March 2002

From the editor

Red Volunteer Daylily

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Slide Show Inspiration

Aromas We Love

Houseplant Heaven

Ready, Set, Organize

Chair Lifts

Turn well-designed but tired chairs into runway-ready models with a few cosmetic changes and some simple, stylish updates.

Scandinavian Country

Lift the mood no matter the day, hold the family close, and keep life simple. These tenets of Scandinavian Country style make as much sense in a stateside family kitchen today as they did across the ocean years ago. This kitchen exemplifies those tenets with its greet-the-day colors, friendly layout, and elemental materials.

Mud Rooms to the Max

Lisa and Jim Morris quickly learned about Maine's mud season when they moved to Portland nine years ago. "We are knee-deep in mud from March through May," Lisa says. Their old mud room was a cramped back hall where everyone bumped into one another. When Lisa and Jim added a garage and master suite, they decided to incorporate a proper mud room: a place where their family members could sit down, take off their boots, and hang up wet clothes. Sweaters, hats, and backpacks hang along a crisp white beadboard wall.

Whimsical Walls

Wake up, walls! There's no quicker way to invigorate a space then with a fresh wall treatment But before you think about picking up a paintbrush, take a look at four new wall dressing ideas. Each comes with lots of character and style-- and a twist.

Bountiful Bower

Stunning Staircases

Stepping up in style: Distinction is in the details with a pair of grand stairways that rise and shine.

Ultimate Kitchen Island

This multipurpose island takes function into triple time-- as a food prep station, an informal eating area, and a command center.

Sleek + Chic + Shiny

Budget-wise bedroom makeovers

You've told us that you have bigger dreams for your bedrooms than your budget will allow. So we put our decorating editors to the challenge-- what could they do to transform a bedroom with $250, and what more could they do with $2,500?

The Purr-fect Gift

Do It Yourself Decorating

When Kids Cheat

"I've cheated," says 18-year-old Anne Marie about schoolwork, "but I wouldn't say I'm a cheater."

Cars That Can Save Your Life

It could have been a nightmare for Elaine Murroda. The Westford, Massachusetts, resident was piloting her BMW 5-Series sedan when it was struck head-on by a large sport/utility vehicle. Despite the wrenching impact, Murroda and her 7-year-old niece, who was riding in the backseat, both walked away from the wreckage without a scratch. Paramedics told her, "It's cars like yours that make our jobs easier."

Nothing but the truth

... I Promise to tell the truth the whole truth and ... nothing but the truth

Living Air Cleaners

Houseplants do more than make our homes pretty. They can play an integral role in improving the very essence of our lives-- the air we breathe.

Editor's choice A Cut-Rate Cutie

Not everyone wants you to know this, but sometimes the most gorgeous plants don't cost $9 apiece, or $5, or even $1. Some blooming beauties, like this striking black hollyhock, can be purchased for a penny apiece-- that is, if you grow them from seed.

Copius greens

Top 10 Perennials

By now, you're hooked. Your garden is increasingly a perennial one. Your yearly investment in annuals gets smaller and smaller, and every year more and more of your plantings return in the spring. Who was it who said, "Friends don't let friends plant annuals"? Well, that may be a tad harsh. Because many perennials have shortcomings, especially in the frustratingly short length of bloom time. Most annuals bloom all season long, but your standard perennials-- what, four weeks?

Tucked away

Tucked behind the white arbor and its tangle of clematis, behind the spires of larkspur and hollyhocks, live the inspired gardeners who shaped this welcoming scene. Janet and Carl Schuler stretched the boundaries of their St. Louis front yard, pulling the garden all the way to the curb. Step through the arbor for a closer look.

New family traditions

Crisp white slipcovers enunciate the shape of soft-edged traditional furniture.

Fitting into the old neighborhood

Another old house freshened up with paint and shutters? Guess again; this picturesque cottage in a Detroit suburb is actually brand new from the ground up. Owners Tricia and Rob Wood (left) took great pains to blend their house into its tree-lined neighborhood. Rob, an architect, tested his design skills by working within the foundation's footprint of a tiny house that originally stood on the site. A strict budget added further constraints, but Rob's plan lives twice as big as it looks-- without sacrificing one iota of charm.

Bistro kitchens

Enter a neighborhood bistro, and you can count on a warm welcome, a relaxed atmosphere, and a hearty meal. It's just the same with these two kitchens-- except that there's no check to pay at the end of the night.

Asparagus

The appearance of thin, young asparagus spears in the market is a surefire sign of spring. While available year-round, asparagus is at its peak in March and April. But don't just grab any bunch in the produce aisle. Check out how it's stocked. Ideally, asparagus should be standing upright in a container filled with a couple of inches of water.

Short & Sweet

Nutrition Information

Buzzz

Help your child breathe easier

Learn the signs of asthma: a cough that lasts for weeks, night cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath with exercise, wheezing, or a persistent runny nose.

All Hail the Mighty Kale

It's time to step outside of your comfort zone and venture into the green unknown. We're talking about eating kale, collards, turnip greens, and mustard greens. These leafy veggies are nutritionally supercharged and bursting with plant chemicals that medical studies indicate we should consume to prevent cancer, heart disease, and even vision problems.

Do the bunny hop

Cheer up ... Spring is here! The snow is melting and the birds are chirping. Enjoy the season by making these bunny-themed baskets, games, and gifts. Hop to it!

The Shopper's Mart

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

The family next door