, sunken living room, h/w floors, pool and tennis courts in complex; common charge $250; taxes $4,522; listed at $299,000. Broker: Prudential New Jersey Properties.

New Providence . . . . . . . . $535,000 32 Brook Hollow Lane r 3 f 2 h 1 o 14 weeks 47-year-old brick and wood ranch; dining room, eat-in kitchen w/pantry, family room w/fireplace, h/w floors, 2-car garage, 0.43-acre lot; taxes $11,180; listed at $599,000. Broker: Prudential New Jersey Properties.

Clinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $819,500 13 Country Place r 4 f 2 h 1 o 12 weeks 21-year-old colonial; stone and vinyl siding; granite counters, breakfast room, family room, library, den, 2 fireplaces, beamed ceilings, basement, pool, 3-car garage, 1.96-acre lot; taxes $15,814; listed at $885,000. Broker: Weichert.

y Cresskill . . . . . . . . . $1.35 million 308 Grant Avenue r 5 f 5 h 1 o 7 weeks New brick manor-style colonial; 2-story entry, office, media room, marble master bath, rec room in finished basement, pool, 3-car garage, 104-by-172-ft. lot; taxes $16,917; listed at $1.499 million. Broker: Coldwell Banker Residential.

Connecticut

Trumbull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $310,000 475 Dayton Road r 3 f 2 h 0 o 33 weeks 36-year-old wood ranch; dining room, eat-in kitchen, family room w/fireplace, h/w floors, deck, 2-car garage, 1.15- acre lot; taxes $6,662; listed at $339,900. Brokers: Re/Max Right Choice; Prudential Connecticut.

Norwalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $587,500 15 Sheridan Streetr 3 f 2 h 1 o 24 weeks 104-year-old wood and stone colonial; dining room, eat-in kitchen, living-room fireplace, office, finished basement, 0.12-acre lot; taxes $4,737; listed at $625,000. Broker: William Raveis.

Greenwich . . . . . . . . . . . . $745,000 40 Byram Shore Road r 4 f 2 h 1 o 6 weeks 45-year-old wood colonial; dining room, eat-in kitchen, family room, fireplace, office, h/w floors, 0.76-acre lot; taxes $7,253; listed at $750,000. Broker: William Raveis.

y Darien . . . . . . . . . . . $2.2 million 54 Christie Hill Road r 6 f 5 h 1 o 8 weeks New cedar colonial; living- and familyroom fireplaces, media room, custom moldings, finished basement, c/a, 2-car garage, 1/2-acre lot; taxes $12,048; listed at $2.475 million. Brokers: Kelly Associates; Prudential Connecticut.

Bathrooms That Are Part of the View; [Travel Desk]

2009-04-04T05:31:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com

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Copyright New York Times Company

LAST fall, Anika Chapin accompanied her father on a business trip to Toronto. The room that they shared at the stylish Hotel Le Germain had two separate beds, but also a large glass window dividing the bathroom and bedroom that left the shower in full view. Automatic blinds on the outside of the glass could be raised or lowered from a button in the bedroom, but not from inside the stall.

"I guess it could be sort of mysterious and sexy in the right circumstances, but it's definitely only awkward when you're sharing the room with your dad," Ms. Chapin, a 26-year-old assistant Broadway director, said.

"I was just glad I didn't have a mischievous younger brother," she added.

From the chic boutiques of London and Los Angeles to hot new hotels in more exotic locales like India and China, exposed bathrooms are a growing trend -- whether in the form of transparent glass walls and shower stalls or bathtubs set in the middle of the bedroom like free-standing sculptures.

Designers and hoteliers have a variety of justifications for the concept, from the logistical (saving space) to the esoteric (a sense of added luxury).

"Today's luxury hotel bath is a space to live in," said Trisha Wilson, the founder and chief executive of Wilson Associates, a company that over the last two years has built 6 hotels with open bathrooms, with 10 additional hotels planned in Morocco, Vietnam, China and other locales. "We are seeing as much as 50 percent of the guest room being dedicated to the bathroom," Ms. Wilson said about her firm's hotels.

Indeed, some travelers appreciate the voyeuristic kick. Bryce Longton, who stayed with her boyfriend at the Tides in Miami late last year, is a fan.

"I thought it was sexy," Ms. Longton, a 29-year-old freelance writer from Los Angeles, said of the glass shower in their suite. "The steam from the shower obscured a lot, but showed a little. You could watch each other from the other room."

"If I ask, 'What did you do on Sunday?' I love people to answer, 'I spent all day in my bathroom,' " said Morgane Rousseau, the designer of the glass-and-steel-framed bathrooms at the Hotel Particulier Montmartre, a Parisian hotel that opened in 2007. Transparency allows travelers to multitask in the tub, she explained: watch television, chat with a companion or simply gaze out the window.

At the Sanctum Hotel, a chic London hotel that opens this month, bathtubs stand in the middle of the bedrooms on beds of backlit glass pebbles -- an experience intended to be glamorous and otherworldly.

"Being able to really, really relax is not a luxury that most people can afford in terms of time in their daily lives," said Lesley Purcell, Sanctum's designer. "I like to think that when you're lying in the bath you might feel like you're in a spaceship with all the lights twinkling around you."

Michael Attenborough, head of interior design for the Radisson Edwardian hotels, installed freestanding Philippe Starck-designed bathtubs in the chain's recently opened Bloomsbury location, and put glass-walled bathrooms in its Leicester Square hotel.

Mr. Attenborough is such a fan of the idea that he now has a see-through bathroom at home.

"It actually cost me three times as much as it would have to put in a wall," Mr. Attenborough said of the glass partition between his master bedroom and bathroom. He and his partner enjoy having extra space for a luxuriously large shower stall -- not to mention one heck of a conversation piece.

"All our friends who've seen it say 'Oh my god, that's so fantastic,' " he said, though he acknowledges that the design isn't for everyone: "Some people are very prudey."

Even larger, more mainstream hotel brands, which are typically seen as design-conservative, are installing open bathrooms to contemporize their look.

Exposed bathrooms can serve as a sort of design ambassador, according to Alicia Loo, the designer of the Renaissance Capital Hotel Beijing, the flagship hotel of the Marriott Renaissance Chinese brand that opened last August.

Ms. Loo designed the Renaissance to symbolize the new, open Beijing. "The hotel is all about the concept of opening the box and finding out what's inside," Ms. Loo said -- particularly the bathrooms, where the glass walls and exposed toilets may strike some as a rather literal interpretation of China's open-door policy.

"They're definitely edgy and controversial," said Bill Barrie, senior vice president of design and project management for Ritz-Carlton, referring to the glass bathrooms in the Ritz-Carlton Dubai International Financial Centre, which is scheduled to open in September. "It's an opportunity to show that it's not the old Ritz-Carlton."

With hotel room sizes shrinking, glass walls are also a tempting trompe l'oeil: they make a room feel bigger by leaving sightlines unobstructed and maximize natural light from the bedroom windows, according to Patricia Miller, head of the hospitality group for the architecture firm Leo A Daly, who is designing exposed bathrooms for a hotel to open in India in 2010.

By opening the space, the bathrooms also help guests orient themselves in an unfamiliar environment. "It's not like in your home where you could find everything blind. You don't know where the light switch is or the door or the plugs," said Graham Downes, an architect who has designed rooms that include glass-walled bathrooms in a number of hotels around the country.

Mr. Downes describes himself as a "firm believer in open bathrooms," especially after a recent experience at the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas: "The closet door, the front door and the bathroom door all looked the same," he said. "I was naked and I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and went out my front door."

But some designers and visitors -- particularly business travelers, families and couples who feel a happy relationship requires a little, ahem, mystery -- are ducking this design trend.

Jill Cole, a principal at the California architecture firm Cole Martinez Curtis & Associates, who is planning to install open bathrooms in two major projects, said exposed bathrooms aren't always appropriate.

"The only time I would ever contemplate suggesting an open bathroom to an owner would be in a resort," she said, referring to the type of vacation hotel that typically attracts couples. "It's not something you'd want to do for two people who didn't know each other or didn't know each other well."

Peter Nicas, 48, and his girlfriend encountered a surprise at the Sanderson Hotel, a London boutique hotel designed by Philippe Starck and frequented by the see-and-be-seen set: the bathroom, encased in transparent glass, left nothing to the imagination.

"I just said, 'Look, when you go to the bathroom, let me know, and I'll look the other way,' " said Mr. Nicas, the editor-in-chief of an online travel guide.

Lisa Feder-Feitel, 53, who works for a nonprofit organization, puts it a different way. She and her husband have been married for 22 years, but when they checked into their room at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami in 2005, they discovered a glass-walled bathroom that left the toilet in full view.

"I stayed there with my husband for about 10 minutes," before switching to a new hotel, she said. "This is the design equivalent of 'too much information.' "

Shelving Done Right; [House & Home/Style Desk]

2009-04-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Apr 9, 2009

WALL STREETERS considering a second act might take a page from Kinsey Marable. Seventeen years ago, Mr. Marable, then an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, gave up securities trading to deal in a more exotic commodity: rare and out-of-print books.

Since then he has found a niche as a curator of private libraries, with clients like Jon S. Corzine (his boss at Goldman Sachs and now New Jersey's governor), the designer Donna Karan and the ultimate bibliophile, Oprah Winfrey, for whom he is assembling a library of first-edition Pulitzer-winning novels.

Mr. Marable, a dapper man of 53, found himself drawn to the world of antiquarian bookshops on trips to London for his old job. He began buying rare books first for himself and then for colleagues, and finally decided to pursue his passion full time, moving to Georgetown before settling near Charlottesville, Va.

His services include arranging the books by topic and aesthetics. "I insist on that," he said. "Bookshelves should be for books, with a minimum of little objets or bric-a-brac."

On a recent visit to Manhattan, where he often sees clients, he searched for bookcases and shelves both functional and beautiful. His first stop was the Billy Baldwin Studio, an Upper East Side showroom with reproductions of furniture by the legendary interior designer.

"The best decoration in the world is a roomful of books," Mr. Marable said, borrowing a famous line from Baldwin.

The designer, who died in 1983, created bookcases for clients like Cole Porter, for whom he made an elegant brass-and-mahogany number with finials. A copy, the Porter Etagere, is sold for $7,900, along with another reproduction, the Metal Etagere, a steel design with glass shelves, for $5,200.

At Mecox Gardens on the Upper East Side, he found a bookcase that reminded him of the Porter: the Union 110 etagere, a bronzed and gilded frame that holds seven faux shagreen shelves and costs $3,600.

Bookcases like these are investment pieces, to be sure. But Mr. Marable found similar designs elsewhere for a fraction of the cost, like CB2's titanium-finished steel Trig bookcase with glass shelves. "At $169," he said, "how can you go wrong?"

Mr. Marable doesn't simply preach that philosophy: he recently furnished his office with a pair of Expedit bookcases from Ikea, which cost $159 each. The 5-by-5-foot units, each with 16 compartments for books, reminded him of the architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen's signature egg-crate bookcase design.

At Pottery Barn, he liked the Garrett, a wood cabinet with glass doors. "Glass fronts are a great way to conserve books," he said.

And at Design Within Reach, he admired the Sticotti, a unit with wall mounts and wood shelves that can be put at different levels, one deep enough to be a desktop. Though a traditionalist at heart, Mr. Marable couldn't help but be swayed by the unusual design. "Very clever," he said.

Designing a Flexible Space That Can Hold the Entire Crowd; [Escapes]

2009-04-04T05:29:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Apr 10, 2009

DESIGNING your own vacation home can be an overwhelming, frustrating and exciting project. All the things you've wanted but not had in the past are possible now -- a wonderful view from the kitchen work area, built-in glass shelves for art objects, or an oversize fireplace.

One feature that's almost a given in custom-built weekend and vacation homes today is the great room, which combines the cooking, dining and living areas. "The great room has to do with why people are there," said Steve Dungan, an architect who specializes in vacation homes in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., about 65 miles east of Pensacola. "People want to congregate and enjoy being with family and friends."

Ken Alexander, an architect who works as a designer and builder in Telluride, Colo., agreed: "A hundred percent of my clients want great rooms."

The great room offers more than just a place to gather. It offers flexibility. Rearrange the furniture a bit, and a dining table that expands to seat 12 finally has breathing room. Push the furniture out of the way, and there's room to tango. Here are some points to consider very early in the design process:

Maximizing a view. The key to a great room, Mr. Alexander said, is to have a wall of glass looking out on a great view. Mr. Alexander works mostly in Telluride Mountain Village, the ski resort town above the older town of Telluride, and views are pretty easy to come by there. "We mostly use fixed-glass windows," he said, "with French doors opening onto balconies."

Since the idea of a vacation home is to enjoy being there, you will probably want to see the mountains while sitting at a built-in snack bar, or the Gulf of Mexico while working at the kitchen sink. Stay involved as the design progresses or your beautiful views could disappear.

Separate functions. Some great rooms are truly one large space with perhaps only a lighting fixture to indicate where the mover should put the dining table. The most common approach in custom homes, though, is for the architect to use visual cues to assign functions to different parts of the room. If you want the room to seem open but you want a feeling of intimacy while dining, you can fulfill both wishes.

"Drop the ceiling in the dining area," Mr. Dungan suggested, "or add columns to define the space." Floors can change from wood to stone or tile in different areas. And the level of the floor can change, too, with the dining and kitchen areas perhaps a step or two higher than the living area.

Fireplace. Frank Lloyd Wright made a hearth area the focal point of most of his living rooms, and today a great room without a fireplace is all but unthinkable. Remember that its size should be appropriate for the size of the room, whether it's gas or wood burning. If you want a small but efficient manufactured fireplace, talk to your architect about ways to maximize its appearance.

Mr. Alexander said that because of concerns about air pollution, permits are required at Telluride Mountain Village for fireplaces that burn wood. As a result, most of his houses -- which are generally 5,000 to 10,000 square feet -- have gas fireplaces.

Ceiling height. Many lodge-style homes have two-story great rooms, often overlooked by a second-floor walkway or balcony. Those two-story spaces may look great, but in a very cold climate, rooms with high ceilings and a lot of windows can often feel drafty, especially after dark.

You can, however, get the effect of a high ceiling without going too high. Have eight- or nine-foot ceilings in your entry area and hallways. Then in the great room, raise the ceiling to 12 or 13 feet. You'll get the impact of a high ceiling without having windows beyond the reach of a cleaner on a stepladder.

Entertainment. According to Mr. Alexander, your wonderful view and the flames in your fireplace are all the entertainment you should need. He said that he tries to talk clients out of putting TVs in their great rooms. But, despite the view and the fireplace, it's likely that you'll want even more than a TV. Tell your architect what entertainment equipment you want, and he or she will figure out how to keep it hidden, perhaps above or beside the fireplace, until you want to use it.

A PC That's at Homecenter in the Kitchen (or Any Other Room); [Circuits]

2009-04-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Mar 19, 2009

The kitchen PC, long rumored, has finally arrived. The Asus Eee Top ET1602 is a touch-screen PC in a counter-friendly package.

