November 2001

From the Editor

A Holiday to Remember

Create a Wreath

Easy Holiday Shopping

Surprise a Friend

Table Delights

Pass with Flying Colors

Hallways don't have to play second fiddle to more popular areas of your home. Jazz them up with paint, light, and creativity, and you'll make the path through the hall less of a prelude and more of a main event.

Living in the Light

Like a flower bud that opens to the sun's warmth, a room can blossom in the presence of sunshine. Light has the power to make color thrive, patinas shimmer, and an empty space come alive. Here are some ways to brighten up your home.

Rubbings

No need to rub a magic lamp if you're wishing for interesting decorative accents for your home. You can make your own by transferring patterns from almost any object, as long as it has an embossed texture. Simply place the object under paper and rub with a crayon or an artist's oil pastel-- poof!-- a pattern appears. Once you've caught the rub bug, you'll see texture and possibilities in all sorts of things. Take this farmhouse heating grate (above), for instance.

House Keepers

Simpler is definitely better when it comes to household tasks. So try these sneaky cleaning tips. You'll find even more homemaking help where these came from-- in a new BH&G book called Making a Home. It's full of the kind of stuff your mother should have told you about... but might not have.

More ideas wait inside our new book

1 bedroom 2 ways

Master suites seem to come in two sizes these days: large and larger. But even if your bedroom isn't big enough to accommodate a pasture full of sheep, you probably count on it for more than just sleeping. Whether your ideal is a function-filled space designed to reenergize both body and mind or a romantic retreat that pampers the soul, these ideas will help you achieve the bedroom of your dreams.

Upholstery Fabric

Let's play a game: We'll show you a chair and four fabric swatches. All you have to do is imagine how the chair would look upholstered in each fabric. The challenge? Try to spot the fabric that doesn't work. It may be a terrific fabric, but for the style of chair, the look would be a little off. Ready?

Parent-Pampering Baths

When the how-tos of family life start to outweigh adult want-tos, it's pure joy knowing that a personal sanctuary is within reach.

Family-Friendly Basements

1 Living down under can be every bit as delightful as life above ground. Check out the strategies used in these basements for ideas on upgrading the below-grade spaces in your home.

Flying the Christmas Colors

Coach-House Cozy

The horse-and-buggy era may be long gone, but yesterday's coach house has practical new roles to play in this day and age. Part garage and part living space, today's version can provide convenient quarters for a college-age child or an elderly parent, or generate extra income as a rental unit. Its compact design also makes a good fit for second homes in resort settings known for scenic views or pricey shoreline frontage.

Fuel-Saving Home Improvements

If you thought it was expensive to pay up to $2 a gallon for gas this summer, you'll have continued "sticker shock" when your home energy bills arrive this winter. That's because heavy costs are predicted for heating oil, natural gas, and electricity. So what can you do to keep bills trim? Make fuel-saving home improvements. You'll save money, while also helping to reduce air pollution and conserve natural resources.

Kids Dig the Past

At age 7, David Lambert was intrigued with a hand-painted, tintype photo tucked in a book at his grandmother's house. "Who is this?" he asked his grandmother. It was his great-grandfather. David wanted to know more about this man with piercing eyes who wore a black bow tie. So, he asked questions-- lots of them.

And the winner is... fah-niks (phonics)

After a decade of being dismissed as old-fashioned, phonics instruction-- teaching children to read by connecting sounds with letters and letter combinations-- is "in" again, and for good reason. It works. Study after study has found that explicit and direct phonics instruction offers significant benefits to children learning to read. And the earlier the kids are taught phonics, the better.

A Brighter Holiday for Homeless Families

Minivan with a miniprice

Sedona, a new 2002 minivan from Korean carmaker Kia, lacks the power side doors and clever disappearing seat of established competitors like Honda Odyssey and Dodge Caravan. But by sticking to basics, Kia builds the largest, most powerful minivan for under $20,000 and undercuts the market leaders by $4,500 or more.

Putting the Garden to Bed

The russet and gold colors of autumn may speak to you of big-screen bowl games, intricate turkey carvings, and hot toddies by the fireside, but the gardener knows better: There are outside chores to be done, and now.

Fresh Fruit Box

Cookies and Cocoa

A Fringe on Top

A half-acre Hollywood in Canada

Dazzling die-hard daylilies

TO ORDER THE EDITOR'S CHOICE

Thriving in the shade

"If you have shade on your property, you are lucky." So says David Benner, a retired professor of horticulture who ought to know. His garden, in Pennsylvania, grows entirely under trees-- lots of them. With very little fuss, he grows more than 150 species of wildflowers; dozens of flowering trees and shrubs, such as purple azaleas (above); and soft carpets of moss that cushion paths and glades.

Make room for romance

In June, Ann Dietrich became Ann Pirhonen. But this single gal didn't simply acquire a new name. She also had to make room in her life-- and her home-- for husband Ilkka and his two children. A busy interior designer and entrepreneur, Ann is learning to balance career with homework, school lunches, and backyard croquet. She also is finding ways to mesh the feminine, delicate aspects of her own cottage style with a big man and rambunctious kids. See how the Pirhonens blend old with new, color with calm, and antiquity with durability in a 1,200-square-foot house, where it's easy to live and love.

Home for healthy living

Swing open the door to an inventive new home, one that not only offers shelter and creature comforts but that also treads lightly on the environment and helps your family feel well.

A Closer Look at... Home for Healthy Living

Even a brief walk-through of the Home for Healthy Living (our first tour begins on page 169) makes it clear that this house addresses a broad agenda of issues regarding healthy living. One issue is indoor air quality. Another is water quality. A third is energy efficiency. Others include personal safety and security, plus functional aspects, such as flexibility and adaptability. Public interest in all these areas has spawned whole new categories of building products, many of which tap technical know-how that didn't exist a few years ago. Before planning your own healthy house, take a closer look at how our Home for Healthy Living puts these tools to work in achieving a healthier at-home environment for today's families.

Butternut Squash, Three Ways

Holiday countdown

Create whimsical holiday crafts, such as an elf with tinkling toes or a Snow Fairy to dance on evergreen boughs. Or turn to tradition by making ornaments for your Nativity rendition.

The Shopper's Mart

The Family Next Door