indoors
KNOW-HOW
4
In a hardworking
room like a living
room, everything has
to earn its keep. These
accessories offer
service with style:
A globe
for on-the-fly
geography lessons for
curious kids; an
hourglass
for timing
video game sessions;
attractive tissue box
covers
to make these
necessities a little more
6
Position diffuse,
low-watt lighting,
such as sconces
with frosted glass
shades or table lamps
on dimmers, behind
and slightly to the side
of your TV. Your
eyes will experience
less strain as the
picture shifts from
light to dark.
SUZANNE KANTRA,
.com
visually pleasing.
ç One of my
/
O favorite tricks
\\* £ \C C
7
To discourage
clutter, make this
rule: If you carry it in,
you carry it out. Items
left out at the end of
the night go into the
“penalty box.” To
retrieve them, you
have to pay the
penalty, such as
doing a dreaded
household chore.
DONNA SMALLIN,
author of
A to Z
Storage Solutions
8 Arrange your furniture
for conversation. Put pieces at
cozy right angles close enough
so people can talk, not just blow
kisses across the room.
ELAINE GRIFFIN,
design«
A
Try out dozens o f furniture layouts before you move
V
the sofa. Visit
BHG.conyarrangearoom
to get started.
9
Display coffee table
accessories on a
tray so it's easy to
remove them all at
once when you're
ready to play a game
or have a pizza.
MITCHELL GOLD
and
BOB WILLIAMS,
furniture experts
Ю
lf you no longer
own a VCR, get
rid of those VHS tapes.
Donate or dispose of
them
(greendisk.com
will take 20 pounds of
your “technotrash” for
$7 plus shipping).
Replace favorite titles
on DVD.
LORIE MARRERO,
cluaerdiet.com
is to prime one
wall with multiple
coats of Rust-Oleum's
magnetic primer ($22
per quart), then paint
over it with whatever
color you like. It turns
the wall into a message
center or gallery for
kids' artwork without
the visual clutter and
multiple nail holes of
a bunch of corkboards.
PATRICE BEVANS,
t a n s
designer
11
Once a month, do dinner and a movie
night around the coffee table. Match the
food to the flick. Try these fun pairings:
Sweet Home Alabama
with ribs,
corn on the cob, sweet tea, and
peach cobbler for dessert would
do the trick perfectly.
LINDSEY FORKEY
I’d fix an Italian feast and watch
Under the Tuscan Sun.
We'd have
pasta, salad with farmer's market
veggies, artisan cheese, and olive
bread.
PATRICIA FABER ERWIN
Watch
Mystic Pizza
and have
personal-size pizzas each person
can top the way they like.
HOLLI LOWE STURGILL
Start with boeuf bourguignon for
Julie & Julia,
then serve chocolate
torte with
Chocolat.
DANIELLE ORGAN
X
Join Better Homes and Gardens on
T
Facebook at
facebook.com/mybhg
12
Look at
lamps as a way
to add color and
sculpture to
the room
without the
cl utter of too
many knick-
knacks. Three-
way bulbs are a
must. The low
setting emits a
soft glow; turn
up the juice
when you’re
ready to read.
9 2
SEPTEMBER 20Ю BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTOS: (RO O M ) CAM ERON SADEGHPOUR; (LA M P) MARTY BALDW IN