The $599 Eee Top is the latest touch-screen PC that aims to be a family's digital content hub. But unlike the Hewlett-Packard TouchSmart and the forthcoming Studio One 19 from Dell, the Eee Top is small enough to tuck beneath a kitchen cabinet and cheap enough that you will not worry about the occasional dribble.

The Eee Top employs a 15.6-inch LCD, a Linux-based touch-screen interface and Windows XP, and is a snap to use.

Inside the Eee Top are familiar netbook components: a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, a gigabyte of memory and a 160-gigabyte hard drive. Asus bundles a built-in Web camera for videos or video calls using Skype, which comes preloaded. The Eee Top also can pull double duty as an LCD photo frame. There is no need to confine the Eee Top to the kitchen, however. The 9.5-pound PC has a built-in handle that makes it easy to carry from room to room. RIK FAIRLIE

Making Kosher a Little More Convenient; [House & Home/Style Desk]

2009-04-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Apr 9, 2009

BACK when the rules of Orthodox Judaism were set forth -- that no work should be done on the Sabbath, from Friday evening until Saturday evening -- no thought was given to the number of dirty dishes that would pile up in Howard and Elaine Alt's kitchen over the weekend.

The Alts, who live in Teaneck, N.J., typically have nine people for Friday night dinner, an elaborate meal that includes homemade chicken soup with matzo balls, and 15 or 16 for lunch on Saturday, when the family digs into roast chicken or beef as well as vegetables. But the Alts never turn on the hot water or even use a sponge during the Sabbath, so the mess at the end can be pretty big.

The situation should improve now that the Alts have renovated their kitchen. Instead of one sink and one dishwasher, they now have two of each, so they can easily separate meat and dairy dishes and load them to be washed later. They have also installed some new features brought out by appliance companies that make it easier to follow their rules but also keep a clean kitchen.

Observant Jews tend to learn from their parents how to keep kosher in an ordinary kitchen. They do not turn on lights, cook food or turn any electricity on during the Sabbath, which means, among other things, that the lights in a refrigerator must be disabled before sundown on Fridays. Ovens and dishwashers can also be problematic, since newer models tend to have digital displays or beeping sounds that are activated when the door opens.

Over the last decade, many companies have introduced Sabbath-compliant appliances, and these in turn have fueled interest in kosher kitchen renovations. Instead of having to jury-rig their refrigerators so that the lights do not come on when the door is opened, for example, Orthodox Jews can now buy appliances with built-in mechanisms to disable the lighting and electronics during the Sabbath. The Alts bought a Sub-Zero refrigerator that comes with this feature, known as "Sabbath mode."

Many appliance makers, including General Electric, Frigidaire, Electrolux, Whirlpool, Maytag and Viking, sell products with a Sabbath mode, said Avrom Pollak, president of Star-K Certification, a Baltimore-based organization that issues kosher designations for household items. (A list of approved products can be found at star-k.org.) There are no reliable estimates for how many people in the United States keep kosher, Dr. Pollak said, but there is sufficient demand for these features to make it worthwhile for the manufacturers.

"People who are observant don't eat out as much and tend to entertain at home more," so they often buy more expensive appliances, he said. The appliances for observing Sabbath rules can also be sold for the larger market. "As far as other consumers are concerned, they will never know the difference" between the Sabbath-compliant appliances and others, Dr. Pollak said. "The models that are certified all have built in these features, but you have to program them right before the holiday or Sabbath."

The Alts' rabbi was consulted a fair bit during the renovation of their kitchen, which took two months and was finished just in time for Passover. They now have two sinks (one for meat and one for dairy), two conventional ovens and two microwave ovens, up from one of each.

The Alts, who have five children, ages 13 to 22, are celebrating Passover at home this year for the first time. In previous years they went to a kosher hotel, which was a family tradition. This year, "We did the kitchen, so let's enjoy it," Mr. Alt said.

In a normal week, all the food for the big Friday supper and Saturday lunch must be prepared in advance, since cooking on the Sabbath is strictly forbidden. Like many Orthodox Jews, the Alts had relied on a hot plate to warm meals during the Sabbath; while it heats the food, the temperature does not rise high enough to actually cook it.

Now they also have a warming drawer, a popular device among many Orthodox Jews, that serves the same purpose. The warming drawer is turned on before the Sabbath and kept on, just like overhead lights, for the duration, though some people put their lights and some appliances on timers to conserve energy.

The Alts' new warming drawer resides within a large island -- 8 1/2 by 3 feet -- that was custom-built. They are looking forward to using the island as a buffet and social centerpiece. "I entertain here," Mrs. Alt said, gesturing around the kitchen. "Every week is sort of like a holiday."

Although the Alts are not allowed to turn on electric appliances during the Sabbath, they do generally wash plates or rinse them and put them in the dishwasher. "Anything to do with food isn't considered work except the cooking," Mr. Alt explained. (Dr. Pollak of Star-K said that loading the dishwasher is generally considered to be "storing" the dishes rather than doing work, though there are myriad interpretations of what can and can't be done on the Sabbath.)

And while cold water can be turned on during the Sabbath, hot water cannot, because the hot water heater cannot be activated and because heating the water above a certain temperature constitutes "cooking" it. In their new kitchen, the Alts have a device, introduced within the last five years, called a ShabbHOT that supplies water that gets no warmer than 105, permissible for Sabbath use and much better than cold for dirty dishes. "It's very difficult to wash dishes in cold water in the wintertime," Mr. Alt said. "Your hands get very cold."

The ShabbHOT, a thermostat made by Sterling Water Heaters of Brooklyn, keeps tap water warm and can be turned on before the Sabbath. "With the ShabbHOT I'll have lukewarm water to use," said Mrs. Alt, who is 47 and works as a surgical pathologist at a commercial laboratory.

Like so many issues related to Jewish law, use of the ShabbHOT is controversial. Star-K does not certify the device. "The way it works was not to the total satisfaction of our rabbinic administrator," Dr. Pollak said.

The Alts' contractor, Aaron Lapp, who owns Kozy Kitchens of Teaneck, typically renovates 15 to 20 kosher kitchens a year and is accustomed to differences in interpretation. "Everybody's got a different rabbi," he said. "I just tell everybody, 'Go to your rabbi, I don't want to make the decisions.' "

The white Formica countertops that came with the Alts' house -- which could not be "kashered," or rendered kosher, because the surface was porous -- have been replaced by a nonporous granite that can be kashered with boiling water, making it safe to touch utensils and food. Some purists insist on using a blowtorch, but not the Alts.

"I would say we're very strict" about religion, said Mrs. Alt, who recently agonized over what to do with a soup ladle that had been reserved for dairy foods but was accidentally used to stir a meat soup. (She threw it out.) The kitchen renovation cost about $100,000, including $25,000 for the appliances, said Mr. Alt, who is 51. He sold a manufacturing business a few years ago and now works with Vistage International, an organization that trains senior executives to be effective leaders.

One of the first things the Alts did when the kitchen was ready in early April was to stock it with foods that are kosher for Passover -- matzo, of course, but also margarine, salad dressing, cheese and cake mixes made without wheat and other ingredients that are forbidden during the holiday. They also prepared the Passover china, which had not been used in many years.

"My mother-in-law was washing the dairy over there and I was washing the meat over here," said Mrs. Alt, gesturing at her two kitchen sinks. "It was a convenience," she said. "Now everything is going to be a two-man job."

Confessions of A kitchen planner

2009-04-04T05:25:00.001-07:00

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2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Interviewby JOHN MONTORIO

"What do you need to know about a client's habits, likes, dislikes?"

CHRISTOPHER PEACOCK: As much as possible. A lot of people have an unrealistic vision of how they live or how they imagine they'll live once they have a new kitchen. We have to design for real life, not fantasy. We're creatures of habit, and a renovated kitchen isn't going to alter those habits.

[Photograph]: Photograph: Erik Rank; Illustrations: gillian Macleod

How do you talk them out of their fantasies?

Well, we try to lead them through the experience of using the kitchen they say they want.

Can you give us an example?

A popular piece of kitchen eye candy is the pot filler, a faucet on the wall behind the stove. It can cost, say, $1,000. The installation, perhaps another $1,000. You have to ask yourself: Is this essential?

How many design schemes should a client expect?

One. The design team explores various concepts until they're sure they have the right one.

Where does the budget go?

I'd say the standard is 60% for cabinetry, 25% for appliances, and 15% for countertops.

How long does a renovation take?

A minimum of six months. More likely nine months.

Do you recommend vacating the house during construction?

If you can. Your nerves will be less frayed, the job will go quicker.

Who provides the building permits? Workers' comp? Insurance?

The contractor or the client is responsible for the permits. Workers' comp and insurance should be part of the design company's benefits package.

What about payments?

I see this as a pay-as-you-go process, based on performance: a respectable down payment, another payment as things are completed, and the balance when the job is done. The proportion of the payments can be flexible, but work the schedule out in advance.

What's the tensest moment in the remodeling process?

First, let me say there doesn't have to be a tense moment. So much relies on the designer being proactive. That said, delivery and installation. There's a lot of anticipation. The big day comes, the truck arrives, and the clients say things like 'Is that the right size for the cabinets?' What I say in so many words is, please let us finish the picture before you judge the art.

What's more expensive than most people expect?

Appliances. Most people end up going with the branded items.

What's the difference between ordinary and professional appliances?

Price. Your eggs taste the same.

Okay, but beyond price...

Pro appliances are more robust, more powerful, less disposable, faster, handle more heat. And they look -- in fact, they are -- better designed. For people who take their cooking seriously, they're often the way to go.

Do you prefer a stove, or a cooktop and wall ovens?

I like to have a gas range and a wall-mounted electric oven. With a wall oven, there's no bending over. And it's grounding to have a big, freestanding range. A cooktop, for me, isn't strong visually, and it's usually not as powerful as a range. Also, I use microwaves in 95% of my kitchens, mounted in an upper cabinet. Never on the countertop.

Where do you stand on freezer and dishwasher drawers vs. the classic doors?

Oh, the refrigerator drawers are wonderful. They allow you to store things with a maximum of flexibility. I don't see a big advantage in dishwasher drawers, although they do let you do a half wash and smaller loads, using less water. But regular dishwashers have a quick-wash cycle, which pretty much does the same thing.

What's the best way to deal with all those mismatched spice jars?

Throw them away. Please go out and buy yourself decent ones.

What are some common mistakes people make?

Too big. Too grand. Too much stuff. Thinking an island can't be too big -- wrong! Anything bigger than eight-by-four feet is unnecessary. Wanting too much counter space. You don't need more than four feet.

What should I do to help resale value?

You want the look and design to be timeless, not trendy. Resist your impulse to be creative and avant-garde. You want to use well-respected brands for cabinetry and appliances, even if you have to spend more than you'd like. In other words, you want an association of quality attached to your kitchen.

What should I not do?

Spend too little. Doing it on the cheap often looks like...well...what it is.

Any last piece of advice?

Don't be wowed by too many gadgets and gimmicks. Don't just ask for references. Anybody can come up with a good reference. Do your own research. Does the company have a history of complaints filed against it? And most important, if you're told a price that seems too good to be true...it is. *

A New Life For the Old Tub; [House & Home/Style Desk]

2009-04-04T05:25:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Mar 5, 2009

WHEN a refrigerator is damaged or dented, it is easy enough to buy a new one and have the deliverymen deal with the old one. But what do you do when the 800-pound gorilla in your bathroom -- the tub -- has lost its youthful glow?

You can refinish it, cover it with a custom-fit liner or -- the most costly option -- kick it to the curb and start over.

There are four common kinds of tub, said Jane Powell, a contributor to Old House Journal and the author of "Bungalow Bathrooms" (Gibbs Smith, 2001), a sourcebook for creating and restoring stylish bathrooms. One is the porcelain-covered cast-iron tub, introduced in the early 1900's and still made today. The other three, all of which became popular in the late 1960s, are the porcelain-covered pressed-steel tub, the solid acrylic version and the acrylic-coated fiberglass tub.

Buying a tub seems like a fairly quick and inexpensive fix -- a new fiberglass one can run as little as $300 or $400 -- but installation can be the deal breaker. Not only does it require a plumber to make the connections, Ms. Powell said, but floor and wall tiles often won't align with the new tub, requiring a tile expert's services. When all is said and done, buying and installing a tub could cost more than $2,000, she said. And you'd still have that 800-pound gorilla to get rid of.

As a result, many homeowners opt to refinish their tubs, which costs $400 to $500.

"Just about any old bathtub can be refinished to look like new," said Nathan Oettinger, the owner of the Painted Otter Refinishers (paintedotter.com) in Middletown, N.Y.

Mr. Oettinger's company offers a refinishing process that is relatively common in the industry. It starts with a thorough cleaning, he said. Any deep scratches or pits are filled with a substance similar to an auto-body filler and then sanded smooth. The surface is then etched with a highly diluted acid mixture or a slightly "greener," less corrosive industrial detergent, he said. The etching opens tiny pores, so that the primer can bond tightly. An acrylic urethane finish, which comes in a variety of colors, is sprayed over that.

It takes about four hours to complete the process, including three coats each of primer and finish, and the tub is ready for use after 24 hours.

Miracle Method Surface Restoration (miraclemethod.com), a Colorado Springs company with franchises across the country, uses a similar technique, but usually requires only one coat of epoxy primer. The main difference, though, is that a worker returns the next day to make sure that no dust has stuck to the tub during the drying process. "We buff and polish the entire surface to make the tub smooth and shiny," said Don Dominick, the company's marketing director.

Another way to make a tub look new is to fit it with a bespoke suit. One company that does this is Re-Bath (rebath.com) in Tempe, Ariz. Dave Sanders, the president, said that his company makes a quarter-inch-thick polymer cover that encases the tub.

Before this can be done, an installer measures the tub, and the dimensions are sent to the company, which matches them with more than 1,000 tubs in its inventory. "We have virtually every bathtub that has been installed in the United States since 1920," Mr. Sanders said.

After the cover is manufactured, a process that takes about five days, the installer trims it, fits it in place and injects a liquid caulking solution along the seam where the cover meets the wall; the liquid seeps down into the space and hardens, acting as a glue and sealant. The company also sells polymer tub surrounds that cover the adjacent walls, overlapping the cover. Tub covers come in eight colors and surrounds in 96 color-and-pattern combinations, he said. A cover costs $900 to $1,500, and a surround, $1,500 to $2,500, including installation.

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Two Hands, Two Homes; [Long Island Weekly Desk]

2009-04-04T05:24:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Mar 8, 2009

WHILE it isn't easy being both guardian and caregiver to a 100-year-old American foursquare in northern New Jersey, where a house has to put up with an awful lot of heat and cold and everything in between, it is more than twice as difficult to take care of two old-timers. That's especially true when the second is a century-old farmhouse near the Delaware River in central New York State, where the weather is even worse than in the Garden State.

I've been watching over both places -- the foursquare (a pretty little box with four rooms to a floor) is our primary home, the other a getaway -- for much of the last 25 years. With an enormous amount of help from my wife, and for a time our kids, I've managed to restore both of them back to health from the neglected wrecks they were when we bought them.

Something unexpected happened along the way. Although I started out as a real innocent, dumb as a nail about home repairs, I might now be considered a jack of all trades, times two.

