April 1996

Between friends

Clever backsplashes

Back your counters with witty designs that lend both protection and personality to your kitchen walls.

Wicker picker uppers

Comforting to the psyche and the body, wicker remains a perennial favorite. It not only mixes easily with other furnishings, but also readily assumes a new personality when you treat it to fresh paint or fabric.

A Master Closet

Precious Pillow Sachets

Island kitchens

A well-planned island can be a valuable-- and versatile-- piece of real estate. Besides saving you steps, high-performance islands can take on a number of roles: bonus storage; informal buffet or breakfast bar; main cleanup center; full-service cooking center; chef's helper; and, of course, kibitzer's perch. Check out the multitude of user-friendly features in these two island-oriented kitchens.

Picking Patterns for Walls

If you decide to add a little color or pattern to your room using wallpaper, don't fall for the first pattern that appeals to you. Consider these factors to find the perfect fit.

Color Balance

Painting your walls two contrasting colors can produce a dramatic effect. Be sure to visually balance the two shades you select with each other, and your furnishings.

Cottage Garden Frame

How does this garden grow? With pretty threads and embroidery stitches on a fabric frame you sew.

Stylish Storage Bench

Fancy Framework

Your favorite family photo or print will strut its stuff when you slip it into a lacy sensation.

Room Arranging Dos and Don'ts

Divide a long, boxy room into smaller, cozy conversation areas. The problem: The two focal points, the fireplace and the TV armoire, rest side by side causing a visual weight imbalance in the room.

Adirondack Furniture

Bird Mobiles To Build

1996 Better Homes and Gardens/NAHB Remodelors Council Home Improvement Contest

MORE THAN $100,000 IN CASH & PRIZES OFFERED in the 1996 Better Homes and Gardens /NAHB Remodelors Council Home Improvement Contest

Way Past Bedtime

Pat Brogan, a mother of four, is also a vice president for a computer services company in the San Francisco area. While her career has demanded a lot of time, she made a commitment long ago not to allow it to detract from her time with her children.

EARN A DEGREE Without Going to College

No rime for college? No money? Getting a degree doesn't necessarily mean sitting in classes on a campus for four years.

Potassium Power

NEW-FORMULA GASOLINES

ON THE NET

Hardy, Carefree Shrub Roses

If yon enjoy our gardening feature on pages 155 to 164, you might like to try these rose varieties in your own landscape. Both were chosen especially for the readers of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Summer Flowering Bulbs

Specially selected for the readers of Better Homes and Gardens magazine (not available in stores), this collection of 48 bulbs includes 6 white ornithogalum thrysoides, 12 mixed gladiolus, 1 yellow cactus dahlia, 8 purple liatris, 3 orange lilies, 12 white acidanthera with black centers, and 6 mixed freesias.

A Backyard Cottage

Aiming high with vines

With their fluid lines and flexible nature, few other plant groups provide the visual drama and landscape design versatility of vines. They easily can be coaxed to grow almost anywhere and any way you want-- over, under, around, through, outward, or skyward. Think of them as luxurious lengths of rich roping and textured fabric for adding new dimension and depth to the garden. And from the wide selection of the world's annual, perennial, and woody vines, you're sure to discover several well-suited to special niches in your garden.

TEST garden TIP

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Looking Good

Carefree roses

The beauty of Judith and Robert Gries' rose garden is not just in its physical appeal, but in the fact that it is so darned easy-- easy to care for, easy to bloom, easy to love. The Grieses achieved this effortlessness by avoiding the difficult-to-please hybrid teas, those gangly flower factories and florists' favorites. Instead, they fancy "old-fashioned" roses, a catchall term that encompasses almost every other kind of rose: antiques, rugosas, even some modern shrubs. These romantic beauties provide all the tea-rose charm (and then some) with almost none of the bother.

Garden companions

Combining plants in the garden is like seating guests at a dinner party-- you want your favorites to act neighborly, bring out the best in each other, and keep the garden lively. The first step: choose companions whose flowers and leaves contrast in color, shape, and size.

Hands-on decorating

Lynn and Mike Mann were high school sweethearts, drawn together by a common interest in art. Back then, the school paper looked better thanks to their union. Now, this 1886 Victorian cottage is the proud recipient of their joined creative forces. "At first we tried to follow all the decorating rules," says Lynn. "But things got better when we decided to have fun." Their idea of a good time includes dabbling paint on most any surface and recasting flea market finds in surprising new roles.

Back to the country

Simple pleasures like sunrises, sunsets, and the beauties of each season hold new meaning for Brad and Anne Hong and their two children, Field and Aimee. They've joined a growing number of citybred families who are reaching back to America's rural roots by chucking the crush of city life in favor of a slower pace in the country.

NATURAL CONNECTIONS

Forget the noise. Forget the traffic. Say "so long" to the busy city, and step up the limestone walk of this lakeside retreat to savor the wonders of nature-- indoors as well as out.

Portobellissimo!

Intriguing giants of the mushroom world, Portobellos are popping up everywhere like, well, mushrooms. Watch for them on a dinner plate near you.

Nutrition information

Treasures Of the Sea

Dinner turns into a treasure hunt when crab is served. With a crab cracker or nut cracker in hand and bib in place, your search begins. Rich, succulent crabmeat is your just reward. Learn more about America's crab varieties and how to enjoy them in this primer.

Fire Up! It's Spring!

Spring is in the air, and you can almost smell the burgers. But before you fire up your gas grill, ensure top performance by giving it a quick spring cleaning.

Homespun Traditions

Nothing says welcome home like a gracious front porch-- and the porch on this house says it with eloquence. Punctuated by traditional colonial columns the wraparound porch lends the home a farmhouse feel, perfect for rocking and relaxing outside. Inside, a two-story entry and front staircase accent the formal living and dining rooms; behind these spaces, the house opens up for family living. Cozy casual spaces are built around a fireplace which separates the kitchen from the generous great room. For additional family space, a rear porch is accessible from the great room, breakfast nook, and master bedroom.

BH & G kids

It can't be just any old party. It has to be the best birthday celebration ever. Don't dial 911. BH&G Kids can rescue you with two party theme ideas. Our Firefighter Blast is sure to be a hit with the high-octane set. A Rainbows and Unicorns motif will produce a quieter affair-- well, maybe. Add your own personal touches to our idea starters, and you're sure to have a hit with any crowd.

Birthday Party Celebration Gear

Auto update

of oncoming headlights isn't necessarily a motorist trying to warn you of a speed trap. It's probably a new General Motors car with automatic daytime headlights designed to avoid collisions by making the car easier to see. Daytime running lights go on when the ignition is turned on and go out when the key is turned off.

The Shopper's Mart

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order from the convenience of your own home with complete confidence.

The man next door

Christine and I frequently remind our Judy to get an early start on her homework. Judy, who likes to consider all aspects of a problem, thinks the situation could be easily resolved by a later bedtime.