ARCH NEMESIS
Traditionally, the only apt covering for a rounded window was a sheer curtain, gathered to fit and tacked permanently in place. Today, your window-treatment shop can custom bend curtain rods to fit exactly inside an arch.
Or you might consider a whole new way of dressing windows: The elegant old architecture in the photo we show here is updated with cellular honeycomb shades. It's from Hunter Douglas at www.hunterdouglas.com or (800) 274-2985. The upper shades are fanned to fit snugly inside the double arches, then complemented by draw-down panels that reach the window sills. This way, you get both privacy, and energy-control - the honeycomb structure of the shades insulates against heat loss and gain - without obscuring the inherent beauty of the architecture.
Q: For our new kitchen, I definitely do not want stainless steel appliances. My mom had them and she was always wiping off the fingerprints. Besides, stainless steel just looks too cold and industrial for me. I'm a country kitchen type, so I don't want black or white, either. But don't talk to me about Harvest Gold. Was there, did that! Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
A: Just in time - ta-dum! There's a movement toward the warmer, richer look of bronze in kitchen appliances. At least one upscale manufacturer, Jenn-Air, has added what it's calling "oiled bronze" to its appliance offerings. The finish is hand-rubbed to encourage subtle shadings, which means your refrigerator won't be nearly as in-your-face as gleaming stainless.
Q: I need more space! My one-bedroom apartment is so crowded I either have to move or get rid of a lot of the oversized hand-me-down furniture from my parents. Can you steer me to some smart double-duty furniture?
A: Assuming you're already onto the obvious - like convertible sofas and storage ottomans - let's explore some other new space-makers that are making today's home scene.
A company named Arason Enterprises has a new bed-in-a-chest that's sized right for a small home or apartment. What looks by day like an ordinary oak or birch chest flips by night into a comfy double bed. See more at www.fu-chest.com or call (410) 703-4412.
Make room for one more around the dinner table with a handsome new drop-leaf whose leaves flip up, rather than down, and fold small between meals. It's from Storehouse at www.storehouse.com or (888) 786-7346.
Storehouse also offers a country kitchen workshop table with a flip-top and storage drawers. Two more space-makers well worth their square footage are a shoe chest that stands 5 feet tall but only 8 inches deep, and a revolving bookcase that swivels to a full-length mirror on the other side.
Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Hampton Style" and associate editor of Country Decorating Ideas. Please send your questions to her at Copley News Service, P.O. Box 120190, San Diego, CA 92112-0190, or online at copleysd@copleynews.com.
© Copley News Service
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