I've had to get a handle on grunt work, like mixing cement and laying up a fieldstone wall -- three feet thick, four feet high and 100 feet long. I've mastered some of the fine work, too, like fashioning three-piece crown molding that fits along crooked plaster walls, and applying hand-rubbed tung oil finishes that leave century-old cypress wood as velvety as single malt scotch. I've built sturdy decks and laid sewer pipes below the frost line; I've cut down trees and nailed up cabinets.

Since the house upstate is a 30-mile round trip from the nearest town, I always try to fix things myself before begging someone else to make the long drive. And, truth be told, I can get most of it done in either place, on one simple but confounding condition -- that I have the right tools in the right house at the right time.

Being stuck with the tool you need at the house where you're not is more frustrating than losing your keys or forgetting where you parked the car. Of course, sometimes emergencies happen and it can't be helped. But most of the time, it's a question of being able to visualize a job, picking the right tools and being sure to put them in the car before heading to the other house.

Often, though, I forget. Or I miscalculate and bring the wrong size saw blade or the curved-jaw vise grip instead of the one with the flat jaws. Sometimes I don't even realize that I've brought the wrong tool until I'm in the middle of the job.

The tools that each house requires are not necessarily the same. Although they are roughly the same age, the houses have different genes. The foursquare is a solid old place, with lots of natural woodwork that -- luckily for us -- hadn't been tampered with over the decades. Mostly it demands finesse, which suggests one-handed tools like the coping saw, the miter saw and the two-inch plaster knife.

If working on the foursquare is a ballet, then caring for the farmhouse is a sweaty gymnasium line dance. It has a laid stone foundation and beams that are the trunks of trees, still covered with the bark they wore when they were growing nearby. The house bears the handiwork of Bob, the old farmer who raised cows and cauliflower there, and never had an easy time with either one. There the work is usually rough, and most of the tools that I use frequently require both hands and a strong back. My go-to pieces there are the chain saw, the sledge hammer and the big pipe wrench.

To supplement those basics, I've amassed two sets of the same tools, one for each house. I bought a new cordless drill when the wire on the old electric drill frayed. That meant I could repair the wire and keep the old drill at the farm house, while the new one stayed at the foursquare. Similarly, when the guard on the circular saw broke, I bought a new one. But I rigged up a rough replacement guard with some duct tape, and the old saw now resides in a closet at the farm house.

It's an imperfect system. Depending on the job, I might prefer one set of tools over another and try to plan things so I can transport those I need in time. And I haven't yet duplicated some of my more sophisticated power tools. So if I need the router or the brad gun, I've got to remember to take it with me.

Whenever I come up short, there are neighbors to ask. And I'm well known at most of the hardware stores and lumberyards within 30 miles of either house.

But in the end I've come to rely on what I learned from Bob, who built a new house with his own hands about half a mile away when he sold the farmhouse in 1970. When I do repairs at the farmhouse I can see that he used old boards to build forms for concrete he mixed by hand, and then, after the concrete hardened, he reused the boards -- still bearing the concrete tattoos -- as the ceiling of the garage. I can see how he reused the lids of tin cans to patch holes in the basement stairs. And he had an ingenious way of keeping the electrified wire fence taut around the stone-fruit orchard he planted near his house, which we had to pass to get into our place. The barbed wire ran around posts at the four corners of the orchard like the ropes around a boxing ring. Bob then hung a huge stone from one of the posts so the great weight yanked everything together like the pull string on the bottom of a parka.

After Bob died a decade ago, the wire rusted and the big stone fell. Lillian, his widow, couldn't tend the orchard any longer and so asked me to help her remove the fence posts and the remaining wire. When we were done, and there was just that big stone lying there, I asked her for it. Lil was kind of puzzled -- rocks are as common as weeds in those parts. We now use that rock as the step stone to a side porch -- one that Bob built long ago. The stone reminds me of him, of his handiness, his independence and his sense of self-reliance, the conviction that he could take care of whatever problem presented itself, whether he had the right tools or not.

And that, I've learned, is a good thing to remember.

Wilsonart; Laminate Flooring Takes on a Whole New Shape

2009-04-04T05:23:00.001-07:00

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(c)Copyright 2009, Chemicals & Chemistry via NewsRx.com

2009 APR 10 - (VerticalNews.com) -- The floor is sometimes called the "fifth wall" in every room -- which is why it becomes such an important part of your overall design. Wilsonart Flooring has developed a new lineup of 'Classic' High Pressure Laminate (HPL) Flooring in a rectangular tile format that reflects one of the hottest style trends in both residential and commercial interiors.

With the subtle, luxurious look of travertine, Wilsonart Flooring's new Rectangular Tiles deliver the same high level of color and shade variation found in nature. The tiles are available in three desert-inspired colorations that blend beautifully with today's interiors.

"The rectangular format adds the 'pop' of high style to traditional interiors," says Tammy Weadock, Wilsonart Flooring marketing manager. "The characteristics of travertine turn a room into a place of tranquility and relaxation." These new designs come with a 20-year residential warranty for wear, fade, stain and topical moisture and a 5-year commercial warranty for wear, fade and stain.

Sonora Sage

A complex mix of dark and light brown, cream with gold highlights, and taupe throughout. This combination blends warm tones of chocolate and cool tones of grey together in one material.

Sahara Gold

Cream and gold are fused with light and dark browns to create a coloration that addresses the more traditional honey tones found in oak cabinetry.

Mojave Breeze

The lightest of the three tiles, Mojave Breeze incorporates the warm/cool color trend combination, using taupe mingled with cream, beige and brown. This light floor would contrast nicely with espresso stained cabinetry.

"All Wilsonart Flooring is made using High Pressure Laminate (HPL) construction, versus the other residential products made from thin low pressure or Direct Pressure Laminate (DPL)," explains Weadock. "In comparison, the HPL wear surface atop Wilsonart Flooring is 3-5 times thicker than DPL. This thickness translates into superior impact and dent resistance, providing assurance against the demands of everyday life: dropped cans, heavy furniture, children and pets. Every product in the Wilsonart Flooring portfolio is applicable for commercial environments and as such, it remains the best-performing laminate flooring option for consumers seeking unsurpassed durability for their home."

Wilsonart International was founded in 1956 and has since grown to become the leading producer of High Pressure Decorative Laminate in North America. The company has achieved success through a combination of outstanding service, high-quality products and a focus on continuously redefining the laminate surface through improved performance and aesthetics. Wilsonart Flooring was introduced in 1995 and has continuously earned top honors for quality by floor covering retailers. All Wilsonart Flooring products are manufactured in the USA in Temple, Texas.

Houses, Decked Out For a Sale, Are Robbed; [National Desk]

2009-04-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Apr 13, 2009

The Sunday open house is a sure sign of spring, a seasonal ritual in which marble-countered kitchens, light-filled master suites, spectacular rear gardens and closets galore are decorated to perfection to draw buyers.

It is a common ploy here and elsewhere to have professional decorators "stage" unoccupied homes that are on the market with borrowed furnishings and appointments to help fetch top dollar, especially now that real estate sales have wilted like a week-old flower arrangement.

But along with fragrant jasmine and wisteria in bloom, there is caution in the air here. The same painstaking efforts to attract buyers have also attracted thieves.

An unusual wave of burglaries has hit unoccupied houses for sale in this affluent 1.8-square-mile bedroom community in the hills east of Oakland, and it is testing the forced cheerfulness of real estate agents who are already reeling. Last weekend, two staged houses were burglarized in nearby Orinda, a wealthy suburb, robbed in the morning hours before planned afternoon open houses.

"It's brazen," said D. J. Grubb, the president of the Grubb Company, a real estate agency based in Oakland. "These are highly aesthetic crimes. The thief seems to be someone with very good taste, somebody who knows that mauve is out."

In Piedmont, the discriminating criminals have made off with bath linens, dressers, upholstered chairs and sofas, table lamps, mirrors and end tables (not to mention the flat-screen televisions). In perhaps the most perplexing incident, the perpetrators stole high-end bed linens, a duvet cover and a metal bed frame from a master bedroom -- but left the matching dust ruffle.

"They were clearly interrupted," said Martha Holstlaw, an agent with Pacific Union, another real estate firm.

Last month, the Police Department in Indio, in Southern California, arrested three people accused of breaking into about a dozen houses for sale in Indio, Indian Wells, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage. The police recovered about $250,000 worth of stolen goods, including televisions, jewelry, artwork and golf clubs.

"Property crimes are going up in the bad economy," said Benjamin Guitron, the public information officer for the department.

A spate of 13 crimes also took place this year in Kent, Wash., between Seattle and Tacoma, in which two people are awaiting trial on charges of trafficking in stolen property, said Larry Meyer, a detective with the Seattle Police Department.

Marti Reeder, a real estate agent in Kent who had a client lose a diamond tennis bracelet, said: "Their racket was going into open houses. You want buyers to get a feeling for the house. But this was very creepy and invasive."

Although the modus operandi has not been uniform, the five Piedmont houses burglarized so far showed no signs of forced entry, said George Phifer, a detective with the Piedmont Police Department. In two instances, Detective Phifer said, the thieves appeared to have cased the homes during open houses and surreptitiously unlocked a window for future access. The other crimes involved the use of cutting tools to remove lockboxes on the doors.

"Notice the nice new brass hardware," said Sandi Klemmer, an agent with Pacific Union, showing off the front door of a 1950s contemporary home whose door handle had been removed by thieves to get the key out of the lockbox.

The airy home she was showing -- at a reduced price of $975,000 -- still exhibited the tell-tale signs of staging. To create an idealized decor in an unoccupied house, stagers tend to use new furniture and appliances, without the slightest flaw, and have a penchant for accessories like fake hors d'oeuvres and fantasy shopping lists ("Pick up Champagne, French tulips and cream puffs").

Bonnie Pearson, a stager based in Emeryville, estimates that she lost $11,000 worth of furniture and accessories in two Piedmont robberies, Ms. Klemmer's listing among them. Included in the designer booty were silk apricot throw pillows, a damask bedspread, two paisley linen armchairs and a pedestal dining table with upholstered circle-backed chairs. "It's devastating," Ms. Pearson said. "I don't just buy things off the shelf."

Ms. Holstlaw, like many of her pearl-wearing, flat-shoed colleagues here, has been harboring conspiracy theories. "You go online and you can tell if a house is staged," she said. "There's nothing personal in it. In real life, everyone's knickknacks don't all blend."

Katherine Cooper, an agent for the Grubb Company, said a $3.5 million owner-occupied house in Upper Piedmont, with ornate stucco scrollwork and freshly snipped hedges, was burglarized last month. "In the old days, there was an exclusivity getting into these houses," Ms. Cooper lamented. "Now we've made it a Sunday afternoon sport."

The Oakland Association of Realtors, which has more than 1,000 members and includes Piedmont and Emeryville, sent out an e-mail bulletin last week encouraging "heightened vigilance," said Judy Rix, the office supervisor. Among the tips: let neighbors know that no one is authorized to take property out of a house, and consider an alarm system to thwart the use of "bump keys," a burglary tool illegal in California.

The police chief in Orinda, William French, said thieves there drove a stolen truck, indicating that they were more savvy criminals. "They don't have a trained eye," Chief French said. "They're not interior designers. They're crooks."

In Piedmont, real estate agents presiding over newly mulched gardens and gleaming granite countertops have begun changing time-honored ways of doing business by putting up "Do Not Disturb Occupant" signs -- even though there is not one -- and forgoing open houses in favor of showing by appointment only. For the most elite properties, "for sale" signs are vanishing.

In the gracious living room with bay windows, Ms. Holstlaw confronted the new realities, ever so politely. "Could you sign my guest book, please?" she said sweetly but firmly to absolutely everyone who wandered in.

Luxury, Tamed: Varied Tactics in Unsure Times; [House & Home/Style Desk]

2009-04-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Apr 16, 2009

WHEN Lawrence B. Salander was first accused of widespread art fraud nearly two years ago, many pointed to his gallery's new space -- a vast 45-foot-wide neo-Renaissance town house on East 71st Street that he rented for $154,000 a month -- as a potent symbol of Mr. Salander's undoing. It was too big, people said, too expensive and altogether too much for a man who had been quietly successful as a modest dealer of early 20th-century American art before turning to old masters, and to this enormous house, in 2005.

Mr. Salander, who was arrested last month on a 100-count indictment that included charges of grand larceny and fraud, declared bankruptcy last year, and his gallery has been shut for 18 months, but traces of it remain: in a ghostly sign reading Salander-O'Reilly Galleries etched into a plaque on the limestone facade, and in the cavernous spaces within, many of which are sheathed in white wallboard.

Last week, as 32 designers and their assistants tweaked the rooms they had decorated there for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, many acknowledged that they had found the place unwieldy and were still struggling to tame it. (Its owner, the developer Aby Rosen, has it on the market for $75 million, an improbably high asking price that, if met, would top the record for a town house in Manhattan by more than $20 million.) The house's huge, awkward spaces, tainted past and uncertain future seemed to echo Manhattan's own painful fortunes, and perhaps also pointed to high design's place in them.

"I just wanted to make a space I could relate to," said Donald F. Schermerhorn, whose tiny fifth-floor bedroom was like a cocoon, swathed in white wool and amethyst linen. Mr. Schermerhorn made no staff reductions this year; like Mario Buatta, he commands a firm of one. A modest man with a painter's eye, he seemed grateful for small mercies. "The first year I did Kips Bay, I was higher up, and in a closet," he said. "I'm just happy to have windows."

You have to work with what you have, said Jamie Drake, describing his approach to a library that stretched two-thirds of the width of the town house. Mr. Drake, who said he has trimmed his staff by 25 percent in the last six months, pointed to its dark paneling. "I was going to paint it, or just take it out," he said, "but then I thought, in these times, better keep it." His "logical library," as he put it, is designed as a studio apartment, with a queen-size bed wrapped in tufted, silvery linen set smack in the middle. Papier-mache "books" by Jean Lowe, with titles like "How to Escape From Quicksand" and "Pharmaceutical Solutions," were tucked into bookshelves.

"You know what? In this time, you can live well, but maybe you won't spend your money on decorating," Mr. Drake said. "Maybe you'll save it for a piece of art."

This year's show house, the 37th to benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, was billed as a tribute to Albert Hadley, the Tennessee-born minimalist who provided a tether and balance for the English country house-style maximalism of his partner, Sister Parish. Theirs was a slightly tense dialectic that played out in society living rooms for more than three decades. There was an implicit assignment to the decorators here to honor Mr. Hadley, now 88, in each of their rooms.

The only one who did so was Bunny Williams, who worked at the Parish-Hadley firm for 10 years before starting her own business in 1988. Her first-floor parlor was full of Hadley-isms like lots of seating, a sisal carpet stenciled with stars, spots of deep red and side tables stocked with memo pads stamped with the words "Don't Forget." (Ms. Williams had them printed for the show house. "They don't make them any more," she said sadly. "You can't get them at Staples.")

These flourishes harkened back to times of plenty, to be sure, and also to an age when decorators were called in to tame their clients and teach them how to live properly. It's hard to imagine a contemporary hedge fund manager submitting to any such training.

