House Beautiful articles from February 2007

House Beautiful archives from February 2007

No matter how old the scotch.(THE BEST!)(Lladro bottle stoppers )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... These porcelain Lladro bottle stoppers made from vintage molds suggest a very good year. A little detail that will give a lot of pleasure! Re-Cyclos Magical, $95 each. LLADRO: www.lladro.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

1 Home fragrance.(THE BEST!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Some of the most beautiful fragrance bottles we've seen are candle pots and diffusers from Pottery Barn's new bed and bath collection. From $16. POTTERY BARN BED & BATH: 800-922-5507. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

2 Chocolates.(THE BEST!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The best-kept secret in chocolate is this little artisanal candymaker in St. Helena, California. Try a box of dominoes, or their amazing playing cards for your Texas hold'em partner. $24, gift box upon request. WOODHOUSE CHOCOLATES:...

3 Pitcher.(THE BEST!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Journey to Provence with the dancing Arlesiennes on this sunny pitcher, hand-painted and glazed in France. We'd love it for lemonade, but it's almost too pretty to use. $125. OLIVIER NAPA VALLEY: 707-967-8777. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

4 Mirror.(THE BEST!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Tramp art prices have become astronomical, so thank you, Ralph Lauren Home, for the whitewashed Studio Mirror from the new Hither Hills collection. $2,025. RALPH LAUREN HOME: 888-475-7674. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

5 Ottoman.(THE BEST!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... "It was a piece I needed but couldn't find," says designer Barry Dixon of his Dana Ottoman. But it's realty all about that great floral nailhead design. Also available in a Greek key pattern. $5,040. BARRY DIXON: www.barrydixon.com. ...

1 Tote.(THE BEST!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Perfect for the farmer's market or errands around town, this waxed cotton tote (the glaze develops a lovely patina with age) folds up just like a brown paper bag. Multiple colors and styles. No. 105, $95. MADAME BAGUETTE: www.bravebrownbag.com....

2 Stencil.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Not all of us can afford the silk wallpaper we crave--but we can still have a little chinoiserie with this impressive 8-x-3-foot stencil. It's one of countless designs from the amazing Stencil Library. CH10 Bird Panel, $550. THE STENCIL...

3 Runner.(THE BEST!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Wow. Gene Meyer's color block 3-X-12-foot Beachnik Runner is an instant fix for a dull hallway. Made of 100 percent Himalayan handspun wool, it's also a treat for feet. $1,875. NIBA HOME: 305-573-1939. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

4 Side table.(THE BEST!)
February 1, 2007... Now this is modern: Old World blue damask on a Marcel glass-topped silver-plated table. It would freshen any room. $895. WORLDS AWAY: 901-529-0844. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

5 Prints.(THE BEST!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The naturalist craze goes on: Buy this handsome box of 14 archival reproductions for the coffee table, but don't be surprised if you end up framing them. Vol. 6, Terra Incognita, $168. NATURAL CURIOSITIES: www.naturalcuriosities.com. ...

Color when you need a quick fix: you want to freshen your room, but the thought of painting the whole thing is just too much. Our designers put color where you'd never think of it.
February 1, 2007... JAY JEFFERS BENJAMIN MOORE BUXTON BLUE HC 149 AND HC RUST 2175-30 It's the contrast of cool Wedgwood blue with warm terra-cotta that makes this bookcase interesting. If I had painted it all blue, it would have disappeared. But now the dark...

Instant room new classics.
February 1, 2007... Drawing on Europe's rich past, designer Lillian August introduces an elegant fabric line for Robert Allen that we'd love to live with. See how she creates a welcoming entry hall. HOW SHE'D DO IT August designs an entrance with an...

I want to buy a cocktail shaker: Carol Prisant shows us what to look for.
February 1, 2007... A LITTLE BACKSTORY Shaken, not stirred. And with good reason, too. Shaken cocktails aren't just fizzy and mildly dilute. They're festive. And those shakers, like 007, brim with black-tie glamour and retro-chic. Like James, too, they're sexy....

Weekend shopper/sconces.
February 1, 2007... SIMPLY ELEGANT After pricing wall sconces for her apartment, House Beautiful's Anne Collins had an I-can-make-that moment: A sconce is nothing more than a plate, a candleholder, a wall hanger, and some hardware. How hard could it be? And if she...

Technophobia vacuum cleaners.
February 1, 2007... Because a good deep cleaning is the first step to redoing a room, Sallie Brady tests the suction on the latest arsenal of dirt-devouring machines ultimate horsepower DYSON ROOT 6 WHAT'S NEW Dyson's first handheld is pure alpha-male. A...

