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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013
REAL ESTATE
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
HOUSE PLAN
Form as well as Gables offer welcoming look function figure in lighting options
Three front gables, varied in size, give a welcoming look to the Walsh, a plan that is both contemporary and compact. Brick wainscoting and multipane windows, one of them arched, add to the visual appeal, as does the wide covered porch. A spacious and comfortable family room forms the core of this home, with other rooms wrapping around it on three sides and a small patio on the fourth. Two glass doors that swing open for easy access are next to a fireplace tucked in the rear corner. The kitchen’s eating bar and the family room’s trayed ceiling help define these areas. Counter space is plentiful in the C-shaped kitchen. Two or three people can work companionably there without getting in each other’s way, and the nook is roomy enough for a good-size table. A slender sidelight brightens the entry. Straight ahead is a small coat closet, and next to it, a stack of triangular display shelves, ideal for displaying family mementos or other small treasures. To the right is a window-bright room that could be outfitted as a living room, home office, home entertainment center, or you name it. It could even be another bedroom, if that’s what’s needed. Though not large itself, the Walsh’s owners’ suite has a large walk-in closet and a private bathroom. Amenities here include a dual vanity and a shower. Utilities are just outside
BY HARRIETT HENDREN Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader
the door, in a passthrough space that connects the house and garage. Secondary bedrooms are on the opposite side of
the house, with a bathroom and linen closet between the two. The front bedroom (or study) has a vaulted ceiling.
A review plan of the Walsh 30-247, including floor plans, elevations, section and artist’s conception, can be purchased for $25 by phone, mail or online. Add $5 for shipping and handling. Associated Designs, 1100 Jacobs Drive, Eugene, OR, 97402. www.associated designs.com. (800) 634-0123.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — With home decor, the items we use most every day, such as doors or chairs, often can be taken for granted. And so it is with lighting. Illuminating our homes, especially during this time of year, when night overtakes day by early evening, is a necessity. But there’s more to lights than just function. Looks and feel also play integral roles. “From an aesthetic point of view, lighting we like to equate to jewelry,” said Paula Minton, general manager of Kentucky Lighting & Supply. Minton and her staff ask customers about the style of the space. “We want to know what are you feeling when you’re in the room,” she said. “We try to hone in on what we in the trade think of as masculine, clean, kind of boxy, and feminine, maybe more ornate with slimmer lines with a lot of high design.” There’s an amazing array of types of lighting: table lamps, Chandelier sconces, pendants and chandeliers, to name a few. To choose the best style for a room, it’s best to think about how the lights will be used. “There’s some practical consideration like the amount of light you need for the task, the size of the room, what the use of the room is,” Minton said. “Are there tasks carried out there, or are you interested in ambient light? Do you want the fixture to be a focal point or do you want it to disappear?” It also pays to be conscious of energy use. The American Lighting Association, a trade group representing the lighting industry in the United States and Canada, offers energy-saving lighting tips from Joe Rey-Barreau. ReyBarreau suggests replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. For an inviting glow, choose products labeled “residential color,” “warm” or “soft white.” For an easy fix, retrofit recessed lighting with LED fixtures. “You just take off part of the existing fixture, and the replacement fixture fits into the old housing,” ReyBarreau said. “LED fixtures have a high initial cost, but the fixture will last literally the lifetime of the project.” For more information, go to www.Americanlighting assoc.com. MCT INFORMATION SERVICES