"It's things like arranging the furniture so you don't have to turn the chairs to have a conversation," Ms. Williams said. "It's seating height, and where do you put your drink."

Ms. Williams, who painted her walls robin's-egg blue and framed the fireplace with a pair of terrifyingly large botanical gouaches in bright blue, purple and green, went on to say that although "Albert always lived in a white room, he was never afraid of color."

"He loved strong color, and he used it in a way that you never got tired of it," she said.

Across the hall and past the grim stonework that Christopher Maya tried to temper with purple mohair and ikat, Juan Montoya waited in his 29-foot-long living room.

"I just went abstract," he said. "I was inspired by the Dadaists."

Really? His huge, cool room was like a tall drink of water, hypnotic and a little icy. And despite its European hauteur, it was full of decorating tricks. Mr. Montoya made a chandelier from rusty metal cones that looked like an installation at Dia: Beacon. He painted a 12-foot canvas the "perfect Yves Klein blue," he said, and hung it above a 16-foot banquette. The white millwork around the double doors hid storage. "In a small apartment it could be useful," Mr. Montoya said. (Though in here, who needs it? You could drive an Airstream trailer into the room, and it would hardly be noticed.)

Charles Pavarini's firm drew a second-floor space -- a 25-by-40-foot rectangle upstairs from Mr. Montoya's -- with all the charm of a storage unit at the Museum of Modern Art. "After we picked ourselves up off the floor," Mr. Pavarini said, "we needed one of those." He was referring to a pink martini -- both the drink and the name of the band whose music was playing on the room's overzealous audio system. He said he gave up any hope of domesticating his space and decided to make it into a hotel lounge.

The room had a glittering, apocalyptic feel, with crystal chandeliers made to look like dripping icicles and a geode the size of a St. Bernard under a cast-bronze coffee table. Above, a photograph of an iceberg loomed.

"We did the iceberg," Mr. Pavarini said solemnly, "just to be conscious of global warming."

Tangerine barkcloth walls and a glossy canary-yellow ceiling were the Los Angeles decorator Joe Nye's answer to environmental carnage. Later, Mr. Nye said: "Everything in those rooms is either midcentury or antique, so that's my way of doing sustainable in a tasteful way. I am recycling furniture. My way of being economical was doing the two smallest rooms in the show house."

John Ike said his "Sub (Lemon) Lime Sanctuary" -- an ode to 1970s naturalism -- was inspired by Italian villas. Its main feature was a bed designed by Mario Ceroli, after the "Bocca della Verita" statue in Rome, a challenge, Mr. Ike said, "to be your truest self" in bed. As for the bales of hay on either side, they were, he continued, "just an idea."

An installation of the Russian artist Anya Zholud's invisible furniture -- metal outlines of a chair, a table, a bed, a bureau -- hung over the stairwell at the top of the house and provided a possible coda to Manhattan's boom years, and the behavior they engendered. Floating in white space, these gestural objects, installed by Janna Bullock, the Russian town house developer, seemed to propose that perhaps, in the end, there just wasn't any there there.

On the landing's bookshelf, Ms. Bullock had placed books in plain gray jackets. "It's an intellectual presence, as opposed to facts," she said.

The theme of Liza Cousins and Natasha Bergreen's "cool guy's study" was similarly baffling. They called it "Ink and Equine," and it had something to do with tattoos and horses. Ms. Bergreen said, "I was studying stitching, and the zigzag kept coming up."

She pointed to the gray zigzags painted on the walls. "It's a Maori tribal symbol that means protection and strength, which we all need right now," she said.

What made sense, however, was Ms. Bergreen's deployment of a lozenge-shaped vintage sofa. She bought it last summer at the estate sale of her aunt, Jean MacAusland, widow of the publisher and founder of Gourmet magazine. Ms. Bergreen said she paid $150 for it and then reupholstered it.

"I think we just have to reinvent what we have," she said, offering a decorating tip: instead of sculpture, consider athletic equipment. Ms. Bergreen used a surfboard and a saddle.

"Things are so precarious, you don't want to do too much," she said. "But you don't want to do too little, either."

The panic room created by William T. Georgis, the architect who renovated the public spaces of Lever House, anticipated that the worst was still to come. There were nostalgic touches in this nearly black windowless space -- a soundtrack playing David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World," a motorized, twirling disco ball and "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!," the Russ Meyer sexploitation film about homicidal go-go dancers, playing on the flat screen. Mr. Georgis had also included a stainless steel toilet from Gracious Home, a bearskin rug and an acrylic vitrine of fake semiautomatic weapons.

"There's oxygen, vodka, Marlboros," he said proudly. "It's heavily armed. Jodie Foster had none of this stuff."

Mr. Georgis seemed stunned by a reporter's question: "Uh, why do we need a safe room?"

He said: "Do you read the papers? Economic mayhem, global warfare, take your pick. We have to hunker down, and where we do so has to be chic and comfortable."

The Kips Bay Decorator Show House, to benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, is open April 17 to May 17. Cost: $30; (718) 893-8600, extension 245; kipsbay.org.

Designing With a Grin; [House & Home/Style Desk]

2009-04-04T05:20:00.001-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Apr 16, 2009

Ron Gilad, the Israeli-born, Brooklyn-based product designer, has made everything from fruit bowls to lamps, reinterpreting them in minimalist forms with a sense of humor. For his new line of furniture and home accessories, he shifts his focus to a larger scale -- "architectural details that have been reconfigured, replaced or reassembled for new functions," he said. The collection includes a glass dining table with a powder-coated steel base that resembles a building facade ($13,500); an ebony candleholder reminiscent of a castle turret ($7,500); and solid aluminum ashtrays that look like houses with inverted roofs ($2,800 each), above. The entire line of more than 80 pieces will be displayed at Spaces Etc./An Exercise in Utility, at the Wright auction house in Chicago, from April 29 through May 9.

A PC That's at Home in the Kitchen (or Any Other Room); [Circuits]

2009-04-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Mar 19, 2009

The kitchen PC, long rumored, has finally arrived. The Asus Eee Top ET1602 is a touch-screen PC in a counter-friendly package.

The Eee Top employs a 15.6-inch LCD, a Linux-based touch-screen interface and Windows XP, and is a snap to use.

Past Perfect Homecenter.com

2009-04-04T05:19:00.000-07:00

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Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Apr 2009

[Headnote]

Here it is: a vintage-style kitchen without the kitsch. BY TODD CHILDS

Remember your grandmother's kitchen? How the tile countertops were dappled with flour, how you always felt comforted and safe, how it always smelled like cookies? So do we. And that's why we love this Tybee Island, Georgia, space that captures all that familiar flavor with a spicy hint of the here and now. A few iconic features can take you back, and we have the recipe for retro rejuvenation. But you're on your own for the cookie smell.

Crumbled Beginnings This little kitchen had been a much-loved space since its construction in the 1930s, but it had begun to show just how much. While it had to be completely gutted, the homeowner wanted to keep the room's diminutive dimensions as well as the charm of its early-20th-century fit and finish. Measuring just 12 x 14 feet, the remodeled space now includes not only the necessities of a modern kitchen but also a full-size washer and dryer. A small, movable island with a butcher-block top was added to compensate for the loss of counterspace sacrificed to the laundry area. Just this tiny bit of added surface makes a huge difference in functionality and- combined with new appliances - fulfills every cooking need from prep to plating.

Timeless Touches The retro vibe in this kitchen is suggested without being demanded, resulting in a look that is classic without being a caricature of a period look. This is achieved with three classic elements: the tile, the farmhouse sink, and the pottery.

The pale green glass tile used for the backsplash complements the slightly lighter shade of the ceramic countertops. This color is a perfect period hue that still feels fresh. The large farm sink is the unquestionable statement feature of the kitchen. In such a small space, its size could have seemed overwhelming, but it works because it doesn't visually compete for attention with other big-look elements. Finally, the green McCoy Pottery and orange Fiesta ware are simple accents. Both are nostalgic items, but the orange acts as a bridge between the past and present, mimicking the colors found in the modern shrimp painting by Savannah artist Bellamy Murphy. It's a great garnish for a delicious dish of design.

[Sidebar]

ABOVE: The white cabinets and appliances keep the look clean and let the colorful tile and art take center stage. LEFT: This cabinet, salvaged from another period cottage, is the perfect depth for the space above the washer and dryer.

ABOVE: The built-out backsplash helps to accommodate the relatively narrow depth of the reproduction sink (Gilford by Kohler) and provides a useful ledge for display.

[Sidebar]

Love It? Get It.

Inspired by the candy-colored accents of this 1930s-era kitchen, we've pulled together some look-alike accessories tc help you re-create the style.

PENDANT LIGHT

Period lighting goes a long way in setting a vintage tone. Willamette light fixture with shade HP-4612-12-6, $188 as shown, from Schoolhouse Electric, www.school houseelectric.com or 1-800-630-7113.

KNOBS

Updating your cabinet hardware is a really easy way to add a punch of color and cheer to the kitchen without breaking the bank. Zinnia knobs, $6 for small and $8 tor large. from Anthropologie. www.anthropologie. com.

TILE

These beautiful tiles, which are available in 12 colors, are produced uced with a minimum of 80% post-consumer recycled glass. FEEL mosaic tiles, $10 per square foot, by Trend USA. www. trendingreen.com or 1-866-508-7363.

POTTERY

Reproductions of iconic early-20thcentury pottery are now easily available, while the originals are expensive and hard to find. The Teco Art Pottery Collection by Prairie Arts, ranging from $60 to $195 per piece, www. prairie-arts.com or 1-800-594-3148 (for retailers).

Making Kosher a Little More Convenient; [House & Home/Style Desk]

2009-04-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Apr 9, 2009

[Photograph]

Adaptation Elaine Alt, Rear Left, and Her Husband, Howard, Orthodox Jews, Renovated Their Kitchen to Make It Easier to Keep Kosher. This Year, the Alts, Pictured with Their Daughter Allison, Are Celebrating Passover at Home for the First Time.(Photograph by Piotr Redlinski for the New York Times); Rules: Elaine and Howard Alt's Renovated Kitchen Makes It Possible to Cook Meat and Dairy Dishes Separately, Which Kosher Cooking Requires. Above Right: The Alts Work at Nonporous Granite Counters That Can Be Rendered Kosher with Boiling Water. Bottom Right: One Dishwasher Is Used for Meals Involving Meat, While a Double Unit has Separate Drawers for Dairy and Meat.(Photographs by Piotr Redlinski for the New York Times; "Before" by Ozier Muhammad/the New York Times)(Pg. D7)
CHART: FEATURES: The new appliances and stations include: 1. Meat microwave. 2. Dairy microwave. 3. Sub-Zero fridge with "Sabbath mode." 4. Double wall oven, with separate units for meat and dairy. 5. Meat sink. 6. Meat dishwasher. 7. Dairy sink. 8. Double dishwasher, with separate drawers for meat and dairy. 9. Warming drawer.(pg. D7)

Confessions of A kitchen planner

2009-04-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

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2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Interviewby JOHN MONTORIO

"What do you need to know about a client's habits, likes, dislikes?"

[Photograph]: Photograph: Erik Rank; Illustrations: gillian Macleod

How do you talk them out of their fantasies?

Well, we try to lead them through the experience of using the kitchen they say they want.

Can you give us an example?

How many design schemes should a client expect?

One. The design team explores various concepts until they're sure they have the right one.

Where does the budget go?

I'd say the standard is 60% for cabinetry, 25% for appliances, and 15% for countertops.

How long does a renovation take?

A minimum of six months. More likely nine months.

Do you recommend vacating the house during construction?

If you can. Your nerves will be less frayed, the job will go quicker.

Who provides the building permits? Workers' comp? Insurance?

The contractor or the client is responsible for the permits. Workers' comp and insurance should be part of the design company's benefits package.

What about payments?

What's the tensest moment in the remodeling process?

What's more expensive than most people expect?

Appliances. Most people end up going with the branded items.

What's the difference between ordinary and professional appliances?

Price. Your eggs taste the same.

Okay, but beyond price...

Do you prefer a stove, or a cooktop and wall ovens?

Where do you stand on freezer and dishwasher drawers vs. the classic doors?

What's the best way to deal with all those mismatched spice jars?

Throw them away. Please go out and buy yourself decent ones.

What are some common mistakes people make?

What should I do to help resale value?

What should I not do?

Spend too little. Doing it on the cheap often looks like...well...what it is.

Any last piece of advice?

CHRISTOPHER PEACOCK

"I love to cook. What it taught me, first and foremost, was to design practical cabinetry." Christopher Peacock Cabinetry: 203-862-9333; peacockcabinetry.com.

TO SEE TWO KITCHENS DESIGNED BY CHRISTOPHER PEACOCK, VISIT OUR WEB SITE, HOUSEBEAUTIFUL.COM.

Create a sleep sanctuary : Homecenter.com

2009-04-04T05:16:00.000-07:00

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Copyright American Media, Inc. May 2009

[Headnote]

Outfit your bedroom for a better night's rest and all those hours spent counting sheep will be a bad dream. BY HOLLY ST. LIFER

You know the drill: fou're so tired, you literally fell into bed at the end of the night But instead of nodding off, you He there staring at the ceiling while your mind goes a mile a minute. Did you remember to put that report on your boss's desk? Is that the third ambulance that's gone by? Your body's beat but your brain just won't shut off. "There are so many factors - both internal and external - that can cause you to toss and turn," says psychologist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., the author of Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight, and Feel Great Through Better Sleep. "Just like you need specific ingrethents and utensils to make your favorite recipe, stocking your bedroom with a few key essentials will make it easier to unwind and nod off." So get ready to check your stress and other distractions at your bedroom door: Our expert suggestions will help you transform your room into a cozy haven for relaxation, sleep, and rejuvenation. 1 Test-drive a better foundation A saggy, lumpy mattress could be the cause of your missed zzz's. "Most people think mattresses should last a lifetime, but they don't-after all, we spend a third of our lives in bed," says Max Hirshkowitz, Ph.D., director of the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston. "Although manufacturers may offer a 20-year warranty, mattresses are a lot like sneakers: They start to wear out long before they actually fall apart. Expect yours to last about eight to 10 years."

There's no hard-and-fast rule about which type of mattress is right for your back, so use the time-tested trial and error method in the store: Lie down and roll around on every one. "It's not a complicated science. You just don't want one that's too firm or too soft," says Shape advisory board member Nadya Swedan, M.D., a physical rehabilitation specialist in New York City. "Look for a mattress that keeps your back supported so it's not overarched or sagging into the padding."

Finally, because there's a wide variety of comfort levels ranging from plush to pillow-top to cushionfirm - and the definitions vary by manufacturer-shop at a store with a large selection and test as many as you can.

2 Luxuriate in your linens "Soft bedding helps create a soothing sleep environment," says Andrew Suvalsky, an interior designer in New York City. His eco-friendly pick: the Company Store bamboo and cotton 300-thread-count bedding (from $24; thecompanystore.com), left. The sheets feel silky smooth and the pastel colors are calming. Aah...