Ask the dog shrink: relax. She'll learn how to cope with the contractors ... a winning breed for families.
February 1, 2007... Q I'm having my kitchen redone and my Labrador can't handle the chaos. She whines if she can't be near me, barks hysterically, and takes off if the builder leaves that door open. Please help! A ANYONE WHO'S GONE THROUGH A home construction...

I'm looking for a lantern talk about an entrance! these leading lights steal the show in any hallway.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... 1. PALISADES MG 25, $640. SHINE HOME: 949-361-1414. 2. PAGODA LANTERN, $3,800. CHAMELEON FINE LIGHTING: 212-355-6300. 3. URBAN SMOKEBELL LANTERN from the Collector's Edition, $1,920. BAKER: 800-592-2537. 4. WISTERIA HANGING LAMP D, $1,120. ERIC...

Ask the barefoot contessa: Ina's secret to tasty tomatoes--even in the winter! You'll love them with her meatloaf.(Recipe)
February 1, 2007... Q. My family loves tomatoes, but the ones I find in winter are usually: so tasteless. Is there anything I can do to give them more flavor? A. I try to cook seasonally, but sometimes I just feel like tomatoes, too. I roast them at high...

Cookbook: our reviewer fell for the chocolate desserts in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours, and shows you how to make them--just in time for Valentine's Day.(Recipe)
February 1, 2007... I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, but the month of February is enlivened in my thoughts by elaborate Valentine's Day fantasies. Not the lacy underwear and roses kind, but the actual meal I'll eat on February 14th, and most particularly the chocolate note...

Makeover lesson #1: details.
February 1, 2007... Everybody loves a "makeover," but I have to admit, it's not my favorite word. It suggests you have nothing to contribute to your own reinvention--that an expert with "real taste" has to come in and do you over. Most Makeovers don't stick, for...

Makeover lesson #2: impact.(Interview)
February 1, 2007... MIMI READ: This is a house with a pedigree, isn't it? TOM SCHEERER: It's a turn-of-the-century caretaker's bungalow on a country estate on the Delaware River, north of Philadelphia. It's called Andalusia--a place with a long, deep history....

Makeover lesson #3: toss it!(Interview)
February 1, 2007... FRANCES SCHULTZ: Your decorating book, Apartment Therapy--The Eight-Step Home Cure, has absolutely inspired me to reexamine my relationship with my home. The best part of the cure doesn't have a thing to do with dust ruffles. It has to do with...

Makeover lesson #4: real life: I want a fresh start.
February 1, 2007... I Just think of the possibilities. Imagine what the room you're sitting in right now could be if you could just break out of that old, familiar mind-set and see it with new eyes. You need some great ideas. That's where House Beautiful stepped...

101 knobs: makeover lesson #5: quick fix: a twist of a screw, and you've got a whole new look. What a difference a knob makes.
February 1, 2007... GLASS SPHERE IN LIGHT BLUE, $40; TRACYGLOVERSTUDIO.COM. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MUSHROOM, $7; MICHAEL ARAM: 866-792-2726. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PURPLE BOTANICAL #5280-74, FROM $21; LBBRASS.COM. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Makeover lesson #6: repetition.(Interview)
February 1, 2007... CAROL PRISANT: There's certainly a lot of blue in this house. That's a great blue paint on the dining room walls. T. KELLER DONOVAN: A teacher at Parsons School of Design used to say, 'Put a little blue in everything you do.' Some people think...

Kitchen of the month/Massachusetts: have you ever seen such a remarkably organized and clutter-free kitchen? Leave it to a cookbook writer to know what works best.(Interview)
February 1, 2007... MIMI READ: As a woman who's written six cookbooks and does all her own recipe testing, you needed--and got-a kitchen that's super high-functioning. Yet you also wanted a big, warm, beautiful gathering spot for family and friends. Did you have a...

Correction.(Correction notice)
February 1, 2007... December: In the story "Warn is Hot," we misindentified the Lee Jofa curtain fabric on page 76. The correct name is Skyscraper Sheer in Leaf. In the story "Happiness" on p. 67, the Web site for the rug featured was listed incorrectly. The...

What's the simplest thing you've done in an interior that had the greatest impact? Heather Smith MacIsaac gets some surprising answers from designers.(The last words)
February 1, 2007... So many great lamps, and then rooms, are destroyed by the lampshades. Nothing (an make a more instantaneous dramatic difference than replacing an old dusty silk shade with a brown paper shade or a black shade. I usually opt for one in an Empire...