August 1983

A REPORT FROM MORE THAN 200,000 READERS: PART 2

Last fall, in our September and October issues, we published a two-part questionnaire inviting readers to share their opinions on the state of American family life. This latest questionnaire is an updated version of our family studies published in 1972 and 1977. Some 201,320 readers responded to this questionnaire and more than 10,000 of them wrote letters, too. In order to share with you as many representative excerpts from these letters as possible, we divided our report into two parts.

Personality Decorating A TRADITIONAL HOUSE GOES CONTEMPORARY

No matter what the architectural style of your home, there's a lot of freedom today to use whatever style of furnishings suits you best. In fact, as the Rosengren family of suburban Chicago discovered, a mix of architectural and furnishings styles can be far more interesting. Tom and Ricki Rosengren couldn't find the contemporary home they wanted, so they bought a run-down two-story colonial.

Add-On Porches Good-Looking Energy Savers

What could be more pleasant than a shady porch on a hot summer day? "Nothing!" agree the owners of these new porches. As more and more homeowners unplug their amp-eating air conditioners and head for a shady spot outdoors to cool off, porches are making a big comeback. Porch additions provide a bonus, too: they can give your house a stylish new look at minimum expense.

A Slick Multiuse Bedroom

Gardener's Log

What was Paradise? but a garden, an orchard of trees and herbs, full of pleasure, and nothing there but delights.

How Pet help people cope

LIGHT TUBES

ORGANIZER

POWER PACK

WOOD COOKER

Cooking with wood imparts unique flavors to food, but a campfire is hard to light and cook over. This portable outdoor cooker, the Pyrobachi, is one of five models for the backyard or camping that make cooking with wood fast, efficient, and clean. Several varieties of wood chunks, including apple, cherry, hickory, and mesquite, are sold separately for use with the unit.

A Terrific 3-Bedroom House To Build for $47,000

Inflation and rising energy costs pose a serious question for home builders. How do you pack more livability and energy efficiency into a smaller space for less money-- without sacrificing comfort or aesthetic appeal? A tour of the innovative house on these pages answers that question.

Needlework and Crafts FROM AMERICA'S HISTORICAL HOMES

From a wooded Virginia hillside, Woodlawn Plantation commands a spectacular view of the Potomac River. In 1799 George Washington presented this piece of land from his Mount Vernon country estate to his adopted daughter, Nelly Custis Lewis, as a wedding gift.

A Casual Contemporary Mix

One-stop furnishings sources, from mail-order catalogs to walk-in retail stores, can help you create almost-instant rooms in your home. As part of our continuing "One-Stop Decorating" series, we furnished this small living/dining room entirely with furnishings and accessories from a Crate and Barrel store.

BLOOMING BIENNIALS

You can reward yourself with spectacular color next summer by planting biennials this month. Many biennials are old-time favorites; when combined with perennial mainstays like iris, hardy lily, and peony, they'll happily remind you of Grandmother's garden.

A Family-Fashioned Kitchen

Add up all the activities that take place in the kitchen and there's no doubt about it-- kitchens aren't just for cooking. They're for entertaining, doing homework, paying bills; in short, your kitchen is a second family room. If all of those activities have you climbing the walls, here's a kitchen that will help you restore order.

Canning and Freezing Problems Solved

The rewards of canning and freezing are well worth the effort involved. But to get the tastiest results, and to avoid spoilage, it's essential that you use the proper equipment and techniques.

Family vacations in EASTERN CANADA

The stimulating diversity of Canada's eastern metropolises can be the basis for a delightful family vacation. Cities in Ontario and Québec blend old-world tastes and traditions with modernity and the sheer joy of living. You'll discover a land enough like the U.S. to make you feel at home, yet different enough to imbue you with the tingle of traveling abroad.

Shopping editor's choice

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order from the convenience of your own home with complete confidence. If not delighted, each company will happily refund your money.

The Man Next Door

Newspaper editor Earl Reeves says that taking a summer recess is the one thing Congress does that seems to benefit just about everyone.