3 Keep it dim "Your body needs to be in the dark to produce melatonin, the hormone that helps you fall, and stay, asleep," says Breus. Ease into it by lowering the lights an hour before bed, if you can. Either replace your reading lamp bulb with one that's 40 watts or install a dimmer switch. If you're a read-till-younod-off type, check out the LightWedge Original book light ($35; higgerand brighter.com), top right. It illuminates pages without affecting melatonin production.

If your windows let in a Vegas Strip amount of light, blackout shades, which have opaque backing, are the best way to create total darkness. Suvalsky recommends Smith + Noble customizable roller shades with blockout fabric (from $42; smithand nobk.com) because they come in more than 50 colors and patterns to work with any décor. (Prevent light from peeking out between the shade and window by choosing the reverse-roll option when you order.) A less expensive alternative is an eye mask. The Dream Essentials Escape Sleep mask ($25; dreamessewtials.com), above, blocks all light.

4 Dress for bed While you may prefer to wear flannel pants and a sweatshirt - or nothing at all - to bed, your wardrobe can affect your slumber, especially if it's making you uncomfortable. It's hard to go wrong with silk, though. Besides feeling decadent, this practical fabric "keeps you wanner in winter and cooler in summer, plus it's less likely to harbor pet dander and dust mites than cotton is," says Hirshkowitz. We like the silk pajamas from Shanghai Tang ($385; shanghaitang.com), below, because they move with you as you toss and turn.

5 Strike the right chord Sixty-seven percent of women say they have problems snoozing at least a few nights a week, according to results from a survey conducted last year by the National Sleep Foundation. And 39 percent blame their sleeplessness on noise. "The sounds that keep you awake are constantly changing in volume and have intermittent stops and starts, such as your snoring bedmate, street traffic, and loud neighbors," says Donna Arand, Ph.D., clinical director of the Kettering Medical Center Sleep Disorders Center in Kettering, Ohio. Mask the racket with the constant, steady rhythm of a white noise machine. The HoMedics SoundSpa relaxation sound machine ($25; target.com), below left, recreates ocean waves, crickets on a summer night, and a waterfall to help you nod off. You can also try the CD Bedtime Beats ($19; beatimebeats.com), below left, inspired by a study conducted at Case Western Reserve University. Researchers there found that participants who listened to tunes that contained 60 to 80 beats per minute drifted off quicker and stayed asleep longer. "If your partner's snoring is keeping you up, earplugs work best," says Hirshkowitz. Try the Got Ears? Snoring Relief Kit ($12; earplugstore.com), above, which comes with 10 types of earplugs ranging from soft silicone to foam.

6 Add some greenery "Plants improve air quality, and having a little bit of nature in your bedroom can improve relaxation," says Arand. "But they can also grow mold. If you're highly allergic to mold spores, place your plant near a sunny window, keep me soil a little dry, and be diligent about removing dead leaves." Floras that top the clean-air list include English ivy, peace lilies, and bamboo palm.

7 Lull with lavender You probably already know lavender acts as a natural tension tamer. But done at Wesleyan University also found that when people inhale lavender oil before bed, they spend more rime in the deep, more restorative phases of sleep and report feeling more rested upon waking.

Dab Naturopathica French Lavender Soothing Bath and Body Oil ($32; naturopatbica. com), left, on a tissue and tuck it under your pillow or apply it directly to your temples.

8 Find your inner Steinbeck Journaling is one of the best ways to get in touch with your creative side, and research has shown that people who write down what they're grateful for are happier. "Recording your thoughts before bed- time can help you drift off faster because you're able to sort out and clarify your worries instead of ruminat- ing on them while you're trying to fall asleep," says James K. Pennebaker, Ph.D., chair of the psychology department at the University of Texas at Austin and a pioneering researcher in the field of writing therapy. Suffering from writer's block? Identify your Stressors (in-laws, a work project, money problems) and jot down several steps you can take to address them in the Dance Love Sing Live bound journal ($15; barnesand nohle.com). Then put down the pen and tuck the journal out of sight.

9 Breathe easier "A dry mouth and nasal passages can be irritating or make you cough, interrupting sleep," says Arand. The Enviracaire EWM-220 warm-mist humidifier ($100; iallergy.com), left, has a 2-gallon capacity that lets it run for up to 24 hours. It includes adjustable settings and even turns off when your desired humidity level is reached.

10 Clear the air Even if you don't suffer from full-blown allergies, common irritants, like dust mites, pet dander, and particles from cooking smoke, can cause enough mild congestion to affect your slumber. "Protect yourself by vacuuming your mattress and washing your bedding in hot water once a week," says Hirshkowitz. Critter-proof your pillows and mattress by encasing them in certified organic dust mite-barrier covers (from $90; allergybuyers clubshopping.com).

11 Ease into the morning "We're programmed to fall asleep in darkness and then wake up to sunlight," says Breus. While the jarring sound of a screeching alarm clock may do the job quickly, why not help your body and mind gradually get used to the idea? The Philips Daybreak Duo sunriseand sunset-simulator alarm clock ($199; tighttherapy .com), above, gently wakes you by mimicking a steady sunrise.

[Sidebar]

Seven to eight hours of shut-eye a night is optimal for good health

[Sidebar]

If you sweat it night, opt for fast-drying bamboo sheets

This mask won't squish your eyes

Read in bed with the LightWedge and your partner will never know

You'll want to spend all day in these Eight Fairies PJs from Shanghai Tang

Choose earplugs with a 33-decibel rating so you can hear a smoke alarm

[Sidebar]

These calming sleep tools can drown out distractions

Give yourself a rubdown with this oil

WHAT TO KEEP OUT OF THE BEDROOM

"You want, your room to be associated with just two activities: snoozing and sex," says sleep expert Donna Arand, Ph.D. To create a stress-free steep sanctum, relegate these anxiety inducers to another space.

* Clutter "I've had clients complain that the piles all over their room keep them awake because they represent unfinished business," says Houston researcher Max Hirshkowitz, Ph.D. Either tackle your stacks or move them to another room.

* Your computer "Surfing the Web before bed not only keeps you from falling asleep, it also prevents you from staying asleep," says psychologist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D. He speculates that exposure to light, interaction with other users, and stimulating content are all factors. If the bedroom is the only place you can log on, be sure the machine is off when you turn in so your screen saver doesn't distract you.

* Stressful conversations "Arguing before bed increases anxiety and stress levels and can keep you awake," says Arand. Vow to save these conversations for a different time and place.

* Your pets In a survey conducted at the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center in Rochester, Minnesota, 53 percent of pet owners said their sleep is disrupted by their pets (21 percent of dogs and 7 percent of cats reportedly snore). If you can't bear the thought of kicking Sparky out of the room, consider getting him a separate bed.

[Sidebar]

Warm-mist humidifiers are quieter than cool-air models

Attach the Daybreak Duo to your bedside lamp and slowly wake up

THREE WAYS TO REST EASIER TONIGHT

Like mattresses and people, pillows come in many shapes and sizes. "To determine the best type for you, consider what position you sleep in most often and then buy one that's customized to keep your body aligned correctly," says Michael Fox, a physical therapist and co-founder of Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation in New York City. His suggestions will help you prevent aches so you can log more zzz's.

* IF YOU SLEEP ON YOUR SIDE OR BACK Unlike down, the Tempur-Pedic Swedish neck pillow (from $86; bedbathand beyond.com), right, supports both your head and neck to maintain proper spine alignment. Test out various sizes; your pillow should fill the space between your shoulder and your ear so your head doesn't tilt up or down.

* IF YOU SLEEP ON YOUR BELLY Although this may feel comfy, lying with your head turned to the side can compress the joints in your neck, says Fox. To reduce strain, sleep with a large down pillow under your shoulders and chest on the side your head is turned toward. Then place a smaller one under your head so the rotation isn't as severe.

* IF YOU'RE PREGNANT Baby weight often strains the muscles and ligaments of the hips, pelvis, and lower back. Using a full-body pillow to support your top leg when you lie on your side relieves the tension. We like the Northern Naturals body pillow (from $70; northernnaturals.com) because it's good for you and the environment: It's made from organic cotton and filled with kapok, a natural tree seed fiber from the rain forests.

Tempur-Pedic pillows are resistant to allergens

On the Home Front

2009-04-04T05:15:00.001-07:00

Homecenter.com

Free coupon codes at http://homes-coupons.blogspot.com/

2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

A few new things to make your house a little homier.

Nate Berkus in your living room

This spring, interior designer Nate Berkus wants to help you update your home affordably. His new line of globally inspired home furnishings and accessories exclusively for the Home Shopping Network (hsn.com) boasts more than 100 home products that won't break the bank (love seats for $500; upholstered chairs for $300). We asked the creative cutie for his three best style tips.

[Photograph]: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF SUBJECT (2), JOSHUA JANKE/STUDIO D, COURTESY OF MANUFACTURER.

Stay neutral. "Start with a classic modern or traditional sofa in a solid and neutral-colored, undetailed fabric. Then add or take away details via accessories -- it's a lot easier than reupholstering."

Find a focus. "The key to organizing and living well is to define what each area of a room is to be. So in a reading corner, I want a table that can accommodate a stack of books, a comfortable chair, and an adjustable floor or table lamp."

Be yourself. "A space without personality is miserable, so incorporate your interests, whether that's through artwork or the books on your coffee table. And I never buy everything in a room from the same source."

The perfect portion

Circulon Bakeware and Biggest Loser Family Cookbook author Devin Alexander have teamed up to make portion control simple with their new collection. The 12-cup muffin pan makes waist-friendly-size square muffins; the 3-cup loaf pan makes three small loaves out of one recipe, so you can dig into one now and save the rest for later. $17.99 each, circulon.com.

Supply and demand

We love OXO Good Grips for its reliable, quality-made kitchenware, and now OXO is getting ready to work it behind a desk too. Beginning in May, OXO's new line of office supplies -- ranging from pushpins and hole punchers to rulers and clipboards -- will be available exclusively at Staples. A few of our favorites: the stapler (its double-pivot motion means you can push down anywhere to make it staple); the 8-inch scissors, which transform into a box cutter with the push of a button; and the sleek staple remover, which easily slides under staples to pull them out.

Home improvement projects drop; Lower housing sales mean fewer projects

2009-04-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com

After a surge in home renovations during the housing boom, new studies show homeowners are significantly curbing spending on such projects -- adding to the unemployment facing construction workers and hurting home improvement businesses. Spending on home improvement projects is expected to decline at an annual rate of 12.1% by the third quarter, according to a report by Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Why did my wood door just get bigger?; [Question]

2009-04-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

Q. Why did my wood door just get bigger?

A. You're not imagining things. Wood doors can indeed experience seasonal affective disorder. They are porous and, if not protected properly, can contract in dry air and expand in humidity -- sometimes considerably -- which is why the bathroom and front doors are often the tightest fits in the house.

This so-called "door swellage" is a topic of particular passion for those in the door industry, who look at the world as a collection of spaces separated by hinges, wood and jambs. According to them, too much moisture and not enough water-repellent finish is a combination to avoid at all costs.

"I like to say that a wood door is only as good as the finish that's on it," said Duane Berger, a manager of Frank Lumber Door Store in suburban Seattle.

Beyond that, there's also the location of the door -- and of the house itself -- to consider. For starters, regions with heavy moisture in the air are trouble spots, Mr. Berger said. "Southern humid states and northern snow states both have big problems," he said. "And it matters where the door is -- southern and western exposures get a lot of sun, and it can bake the finish right off, even if it's only 30 degrees out. People don't realize that."

Including some recent customers. "I went down to see a year-old double-door unit," he said. "It had complete southern exposure with no overhang, and water was just hitting the door. They'd had the door for a year, and the whole bottom was swelling and the bottom rail about to break."

What to do if this describes your place? "Burn the house," said Kurt Rudolph, the manager of the Door Store in Denver. "Just kidding. I would first make sure the door really is changing sizes, and it's not paint or sealant sticking," especially if it was recently finished, in which case the sticky areas should be sanded.

To prevent swelling, there are a few measures that do-it-yourselfers can try. The most superficial one involves limiting moisture by, say, opening a window during showers or using a dehumidifier. Adjusting obstacles like rugs or carpets could also help.

For a fix that lasts a few years, there's a more aggressive, Botox-like option: refinishing. To do so, remove the door and apply new finish, following the door manufacturer's advice (generally an oil-based wood finish, about $15 a quart, suffices). Follow the label's instructions regarding coats, and don't overlook the bottom of the door, which is often poorly finished in factories. Let the door dry, and rehang. If it's outside, you can protect it further with a storm door or overhang.

For a more long-term solution, there's plastic surgery: planing the door. Wait until dry season, detach the door and, with a hand plane, remove a sixteenth of an inch from the areas that rub (be conservative, as door clearance is generally an eighth of an inch, and don't plane the lock side unless you enjoy removing and reinstalling). Sand the planed area, refinish it and rehang the door.

If this is all too much, a professional can fix most problems for $100 to $300 without replacing the door, usually by planing or sanding and then refinishing it.

Stephen Huebner, president of North Jersey Door Center in Ramsey, N.J., said that a recent Teaneck client thought she needed a new door. "We said, 'Hey, lady, this is a beautiful door,' " he said. "It had a gothic top, incredibly custom on a brick Tudor house. So rather than spending seven grand to replace it, we spent a few hundred to restore and refinish her old door. But you got to talk to someone who knows how to service doors, like a carpenter or a handyman. A retailer won't always have the staff."

Another answer may be getting a fiberglass door, because it's one size forever. But for city dwellers, that may be easier said than done, as fiberglass doors are standard size, and many city buildings have odd-size doors.

Whatever the door type, Mr. Rudolph said, treat it nicely, and it will outlive you. "Doors get a lot of abuse, spun 180 degrees by wind or slammed by owners," he said. But as the saying goes, all doors open to courtesy.

Questions about home maintenance or decor may be sent by e-mail to thefix@nytimes.com. Unpublished questions cannot be answered individually.

Instant room todd romano

2009-04-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com Free discount coupon codes

2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

"If it were up to me, I would live in my bed and eat my dinner from a tray!" says designer Todd Romano. Watch him build that live-in bedroom right here.

Produced by ORLI BEN-DOR

Bed "The rectangular shape of the Sophia bed lends itself to a strong stripe like ALPHA STRIPE." Bed from Mattaliano.

Bench and Shams "Shams in LARGE PANSY will pop against the stripe of the headboard -- pattern against lovely pattern. Repeat the fabric at the foot of the bed on a bench. The colors complement each other without being too matchy-matchy." Anthony Bench from Mattaliano.

Bergère "Think of French chairs as picture frames. You should fill them with something wonderful, like a fabric with movement such as CARNOT." Louis XVI Library Chair from Dennis & Leen.

Curtains "There's an elegance in the simplicity of solid curtains. FIORELLA has a weight to it that hangs beautifully."

TODD ROMANO

"Bedrooms should be about comfort, beauty, and function," says the New York- based designer and shop owner. Inspired by his favorite T4 fabrics, Romano designed a bedroom that's cozy, bright, and modern.

