January 2001

Better Homes and Gardens bhg.com

The Millennium-- the real one!-- is just around the corner. And now, you can plan your celebration online. Whether you're hosting an intimate dinner or an all-day open house, BHG.com will help. You can create the guest list; send e-mail invitations; track RSVPs; and find hundreds of menu and mood-making ideas. Or mail your invitations the "old-fashioned" way and still enjoy all the benefits of online party planning.

BH&G TV

Between friends

Style in the making

Don't let a boring floor drag down your decorating scheme. Start with the basic elements-- paint, carpet, sheet vinyl-- then rev them up by adding decorative borders, mixing up color and pattern, and throwing in an unexpected textural twist.

Personalized Armoires

Do your overflowing closets warn "enter at your own risk"? Rescue your belongings with these armoires-turned-storage heroes. We've outfitted them with organizational ideas that match specific-- and general-- needs.

Bloomin' Bouquets

Two-Person Home Offices

Cornering convenience Corners make special sense for computer stations because a corner can easily accommodate an extra-deep monitor. Colleen and John Purrier doubled that concept with separate but networked computer stations in two corners of the home office they share. Each can work without distractions at terminals electronically linked to each other and to a scanner, fax machine, and laser printer located between their stations.

Smart Kids, Poor Grades

Patterns of underachievement can be reversed, leading to the self-discipline required for success in the real world.

Hawaii in Your Home

Gone tropo, they call it. Gardeners who have enthusiastically (some would say feverishly) embraced the tropicalismo wave of gardening-- bamboos, even bananas, hardy to 20 below-- are painting the landscape with a whole new palette. Here's another artful twist for the terra tropical: the plumeria tree, famed for the perfumed, swirling blossoms strung together in Hawaiian leis.

Our Picks 2001

Breaking out of the box

Walls have ears, some people say. But in Paul Stepnes' Minneapolis home, the walls have voices. "If you let a house speak to you, it will tell you what to do," Paul says. The message? Be bold. Break free. Get colorful.

Ranch revamp

The Warrens of suburban Minneapolis have good reason to smile these days. After buying a 30-year-old ranch that had slipped behind the times, they pondered how best to remodel. Would a simple facelift do, or should they add on? Or would they be better off starting from scratch? They settled on a combo of the first two options, and the happy result is a home that looks and lives like brand new.

Suite strategies

As the world's fast-lane pace picks up even more, a master bedroom suite is just the off-ramp you need. Out of the rat race and into serene space. Doug and Julie Bodenstab imagined such a retreat for their La Jolla, California, home. This would be a room open to the sea breezes and sunshine, luring them onto the balcony for breakfast. Even if you don't nest near the ocean, you can learn from the Bodenstabs' experience as they raise the roof on a so-sweet addition.

The family next door