Tag: home improvement
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At Home: Hold onto the past — selectively
I get a bad rap for being the Stuff Police, the one who gets between you and the things you love. While it’s true that I harp on those who have too much (including myself) and urge them to purge, edit, donate, toss, sell, clear out, hand down and throw away, occasionally, as you’ll see…
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At Home: When love is in the air, so is money
Love comes at a price. How well I know. This October, I will host my third wedding in eight years. Not all mine, thank goodness. The first was mine, a lovely, curated affair for 50 guests. Two years ago, my older daughter got married in Jackson Hole, Wyo., at the groom’s parents’ home. Coordinating a…
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At Home: Stuck in neutral? New colorful book can help
Tell me if you’ve ever had this conversation with yourself: Self: “I don’t know what color to paint my walls.” “I’ll go with a neutral white or beige to play it safe,” you decide. Self: “Then what color sofa should I get?” “Better be safe and get off white,” you reason. Self: “And the area…
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At Home: Good design keeps up with the times
We are all a little house blind. That is, we put off seeing what needs refreshing, replacing, updating or upgrading for as long as we can. It’s self-protective. If we don’t see that the drapes are fraying, the carpet has worn spots, our furnishings are so last century (and not in the cool sense), and…
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At Home: Discoveries made on path to organized home
Many talk about clearing out and organizing their homes. Few do it. The ones who do usually have reached a tipping point. Two weeks ago, I shared in this column how Maureen Rabazinski, a 62-year-old nurse practitioner, had emailed me for advice on how to get her house back. The 2,200-square-foot “private oasis” that she…
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At Home: Tired of your cabinets? Here’s when to replace, reface or repaint
When my husband and I bought a beach vacation condo last fall, we knew the place needed work. But because our goal was to rent it out to cover the carrying costs and occasionally enjoy the place ourselves, we didn’t want to overdo the improvements. We wanted to do “just enough” to spiff up the…
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At Home: Advice to reader who cries ‘Help! I want my house back’
Occasionally, I get a call from a reader whose situation has all the markings of a class action suit — that is, one person acting on behalf of many (maybe you). Maureen Rabazinski’s email was such a case. Two weeks ago, the 62-year-old nurse practitioner from Winter Park, Fla., wrote for advice. Dear Marni, “HELP!”…
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At Home: Shipping solution makes getting used furniture, heirlooms easier
Like many green, budget-minded consumers, Fayre Makeig furnishes her home only with secondhand furniture. “I can’t imagine buying a new piece of furniture,” said the wife and mother of two. “I wouldn’t want to pay that much.” Until recently, however, her furniture search never went beyond her immediate area because she was the one picking…
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At Home: Buying art on a cruise ship could get you in deep water — or not
I know you’re going to make fun of me, so let’s just get this out there: I bought art on a cruise ship. OK, laugh. While gallery owners and art appraisers will mock you for this, you could do worse. My husband and I faced an unusual situation at our house: a blank wall. I…
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At Home: New kitchen offers cooks chance to reorganize
When most expectant parents would be nesting, my daughter and her husband tore out their kitchen. Sawdust swirled and workers buzzed while every dish, glass, pantry item, utensil, pot, pan, canned good and cooking appliance sat in the adjacent family room as if someone tossed in a grenade. So much for nesting. When Baby George,…