Start Here

Alpha Stripe; Cotton, Linen

BEST FOR: Headboard

"What I love about this stripe is the combination of widths and colors. On one hand it's a strong geometric print, but because of the way it's colored there's a happy, light feeling to it. What's also great is the mix of linen and cotton. Linen has the softness and cotton has the strength -- it's the perfect fabric for a headboard."

T4 FABRICS: 413-229-8764

Accents

Add one from this category

Vermicelli Square in Blue; Linen

BEST FOR: Pillows

"This is what's called a 'ditzy' pattern. It's so simple at first glance, but chic and easy to use." JANE SHELTON: 800-530-7259.

Large Pansy in Danube Blue; Linen

BEST FOR: Shams or bench

"The flower is feminine and retro, very early '60s. But printed on herringbone, which is tailored and masculine, it becomes quite modern." T4 FABRICS: 413-229-8764.

Ginza in Brown, Camel, and Aqua; Linen

BEST FOR: Pillows

"Just so happy and whimsical. This fabric makes me smile just to look at it." CHINA SEAS THROUGH QUADRILLE: 212-753-2995.

Statements

Then add two from this category

Rochelle in Aqua; Cotton, polyester

BEST FOR: Curtains or walls

"Durable, beautiful. The chicest apartment I've ever been to had this velvet everywhere." NORTHCROFT THROUGH TODD ALEXANDER ROMANO: 212-421-7722.

Faidherbe in Canton; Cotton, Polyester

BEST FOR: Side chair

"This fabric is so elegant! I love a cotton velvet, and in a pattern -- even better." NORTHCROFT THROUGH TODD ALEXANDER ROMANO: 212-421-7722.

Fiorella in Van Dyke; Linen, Silk

BEST FOR: Curtains

"What a delicious color. It's the palest aqua with an almost imperceptible strié." ROGERS & GOFFIGON: 203-532-8068.

Carnot in Canton; Cotton, Polyester

BEST FOR: Bergère

"The pattern is traditional, but in this color it looks young and exciting." NORTHCROFT THROUGH TODD ALEXANDER ROMANO: 212-421-7722.

I'm looking for a counter stool

2009-04-04T05:10:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com

2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

If the kitchen is the new living room, then here's your new favorite armchair. You'll live on these stools...we promise.

Produced by ORLI BEN-DOR

1. Marcello, maple frame, upholstered seat, from $349. Ballard Designs: 800-367-2775; ballarddesigns.com.

2. Bel Aire, wrought iron, antique finish, $920. Currey & Company: 877-768-6428; curreyandcompany.com.

3. Nine-O, aluminum frame, vinyl seat, $495. Emeco: 800-944-2233; dwr.com.

4. Lynx Armless, hardwood frame, upholstered seat, $719. Drexel Heritage Furniture: 866-450-3434; drexelheritage.com.

5. Palm Garden, Malacca poles and rattan, $630. Baker: 800-592-2537; bakerfurniture.com.

6. Real Good, powder-coated steel, $199. Blu Dot: 612-782-1844; bludot.com.

7. Folio Chocolate Leather, steel frame wrapped in leather, $319. Crate & Barrel: 800-967-6696; crateandbarrel.com.

8. Vapor, chrome-plated steel frame, acrylic seat, $189. CB2: 800-606-6252; cb2.com.

9. L-5206-52, hardwood frame, leather and mohair seat, $1,780. Lee Industries: 800-892-7150; leeindustries.com.

10. Woven Core, rattan frame, upholstered seat, and bronze foot rail, $1,971. Thomas Pheasant Collection from McGuire: 800-662-4847; mcguirefurniture.com.

11. Watercolors, pine frame, wicker back, $479. Robb & Stucky

12. Kinsey, hardwood frame, upholstered seat, from $429. Rowe Furniture

Homecenter.com

A Fashionable Life: Derek Lam

2009-04-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com

2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Much like his chic creations, the designer lives a life rooted in sleekness, simplicity, and sophistication.

Photographs by Douglas friedman

Dancing with the Stars, The City, Top Design: These days, it seems everyone has a guilty reality-television-viewing habit. For Derek Lam, his TV turn-on is cooking shows. From Barefoot Contessa to Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations to Iron Chef America, the designer has never seen a kitchen program he didn't eat up.

[Photograph]: Kate Young sits pretty with designer Derek Lam. Derek Lam dress, $1,350, pants, $1,250, and sandals, $550. 212-966-1616. Jewelry, Young's own. Menswear, Lam's own. Floral arrangements (throughout), L'Olivier Floral Atelier, NYC, and Banchet Flowers, NYC. Fashion editor: Kate Young
HAIR: WESLEY O'MEARA FOR TRESEMMÉ; MAKEUP: FABIOLA ARANCIBIA; PROP STYLING: MATTHEW BETMALECK STUDIO

Call him the Irony Chef, as Lam doesn't cook. "I watch them not so much to learn how to cook but to be more educated about what I am eating," explains the 43-year-old Chinese-American designer who heads up his own label, Derek Lam, and also serves as the creative director of Tod's. Instead, for nights at home with friends, he and his partner, Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, rely on the talents of chef Brendan McHale of New York's Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar. McHale's magic in the kitchen has been known to wow dinner parties of up to 15, including guests like stylist Kate Young, artist Isca Greenfield-Sanders, and his PR manager, Aimee Lewis, on the duo's verdant terrace.

[Photograph]: A peaceful corner of the master bedroom

The lush outdoor space is one of the many highlights of Lam's light-filled SoHo loft, just blocks from his first-ever boutique, which opened this spring on Crosby Street next to Jil Sander. The apartment's California-inspired interior mashes together masculine modern elements like austere wood and metallic finishes, yet it maintains an understated softness with upholstered French chairs and antiques from stores like Antony Todd and Wyeth Home. "I'd say we are bridging the gap between formal and informal," Lam says. "It's always about luxury while at the same time feeling casual and relaxed."

[Photograph]: Lam holds court for Young and Isca Greenfield-Sanders. Derek Lam clothing and accessories.

His aspirations at home seem to mimic his fashion ideologies. His designs have a tailored sophistication that's made lighter with the whimsical use of color, pattern, and texture. Lam, who graduated from the Parsons School of Design, got his start at Michael Kors in 1990 before venturing out on his own in 2003. "I grew up in San Francisco," he explains, "where American style was much more bohemian and relaxed, so 12 years of working with Michael was an education in Eastern-seaboard style. Now, having learned those codes, it's about taking that style and twisting it -- not repeating it but being playful, conceptual, and contemporary."

[Photograph]: Chess, anyone?

Lam has clearly succeeded in his mission, receiving rave reviews for his Fall 2009 show, a soothing palette of nudes, taupes, and beiges punctuated with splashes of sequins, fur finishes, and strong leather pieces. Interestingly enough, for the collection's color and texture quotients, Lam has said that he was inspired by interiors, particularly those of Yves Saint Laurent. From the show's first look, a stunning camel suede trench coat, to a stand-out navy dress worn over a gold panne-velvet shirt, Lam took spring's mantra of a "return to the classics" to a whole new level. He promised his loyal followers a strong set of wearable pieces, like belted day frocks and edgier slim pants, that will translate to not only the fall season but beyond.

[Photograph]: Lam and partner Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann at home

Lam's capabilities don't end there. Once he took on Diego Della Valle's luxury brand, Tod's, in 2005, Lam put a fresh spin on the house's accessories, and soon afterward he launched its ready-to-wear line. His use of opulent skins and fine leathers has attracted a following from celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Katie Holmes, and Renée Zellweger. "It's wonderful to be able to do both brands," says Lam. "Derek Lam is about daydreaming, and Tod's is about taking the daydream and being focused with it." And it's in his home where he daydreams best.

[Photograph]: The open and airy living room is lined in artwork

[Photograph]: A colorful framed Picasso scarf offsets the dark palette

[Photograph]: Aimee Lewis, Lam, Young, and Schlottmann catch up on the terrace. Derek Lam clothing and accessories.

DEREK'S PICKS

[Photograph]: Derek Lam, Fall 2009

[Photograph]: Tod's jumpsuit, $2,995, and belt, $345. 800-457-TODS.

[Photograph]: Derek Lam, Fall 2009

[Photograph]: Derek Lam jacket, $2,900. Homecenter.com

[Photograph]: Tod's sandal, $1,775

Good House

2009-04-04T05:08:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com

2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Lift Your Glasses

Enhance same-old stemware with quick-and-easy wine tags that let guests know whose drink is whose. Start with a sheet or two of medium-weight card stock from a crafts store and cut out simple flower shapes (use the base of the wineglass as a size guide). Fold flowers in half and snip a hole in the center large enough to fit around the stem. Cut a slit between a pair of petals on each tag so it can slide on; add dots in different patterns with a paint pen; let dry completely (at least 15 minutes) before using. Cheers!

[Photograph]: Photograph by michael partenio. Produced by Karin Lidbeck-Brent.

EASY IDEA

NIGHT LIGHT

Create a custom lantern that will cast pretty, patterned shadows long after the sun sets on your outdoor parties. Use an old lantern with glass panels, or purchase an inexpensive one at a discount home or garden store. Buy printed vellum and double-sided vellum tape from an art-supply or crafts store (you can also photocopy your favorite patterned paper or fabric onto plain vellum). If possible, carefully remove the glass panels and trace them in pencil onto your paper for a proper fit; if not, measure the glass areas with a ruler and cut paper accordingly. Tape the sheets onto the outer sides of the glass, away from the flame.

Top Player

To craft a game board-topped table you'll never have to -- or want to -- put away, you'll need: three colors of paint (at least two that contrast), a ruler, and painter's tape. Find the center of the table; divide it into 64 squares (eight columns by eight rows), taping off every other vertical and horizontal row. Paint exposed squares. Let dry three hours, remove tape, and mark off the opposite rows; paint remaining squares. Paint the table's edge and legs to finish.

Glamour Push

Even your tired to-do list will seem fashion-forward if it's tacked up with pushpins embellished with costume jewelry. Gather earrings and pins you no longer wear (or snag low-cost vintage finds), craft glue, pushpins, and small pliers. Pry posts and pins from bauble backs; adhere jewelry to tacks with craft glue. Dry pins upside down overnight.

Just Add Flower

Next time you're charged with whipping up cupcakes for a birthday party, bake sale, or other event, don't stress about piping on bakery-quality decorations. Instead, hit the grocery store's produce section and pick up a pack of edible flowers, such as nasturtiums, carnations, orchids, or pansies, to top the iced treats. Or snip fresh, unsprayed buds from the garden (we picked bachelor's buttons and violas here); first consult goodhousekeeping.com/edibleflowers to make sure the blooms are a safe addition.

TRY THIS

MADE ON THE SHADE

Brighten a basic lampshade with a border that coordinates -- without costing a fortune. Measure one-quarter of the way up from the bottom of the shade; mark off the line with painter's tape. Paint on two coats of latex wall paint or basic acrylic, and let dry for one hour; carefully peel off the tape. Affix ribbon edging to the top of the painted edge with permanent craft glue to polish off the look.

LACE IS MORE Rescue a seldom-used doily from the linen closet (or flea market) to make a homespun matte for a favorite photo. Buy a small shadowbox, mounting tape, and paint in a pretty hue (all from a crafts or art-supply store). Paint the interior of the box; let dry. Snip eight one-inch tape squares; peel off backing; place one at each corner between the back of box and doily, then between the doily and photo. Reassemble the frame and hang.

Good (Enough) Housekeeping: Simple Solutions for Smart Living

2009-04-04T05:07:00.000-07:00

Homecenter.com

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW MCCAUL

EASY ORGANIZING | HOME REPAIRS

Whether it's you doing the fixer-uppering, your handy hubby, or a paid pro, household projects go more smoothly when they start with a plan. Spring is the perfect time to walk through each room as if seeing it for the first time, jotting down any maintenance or repairs needed. Then you can assess what to tackle first. Hint: Cross as many small jobs off your list as you can by multitasking (your sister doesn't have to know that you're oiling hinges during your weekly phone chats, right?).

[Photograph]: Styling by Scott Horne for Big Leo

Keep vs Toss

* KEEP clean used food jars and canisters to serve as no-cost storage for nails, screws, nuts, bolts, and other easily lost bits. And try this quick trick from our GHRI fix-it geniuses: To fish out items faster from jars (and prevent fingers from being poked!), glue a magnet to the end of a pencil (see example, above) and store it in your tool kit.

* TOSS old glue, slightly bent nails, and dull blades. They just junk up your toolbox or workspace. Worse, they don't help with your repairs and can be dangerous.

* KEEP extra parts, instructions, and specialized tools (like Allen wrenches) that come with appliances or furniture in labeled, sealed plastic bags. Get in the habit of putting them in one place -- whatever works for you: an accordion file folder, a drawer -- so you know where they are when needed.

1 TOP TOOLS Build the perfect kit to cover all your basic needs with these nine GHRI-recommended essentials (listed as numbered above): a 14.4-volt cordless lithium-ion power drill, a 25-foot measuring tape, a putty knife, needle-nose pliers, a utility knife, adjustable pliers (in lieu of a wrench), a 4-in-1 screwdriver, a standard eight-inch level, and a 16-ounce claw hammer.

2 THE HIT LIST If your DIY home inspection yielded an intimidating list of to-dos, make it more manageable with a spreadsheet you can rank and refer to throughout the year. Sort tasks by room, then estimate the time and tools they'll require. No idea how long each will take or what you'll need? Check how-to sites, like ehow.com, or ask at the hardware store. Call in the specialists for major jobs (roof leaks, foundation cracks).

3 SEAL THE DEAL To ensure caulk, glue, and other liquid fixers stay, well, liquid, insert a nail into the spout when not using. For paint and spackle, close the lid as tightly as possible (tap it with a mallet or hammer, if necessary); paint won't form a skin if stored upside down.

Don't skip this tip

Add favorite handymen's and contractors' info to your emergency-contacts list. That way, you won't have to hunt down the plumber's number when the sink is overflowing.

On Nytimes.Com; [Metropolitan Desk]

2009-04-04T05:05:00.000-07:00

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THE STATE OF VOICE MAIL

When it was introduced in the early 1980s, voice mail was hailed as a miracle invention. But in an age of instant information gratification, the burden of having to dial in to a mailbox, enter a passcode and sit through "ums" and "ahs" from unwanted callers can seem too much to bear. Do you think voice mail is on its way to becoming obsolete? Share your thoughts.

nytimes.com/style

Opinion

Timothy Egan The Orphans of Ireland

Ireland, booming no more, gets reacquainted with its tradition of misery.

nytimes.com/egan

Doug Glanville The World in One Game

Take a close look at the recent World Baseball Classic and you'll see that it is no longer a closed circle of local athletes, but rather an entire world of cultures.

nytimes.com/opinion

While world leaders battled to settle differences over how to fix the global economy, riot police clashed with protesters in London.

nytimes.com/world

VIDEO: COMMUNITY DURING

The Great Depression

The latest episode of New Hard Times: An interview with Peter Holden and his family about the role of community during the Great Depression and today.

nytimes.com/thenewhardtimes

On the White House The One Obama Has Been Waiting For

This is the trip Barack Obama has been waiting for since he began his presidential campaign, Jeff Zeleny writes in his column.

nytimes.com/politics

VIDEO: U.S.-EUROPE DIVISION

John F. Burns discusses the disagreements that remain between Europe and the United States on their economic stimulus plans as the G-20 opens. Also, the difficulties ahead for President Obama as he heads into the summit.

nytimes.com/world

City Room A New Face on Freedom

City Room is calling on readers to draw up hypothetical logo proposals for 1 World Trade Center, the structure being erected at ground zero that was known until recently as the Freedom Tower.

nytimes.com/cityroom

RETIREMENT SPECIAL SECTION

Finding their nest eggs less than what they had hoped for, many retirees are doing what is necessary to find a new career. Two slide shows as part of special section online.

nytimes.com/retirement

AUDIO: PERSONAL TECH

A free online showcase for budding artists, new gadgets suitable for travel, the tech term "trolling," a Circuits preview and technology news, including Skype for the iPhone.

nytimes.com/personaltech

The Starter Garden

Green in the City

A new blog about a novice gardener's process of creating an urban vegetable garden in Minneapolis.

nytimes.com/home

INTERACTIVE: THE RIGHT TOOLS

The essentials every home needs for simple home repair and do-it-yourself jobs.

nytimes.com/home

KEEPING THE YARD

Healthy for All

The Green Home column asks a nonprofit group devoted to sustainable farming and gardening for tips on achieving an attractive, healthy yard without wreaking environmental havoc.

Hammering It Home; [House & Home/Style Desk]

2009-04-04T05:03:00.000-07:00

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Copyright New York Times Company Apr 2, 2009

MAG RUFFMAN talks about tools the way some women talk about designer shoes. Her collection of hammers, in fact, is of Imelda Marcos-like proportions (she owns 44). Ms. Ruffman, a television actress in Ontario, is also a home-repair expert. In the 1990s, she ran a contracting business with her husband and, more recently, she hosted two Canadian fix-it shows ("A Repair to Remember" and "Anything I Can Do").

Now she runs a blog whose name -- toolgirl.com -- makes her sound more like a glamorous superhero for the hardware set than a source of advice about things like duct tape and nails. Her goal, she said, is to motivate people to tackle projects themselves, even if it leads to mishaps along the way. "Problems are an inevitable part of home repair," she said.

Of course, the wall can't be spackled or a picture hung without the proper tools. So she often gets starter kits for friends and relatives. On a recent trip to Manhattan, Ms. Ruffman, 52, shopped for a nephew who had just moved into a Brooklyn apartment. At Home Depot in Chelsea, she perused the hand tools and chose Irwin 10-inch Vise Grip pliers with a push-button mechanism to slide the jaws. "This is definitely the hottest-looking thing I've seen in tongue-and-groove," she said. She also liked a Stanley 16-ounce Jacketed Graphite hammer because it had a curved claw that wouldn't leave surface marks when pulling nails.

At Gracious Home on the Upper West Side, she zeroed in on two stud finders by Zircon. One, for $19.99, finds wood and metal studs, but doesn't differentiate. The other, at $69.99, can distinguish them, and detects metal pipes and live electrical wiring. Her assessment: "If you're accident prone, pay the 70 bucks."

At Nuthouse Hardware, a 24-hour store near Gramercy Park, she felt so at home she didn't want to leave. The manager, Fred Covell, seemed entranced to be talking tools with her, and the two of them began a debate about cordless power drills. She chose a Milwaukee 14.4-volt cordless compact drill, which she deemed "well balanced and very durable."

She also liked an 11-piece Mintcraft screwdriver set, which had a "great bit selection," and a 16-foot Komelon tape measure. Then she grabbed a scrap board, set it on a table and showed the powers of an Irwin double-edged pull saw. "Try it," she said to an observer. "It'll beef up your deltoids."

[Photograph]

Tools of the Trade: Mag Ruffman Was Like a Kid in a Candy Shop at Gracious Home. (Photograph by Librado Romero/the New York Times); Komelon 16-Foot Tape Measure; $13.99 at Nuthouse Hardware, (212) 545-1447.; Hang & Level Picture-Hanging Tool; $19.99 at Under the Roof Decorating, (866) 428-4264, Utrdecorating.Com.; Polder Stepladder; $49.99 at Gracious Home, (800) 338-7809, Gracioushome.Com. Zircon Multiscanner Stud Finder (for Wood or Metal); $69.99 at Gracious Home.; Stanley 16-Ounce Graphite Hammer; $15.49 at Home Depot.; Mintcraft 11-Piece Ratchet Screwdriver Set with Individual Bits; $10.99 at Nuthouse Hardware.; Irwin Double-Edged Pull Saw; $23.99 at Nuthouse Hardware.; Irwin 10-Inch Vise Grip Pliers; $14.97 at Home Depot, (800) 553-3199, Homedepot.Com.; Milwaukee 14.4-Volt Cordless Compact Drill; $189.99 at Nuthouse Hardware.

A Farmhouse Reborn

2009-04-04T05:02:00.001-07:00

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2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Through thoughtful renovation and restoration, a Vermont couple crafts a home rich in comfort and old-fashioned charm

The story of Bob and Suzanne Griffiths' Craftsbury, VT, farmhouse is all about new beginnings -- for both the home (which was in desperate need of renovation) and its owners. Looking to trade their suburban life for a quieter, more rural pace, the couple began house-hunting, and initially rejected the sprawling white structure. Bob, who saw it first, was so disappointed by the disjointed homestead that he tore up the listing. But Suzanne, still curious, stopped by and was immediately smitten. "I saw a gorgeous farmhouse with a lot of character," she says. "But we knew we'd have to update it -- a lot."

[Photograph]: Once run-down and awkwardly configured, this circa-1880s house now suits an active couple's needs
Photographs by Eric Roth

Although the place had been well cared for over the years, the layout was awkward and meandering. "The house is really two structures," explains architect Sandra Vitzthum of nearby Montpelier, who collaborated with the Griffithses to rework the home. "There's the original 1880s farmhouse, with the small, cozy rooms you'd expect, and there's the attached horse barn that had been turned into an apartment at some point."

[Photograph]: A cutaway window on the clapboard-sheathed stair landing lets more light flow into the house

While the farmhouse section was rich in period details -- wide-plank floors, butternut woodwork -- the barn was cramped and dark, thanks to seven-foot ceilings. It had few windows, and 1970s-style trappings throughout. Neither section had the kind of updated spaces the Griffithses needed for work or play. (They both telecommute and love to entertain.) So Vitzthum designed a plan that would preserve the character of the farmhouse while opening it to the revamped barn. "We barely touched the farmhouse," says Vitzthum, "but we totally gutted the barn."

[Photograph]: The new kitchen has custom cabinets painted in soft shades and punched up by soapstone counters

The barn's overhaul began with the exterior: Vitzthum redrafted the roofline, eliminating the awkward hipped roof in favor of a true gabled shape, allowing the house and barn to harmonize. New clapboard siding completed the unification process. A small addition to the end of the barn created a welcoming front porch at the home's new entrance, plus an all-important mudroom -- "A real necessity in snowy, muddy Vermont," says Vitzthum. She also reinforced the creaky floors, beefing up the original pole supports. "They were basically tree trunks," says the architect.

[Photograph]: The double-sided hearth was crafted of pine to complement the barn's wide-plank pine flooring

Moving inside, the team decided to transform the barn into one open sweep of space where the owners would live, cook, and entertain. The smaller rooms in the farmhouse were then assigned new roles as guest quarters and home-office space. Although working around the post-and-beam construction was tricky, the crew was able to raise the barn's low ceilings to over eight feet, creating more of the open, airy feel the Griffithses wanted.

[Photograph]: A soapstone sink adds charm to the new kitchen; a vintage bathroom's star is a zinc-lined tub

An existing flue in the center of the reborn barn might have stymied some architects. But here it inspired the idea for a floating room divider in the form of a double-sided hearth, with the kitchen on one side, the living area on the other. "The hearth gives the space just enough definition," says Vitzthum. Instead of trying to compete with the butternut trim in the farmhouse section -- which Bob restored himself -- the architect specified pine paneling for the hearth and used painted finishes on the kitchen cabinets. She selected soft green for the lower units; the upper cabinets, painted a creamy white and fitted with glass doors, practically disappear. "I've actually learned to cook since we built this kitchen," says Suzanne. "It's that inspiring." When they entertain -- which, she notes, is often -- friends invariably gather on both sides of the hearth.

Bob and Suzanne's retreat is on the second floor of the barn: a sunny master suite, complete with a dressing area and a luxurious bath. When friends stay over in one of the farmhouse guest rooms, they get to sink into the bath's original zinc-lined copper tub encased by wood paneling. "We really wanted to preserve that bath," says Vitzthum. "So we just cut a narrow doorway into an adjacent closet and tiled it to create a shower."

LIVING WITH THE LAND

Throughout the barn, new double-hung windows allow light and views, creating the connection between the house and land that the Griffithses sought. That probably wasn't a goal when the home was built over 100 years ago, admits Bob, "but we wanted to link the house back to the landscape." To that end, one of Vitzthum's goals was to ensure that the views from the new windows were as pleasing as possible. Two key steps along the way: razing an unsightly garage and creating a landscaping plan that incorporated new beds, borders, and paths. (See facing page for details.)

[Photograph]: Homeowner Bob Griffiths restored the rich glow of the farmhouse's butternut woodwork

Suzanne was so happy with the new plantings that she took courses and earned her certification as a master gardener. "I figured I ought to be able to take care of all these beautiful gardens we planted," she says. The house has inspired the pair to try other pastoral pursuits as well. One of Bob's favorite places is his workshop, and the couple has welcomed a menagerie of animals -- including chickens, llamas, and sheep -- to their barns. They've even set up a spinning room for their own wool. "I wouldn't exactly call it a farming lifestyle," says Suzanne, "but this house has certainly -- and happily -- brought us closer to nature."

VIEW FINDER

Reclaiming the Land

How the team made the most of a spectacular setting

A hundred years ago, linking a home to its natural surroundings was about as crazy an idea as a homeowner might have. "In those days," says Bob Griffiths, "people were more concerned with escaping from the outdoors when they came in; houses were built strictly to keep out the elements." So although the Griffithses' 1880s farmhouse and its outbuildings had a beautiful setting amid lush green farmland and rolling hills, there was little sense of a relationship between the landscape and the house.

To help the home live in better harmony with its site and enjoy views of the spectacular setting, architect Sandra Vitzthum made several key changes during the remodeling process. First, she relocated the house's main entry, turning the former entrance (a dingy glassed-in porch in the farmhouse section) into a sunny sitting room and adding a small front porch to the barn to mark the new doorway. Graceful paths and borders, crafted with stone gathered on the property, guide visitors to the porch steps. Next, the team razed an old garage, opening up the space between the house and the big red barn. Now the Griffithses can look through the kitchen windows and see the animals grazing in the fields. The final addition, a stone terrace outside the new kitchen, gave the couple a warm-weather entertaining center -- and the perfect vantage point from which to enjoy the land they fell in love with.

Where Time Stands Still

2009-04-04T05:02:00.000-07:00

Free Homecenter Coupon Codes

2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

WRITTEN BY SKIP HOLLANDSWORTH

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBIN STUBBERT

STYLING BY BRIAN ANDRIOLA

Salvaged clock- faces hang by the stairs.

Michael and Emilie relax with Kylie the Weimaraner and Thula Grace, a Great Dane.

Vintage dishes turn a plate of figs into an elegant still life.

A hallway coatrack becomes a creative composition of safari hats and photographs.

A $500 iron bed -- one of Emilie's most expensive purchases -- anchors this whitewashed bedroom.

Tucked behind these portraits of her parents, an empty frame creates a 3-D tableau.

The couple found both the hutch and vintage sign on antique-hunting jaunts.

Skip Hollandsworth is an executive editor at Texas Monthly. He lives in Dallas.

What Is It? What Is It Worth? Homecenter

2009-04-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

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2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Our professional appraiser, Helaine Fendelman, evaluates your collectibles and antiques.

EXPERT OPINION

My parents bought this tin curiosity at an estate sale in Natchez, Mississippi, for $15 in the early 1970s. They think it's a squirrel cage. True? -- S.M., New York City

What it is: FOLK ART SQUIRREL CAGE

Lightweight and inexpensive, tin became popular in the 18th century as a replacement for heavy iron, expensive copper, and delicate pewter. It was used for cooking tools and other household objects, but the metal's practicality didn't stop at the kitchen sink. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, birds, squirrels, and other small animals were domesticated and often kept in tin enclosures with rotating exercise wheels. Many cages were shaped like houses or barns and decorated with punched geometric shapes. Prices begin at $200, but those with original paint, like this one, are far more valuable. Red or blue examples fetch the most.

[Photograph]: PHOTOGRAPH BY KARL JUENGEL/STUDIO D

What it's worth: $1,500

I purchased this very heavy clock at a flea market 12 years ago for about $75. Did I get a good deal? -- M.W., Houston

What it is: ART DECO CLOCK

This blocky mantel clock of painted slate with gilt highlights is typical of the Art Deco style, which became popular in the mid-1920s and is known for its elegant, refined materials and geometric forms. Your piece, which was probably made in the 1940s by General Electric Telechron of Ashland, Massachusetts, has suffered multiple chips at its base, decreasing its value.

[Photograph]: PHOTOGRAPH BY (SUITCASE) KARL JUENGEL/STUDIO D

What it's worth: $125

My portable plaid table came from a street fair. It looks like a suitcase when closed and has leather straps inside. Is this a real find? -- W.G., Purdys, New York

What it is: 1950S PICNIC BASKET TABLE

In the middle of the 20th century, printed tin picnic baskets began to compete with the traditional wicker versions that preceded them, and this unusual piece -- which converts into a portable table -- comes from that era. Although there is no label or identifying mark, the vibrant Scotch plaid and turned pine legs suggest that it was made in the 1950s, possibly by the Thermos company, which produced color-coordinated beverage and food-storage containers. Its fitted interior would have held serving pieces for six to 12 people, and their absence reduces its value by at least 75 percent.

What it's worth: $25

My dad gave my mom this drawing in the '60s. It measures 27 by 151/2 inches, without the frame, and is signed by James Thurber. Tell me more. -- P.L., Devon, Pennsylvania

What it is: ORIGINAL THURBER DRAWING

James Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1894 and is one of the most famous cartoonists and humorists of the early 20th century. He is particularly associated with The New Yorker, where many of his drawings and his classic story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" were first published. His best drawings, like this one in charcoal, exhibit a characteristic charm and simplicity of line. Thurber's books and letters are collectibles, and his sketches sell for many thousands.

What it's worth: $10,000

My sun hat has a Pucci label. Does that make it more valuable? (Confession: I paid $200 for it!) -- K.M., Williamstown, Massachusetts

What it is: PUCCI STRAW SUN HAT

Florence-born designer Emilio Pucci found his calling in the 1940s, when a European fashion magazine spotted him on the slopes and commissioned him to create a line of women's skiwear. In the 1960s, he launched the optical fantasy prints that became his signature. Their bold colors and psychedelic patterns, outlined in black, were printed on scarves, bags, blouses, and dresses and became immediately recognizable. His vintage printed garments sell for hundreds more than their original prices, but unfortunately your hat -- because it is not instantly identifiable as the designer's work -- is not as valuable.

[Photograph]: PHOTOGRAPH BY (HAT) KARL JUENGEL/STUDIO D

What it's worth: $75

I purchased this desk in 1980 in Sacramento, California, and was told it was from a Missouri hotel, c. 1840. Is that correct? What is its present value? -- C.J., Pine Grove, California

What it is: 19TH-CENTURY HUTCH

Patterned after a schoolmaster's desk, this two-piece pine hutch is in the Federal-country style and dates to the mid-19th century. The turned gallery at the top is decorative, but the cubbyholes and drawers in the upper section were practical -- used for organizing receipts and bills -- allowing the small writing surface to remain free of clutter. The lower portion has sturdy turned legs, and the whole piece appears to have never been painted or refinished, as it retains a natural, worn look. Prices for simpler desks begin around $175, but ones similar to this can range up to the low thousands.

What it's worth: $1,000

VISIT countryliving.com/whatisit for information on how to submit your finds for appraisal.

THE INSTANT GARDEN

2009-04-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

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2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

After falling in love with the formal grounds at Paris's Rodin Museum, fabric designer Michael Devine transformed a 25- by 120-foot patch of dirt into a backyard idyll -- in just three months flat.

WRITTEN BY SUSAN HEEGER

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LUCAS ALLEN

Not long ago, Michael Devine lived in the last spot you'd expect to find a gardening fanatic: an apartment smack-dab in the middle of New York City. For 20 years, he could only imagine a more relaxed, better-tasting life in the country -- where organic tomatoes didn't cost $5.99 a pound and where he might have just enough land to grow them himself.

[Photograph]: Michael Devine's splashy 'Purple Prince' zinnias demand a closer look.

Devine knew such places existed. In fact, he grew up in one: the small north-central Illinois village of Grand Detour, onetime home of farming-equipment pioneer John Deere. As a teen, Devine rode a mower and tended a vegetable garden: "I was the type A kid in 4-H," he admits. But the farms of his youth weren't what the fabric designer had in mind when he considered his ideal potager. Instead, Devine had tucked away a mental image from his first visit to Paris in 1986: the grounds of the Rodin Museum, a formal landscape of cropped lawns and crunchy gravel paths, softened in spots by lively planting. He recalled that seductive look of ordered nature for years, while his dream garden slowly unfolded in his head.

[Photograph]: Devine turned a standard toolshed into a dreamy outdoor dining room by adding a faux-thatched roof, finials, and French doors.

Devine finally got his own plot in 2006, when he and his partner, interior designer Thomas Burak, bought an 1840s storefront building in the upstate village of Kinderhook, New York. Here, they renovated the second-floor apartment and converted the downstairs into a shop called Michael Devine Home.

[Photograph]: Michael Devine (foreground) and his partner, Thomas Burak, relax in their backyard garden.

After the overhaul of the inside of their new home, Devine turned his attention to the backyard: a forlorn, rutted patch of dirt, punctuated only by stands of deep weeds. This was no Rodin Museum -- it wasn't even an Illinois farm. Devine's vision would have to be packed into this less-than-fantastic space, a skinny plot just 25 feet wide by 120 feet deep.

But the designer proceeded, undeterred. "I wanted to make something small but exquisite on a modest budget," explains Devine. "We had to use a lot of imagination, and I devoted myself to the details."

His devotion paid off. Today the old yard is gone, a lush garden in its place. A tiny wood building -- a prefabricated shed, customized with French doors and a roof that looks thatched -- stands at one end of the space, where the couple hosts friends for dinner on summer nights. At the opposite end sits a terrace where Devine and Burak drink their morning coffee and read the paper. These two spaces are linked by four raised, willow-trimmed beds filled with tidy rows of vegetables and flowers. The beds' jewel-box chic is enhanced by Devine's technique of "mirror planting," so that the spacing of the rows in the right- and left-side beds lines up across the grass path that runs between them.

But don't be fooled by the beauty here: This garden works as hard as any farm. Growing vegetables organically, without pesticides, was a must for the designer, who harvests from late April (peas and greens, like lettuces, chard, and sorrel) into summer (tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers) and early fall (turnips and tubers).

He also made room for plenty of flowers to yield bouquets for the house -- planting larkspur and lisianthus for cutting and to splash painterly color throughout the beds. The overall aim was to evoke a traditional French priest's garden -- "both structured and informal," says Devine, "producing herbs, fruits, and vegetables for the table and flowers for the altar." His version seems effortless, mixing vegetables with flowers that attract pollinating bees. And because almost all the plants are annuals, this garden goes from bare to burgeoning in a single season.

Devine says he's learning to be a disciplined gardener, as strict with his plant choices as he was with the garden's layout. "In a space so limited, I can't afford plants that don't produce," he explains. After a little trial and error, he now plans to introduce more herbs. "The strawberries didn't pull their weight," he says. "I won't invite them back next year."

Devine takes stock of last season's horticultural hits -- and one miss.

1. 'Ronde de Nice' squash "The blossoms are small, cute, and just as delicious as the vegetables themselves. We like to fry the flowers up in a beer batter."

2. Purple cabbages "After a hailstorm destroyed our purple Brussels sprouts, we used these to fill in with deep-colored foliage. It was an ideal, quick emergency fix."

3. 'Early Sensation' cosmos "The petals look so delicate and airy -- but they're actually quite sturdy, and very easy to grow."

4. 'Frosted Queen' bachelor's buttons "We love to use these pink flowers in bouquets around the house; they're great on the bedside table. They remind Thomas of growing up upstate."

5. 'Precoville' petits pois "We chose this pea variety because it's so compact. We eat the vegetables raw, sprinkled on salads."

6. 'Milkmaid' nasturtiums "The seed package promised pale-yellow blossoms, but orange appeared instead. Still, I think they'll look marvelous cascading down from our flower boxes on the second floor."

7. 'Victoria' salvia "It's shocking how well these took off -- they started from seed and shot up to be 30 inches tall. Salvia is easy to maintain and great for cutting. We'll scatter the seeds around the fence this year."

8. 'Purple Prince' zinnias "We grow these because they say 'summer' to us -- plus the flowers last a really long time."

9. Fraises des bois "Yes, these strawberries taste delicious -- but they take forever to pick, and we planted only enough to yield about half a coffee cup of berries, which is barely enough to put in a bowl of cereal. So as much as we enjoyed them, they simply aren't worth the trouble."

Prettier raised beds

Raised beds give gardeners greater control over soil makeup and condition, but they rarely look this fine. Devine's inspired trick: He faced his utilitarian, rot-resistant cedar frames with ornamental willow fencing (from $36 for a 4- by 8-foot sheet at mastergardenproducts.com) -- the outdoor equivalent to icing a cake. Just be sure to stain the boxes before nailing on the fencing, advises Devine, so the not-so-lovely lumber won't peek through.

[Photograph]: Devine draped the walls and table inside the shed with his own linen fabrics. The flea market chandelier is powered by good old-fashioned candlelight.

CL DEAL Save $100

The ultimate outdoor retreat for less than $1,000!

Follow Michael Devine's lead by turning a workaday storage shed into a gorgeous garden getaway. This 12- by 8-foot Heartland Stratford model from Lowe's costs $998 and arrives as a kit that includes a wood floor, a window, and prehung doors. Though the building doesn't require a foundation, it should be sited on level ground. For an extra $800, builders from Lowe's will install the shed for you. (To get $100 off the installation price in May, bring this issue of Country Living to the store when ordering.)

Three inspired ways to upgrade your shed

Heather fencing

$57.60 for two 6' x 15' sheets (butlerbamboo.com )

Faux-thatched roof

Nail a sheet of decorative heather fencing to each side of the roof to mimic the look of thatching.

Urn finial

$105.60 for two (fypon.com for stores)

Finials

These knobs give the roofline added flourish; large roof mounts ($35 each, Lightning Rod Supply; 877-866-3189) will help hold the polyurethane finials in place.

Custom Jeld-Wen French doors

$794. (lowes.com for stores)

French doors

Swapping out the shed's opaque doors for a glass-fronted set lets in more light -- but will cost you a bundle. For an exact fit, custom-order prehung doors for the 64- by 70¼-inch opening, then hire a carpenter to install them, as reframing may be required.

Los Angeles-based writer Susan Heeger is working on a book about heirloom vegetables.

The Good Life

2009-04-04T04:50:00.000-07:00

Design your house at Homecenter.com

2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

Five Things We Learned from Books This Month

1. A backyard branch perched in a jar makes a clever jewelry holder for necklaces and earrings. -- Try 49 additional nature-themed projects from Jennifer Worick's Backcountry Betty: Crafting with Style ($19.95; Skipstone)

[Photograph]: PHOTOGRAPHS BY (JAR) KARL JUENGEL/STUDIO D; (CHEESEBURGER) JUPITER IMAGES

2. In the 1960s, A&W became the first fast-food restaurant chain to add bacon to a cheeseburger. What took them so long? -- Discover other pork factoids in Bacon, A Love Story: A Salty Survey of Everybody's Favorite Meat, by Heather Lauer ($17.99; Collins Living)

3. So this is what Van Gogh's mother looked like! -- Read about the great Post-Impressionist's 1888 work in Mother: Portraits by 40 Great Artists, by Juliet Heslewood ($19.95; Francis Lincoln)

4. "Unconventional farmers bring their intellects, consciences, and concerns for the future to their work. In quiet ways, in quiet places, they have set about correcting the damage that has come from believing agriculture could actually be reduced to numbers alone." -- To find out more about these iconoclasts, pick up Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness, by Lisa M. Hamilton ($25; Counterpoint)

5. Oyster shells -- instead of the usual tiles -- turn a simple white mantel into a dazzling focal point. -- For dozens of other unexpected design ideas, flip through The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details, by Stan Williams ($27.50; Clarkson Potter)

A DASH OF DARING

2009-04-04T04:49:00.000-07:00

Design your House by your own at Homecenter.com

2009 by Hearst Communications Inc

At the 1740s Connecticut farmhouse she shares with her husband, Tim Street-Porter, interior designer Annie Kelly displays the rare confidence to match fine antiques with Kmart finds.

WRITTEN BY LIESL SCHILLINGER

PHOTOGRAPHS BY TIM STREET-PORTER

Annie Kelly balanced the seriousness of her living room's 18th-century English sofa with chartreuse curtains and red lampshades from Target.

Peonies from the garden fill a 19th-century cut-glass pitcher.

Tim Street-Porter poses outside with Annie Kelly.

On their front porch, a clematis vine winds its way around a trellis. The couple stashes birdseed in the metal bin beneath the table.

[Photograph]: IMAGES (EXCEPT FOR PORTRAIT) ARE EXCERPTED FROM ROOMS TO INSPIRE IN THE COUNTRY: THE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES OF AMERICAN HOUSE DESIGN, BY ANNIE KELLY, PHOTOGRAPHS BY TIM STREET-PORTER. © 2009; REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF RIZZOLI INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS, INC.

Vertical cream and green stripes, painted by Street-Porter, counteract the low ceiling in the upstairs sitting room.

The daffodils were plucked from Kelly and Street-Porter's garden.

Kelly turned a swath of antique crewelwork into a canopy for the guest room's bed. The writing case on top of the desk belonged to her grandmother.

Pillows covered in mattress ticking and coral-colored crewelwork dress up a pair of flea market wicker chairs.

In the dining room, Kelly updated a set of 17th-century Yorkshire chairs with cheerful striped cushions.

Street-Porter, who trained as an architect, modeled this garden pagoda after an English design.

Nestled amid a grove of pines down a winding road in Litchfield County, Connecticut, sits a snug, brown farmhouse with a curving Dutch gambrel roof. A stream runs around the property; lilacs, irises, and lilies gambol by the front door; and clematis vines twine up a porch lattice.

Annie Kelly and Tim Street-Porter's 1740s home looks like an idyll from the age-crisped pages of a book of English nursery rhymes. But the story of how the couple became its owners is modern as can be. "We found the listing online," explains Kelly, an Australian-born interior designer and author of four books, including Rooms to Inspire in the Country (Rizzoli), out this month. Not only did she and her husband make an offer "on the spot," they bought the three-century-old cottage sight unseen.

Six years later, Kelly cheerfully confesses that an improvisational spirit shaped her decor as well. Guided by the excellent bones of the house, which had been carefully restored by the previous owners, the designer simply obeyed her instincts in fleshing out each room. Unlike the projects she manages for clients -- which usually evolve slowly and take months to develop -- her own home came together with serendipity and speed. "I decorated in a very casual way," says Kelly, pouring tea into delicate porcelain cups, balancing them on an ottoman amid quill boxes and antique postcard albums. She wanted a place to relax, entertain, and soak up the unharried pleasures of the New England countryside. Beyond that, she explains, "I haven't followed any particular plan." On moving day, says Kelly, "We walked into the house with only a few towels." Luckily, their mattresses arrived that afternoon.

The designer secured period pieces -- oak chairs, gateleg tables, tall armoires -- from auctions and antiques shops, and offset the stately furniture with assured, playful colors, like vibrant pinks and juicy greens. Each room combines 18th-century treasures with affordable chain-store finds. To spot her bargains, however, you must look closely.

The parlor's lustrous quince curtains may be custom-made, the throw pillows covered in elegant, antique embroidered fabric, but those pomegranate-red lampshades? They're a Target score. "You're sitting on a sofa from Christie's," she notes. "The rug is Pottery Barn."

In the breakfast room ("We think the original owners kept farm animals here," says Kelly), a secret steal lurks within a Scandinavian hutch: a collection of crockery Kelly discovered at Kmart. "I already had some 18th-century creamware that I got at auction," she says. "When I went to buy more china for this place, I was thrilled to find that Martha Stewart had copied its design, because it matched the stuff I've got." She turns over one of the replicas to reveal a stamped inscription: WILL GET HOT IN MICROWAVE.

Out of respect for the property's agricultural past, Kelly hung a painting in the foyer of San Ysidro, the patron saint of farmers, kneeling in a field. "It's an 18th-century work," she says. "You can tell from his breeches." Other walls hold line drawings of public figures, also from the 18th century. She likes the faces: "I wanted to have portraits in the house, because they give you company."

Kelly clearly enjoys company. Depending on the occasion, she'll set out her creamware in the formal dining room, the breakfast room, or the small parlor. Last summer, she and her husband built a gazebo on the lawn -- "a triumph," she sighs -- so they could serve dinners outdoors. "I don't mind carrying the food out there," she proclaims. "We have a lot of trays." Next she hopes to convert their garage into a sunroom. "Right now," she laments, "the car's got the best view of the property."

Decorating is complicated, observes Kelly. "You'd be amazed at what can go wrong with ordering a custom-made pillow." But tailoring this Colonial retreat to her own needs has been a liberating experience. For one thing, she doesn't need to worry about pleasing a demanding client. For another, she can take as long as she likes to perfect the project, changing the decor as she goes to suit the fancies of its owners and guests. "Some people live in their house as if it were a stage set, but I think it's essential she says, then adds, "May I offer you a chocolate?"

Liesl Schillinger is a New York-based writer and book critic.