A Special Supplement To The Progress-Index & The Colonial Voice
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Fall’s a good time to give the garage a tune-up BY ELLEN GIBSON
homes, garages are so filled with clutter they stop serving their main purpose. “When your garage is too full to park a or many families, the end of sumcar in, that expensive piece of machinery mer means it’s time to put away sits out in the elements every day and night the inflatable kiddie pools, campwhile your clutter stays cozy and dry ing equipment and gardening tools inside,” Ricci says. “What kind of sense for the season. does that make?” If you plan to shove this gear into arbiWhether your garage is slightly dishevtrary piles around the edge of the garage, eled or looks more like an overstuffed storyou’re not alone: Many Americans say the age unit, the changeover to fall is an ideal garage is the most disorganized room in time to give it a tune-up using these steps their home, according to the International from organizational experts: Association of Business Organizing. 1. Prepare. Tackling a junk-filled garage is But a messy garage is not just unsightly, it physically demanding. Ecker advises pacing can cost you money. People with cluttered yourself and setting a schedule in advance. garages tend to waste time searching for Consider renting an outdoor storage conmisplaced items and end up re-buying AP PHOTO/THE CONTAINER STORE tainer so your belongings aren’t sitting in things they already own, says Erica Ecker, a the driveway or in the house for a month Platinum elfa Garage Shelving and Storage while you finish reorganizing the garage. professional organizer in New York City. They also risk injury. Garages often hold from The Container Store is shown. Enlist help. If you can’t afford a profeshedge trimmers, table saws, toxic chemicals open without hitting a wheelbarrow or sional organizer, recruit relatives or offer to and other dangerous items alongside chilworkbench, it gets dented and dinged. Moni- swap labor with a friend who is planning a dren’s scooters and bikes. ca Ricci, a professional organizer who similar household project. An assistant can An overstuffed garage puts your vehicles makes appearances on the HGTV show help you move heavy objects, keep you motiat risk, too. When the car door can’t swing “Mission: Organization,” says that in many vated and ask objective questions (“Do you
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FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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really use that?”), says Ellen Kutner, who runs the company Simply Organized in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 2. Empty and sort. Empty the contents of the garage out into the driveway and begin sorting it into piles, grouping like things together. Categories will vary by household, but you may start with Sporting Equipment, Tools, Hardware, Car Care, Lawn Care, Seasonal, Toys and Household Goods. 3. Purge. The next step — paring down your stuff — is the most important. First, toss anything broken or expired. Return borrowed items to their owners. If you own multiples of something, donate the duplicates or sell them. Analyze how often things get used. “Too often the garage can be like a time capsule,” Ricci says. Are you storing camping equipment from when your college-age kids were Cub Scouts? Time to get rid of it. Find ways to downsize bulky items. For example, Ecker says, rather than storing mostly-empty paint cans for future touch-up Please see GARAGE, Page T4
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GARAGE
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jobs, keep a mason jar-size container of each leftover paint, labeled with the brand, color name and finish. “Being organized is not about being neat and tidy, it’s about limits and boundaries,” Kutner says. “You don’t need to stock everything you might one day need. That’s why there are stores.” 4. Spruce up the space. While the garage is bare, give it a thorough cleaning. Kristin Long, who owns the company The Organizational Specialists, recommends adding durable floor tiles or a fresh coat of paint. Making the garage more visually appealing will inspire you to keep it tidy. While you’re at it, wipe down all the warm-weather gear that is going to get stashed for the next eight months. 5. Build upward. Look at what’s left and figure out where it will live in the garage, placing the most frequently used stuff in the most accessible locations. Install shelving to add vertical storage and get things off the floor. Clear bins are best so you can see what’s inside. Ecker recommends the ELFA system sold by The Container Store, saying it’s easy to install and adjust. If you’re feeling less ambitious, the snaptogether plastic shelves sold at any big-box store work fine. Use hooks to hang ladders, bikes, shovels and rakes. Mount pegboard on the wall to keep tools out of kids’ reach, and put dangerous substances like pesticides on high shelves. The garage ceiling is underutilized, Ricci says, but with a ceiling storage system such as Hy-Loft, Racor Hydraulics Lifts or Onrax, you can stash stuff you only access once or twice a year, such as sleds or cushions for outdoor furniture. If you do woodworking or crafts, metro shelving on wheels gives you the flexibility to move supplies into the center of the garage or driveway. Ecker recommends the Uline brand.
BY CAROLE FELDMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
AP PHOTO/THE CONTAINER STORE
Whether your garage is slightly disheveled or looks more like a storage unit, the changeover to fall is an ideal time to give your parking pad a much-needed tune-up using steps from organizational experts. 6. Label everything. Label containers using a Sharpie or other permanent method. Be sure to label the container, not the shelf, so when bins get moved, items are still put in the correct place, Long says. 7. Maintain. An organizing project is only as good as its upkeep, Kutner says. Just as you take the car in for an oil change every 5,000 miles, when you start to see clutter accumulating, it’s time to do garage maintenance. If you buy something new, something else has to go. When you take an item out to use it, put it away immediately after you’re done.
Are your windows leaking air? Are they getting more difficult to open? Is the wood frame rotting? Homeowners choose to replace their windows for a variety of reasons, from energy efficiency to aesthetics. “It might be the seals have failed or the wood has rotted,” said Kerry Haglund, senior research fellow at the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota. Or homeowners might be looking to replace leaky windows to keep heat or air conditioning in, or they might want added UV protection to protect furniture from fading in the sunlight. No matter what the motivation, new windows can be costly. “They’re too expensive to think you’re going to get your money back either in terms of energy savings or when you’re selling your house,” said Kit Selzer, a senior editor for Better Homes and Gardens.
Still, new energy-efficient windows can make your home more comfortable in winter and summer, and more attractive. Haglund recommends choosing the most energy-efficient window you can. The cost for a new window can range from hundreds of dollars to $1,000 or more, depending on the frame, style ? double-hung or casement, for example ? and whether you choose single, double or triple pane glass. Decorative elements can add to the price. A casement window might be be a good option in windy areas, said Gary Pember, vice president of marketing for Simonton Windows. “As the wind increases, they become more efficient because of the way they seal,” he said. A double-hung that opens only from the top might be a good choice for someone looking for increased security, he said. Older homeowners or those who think they’ll stay in their homes as they age Please see WINDOWS, Page T5
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WINDOWS Continued from Page T4
might want to consider a window they don’t have to lift. Frames come in wood, vinyl, aluminum and other materials. Wood frames are more traditional, but require regular painting. “ I f yo u ’ r e w a n t i n g something maintenancefree, you can’t get anything better than vinyl,” Pember said. There are many options now for vinyl frames, including a variety of colors. You can also get a wood interior and a vinyl exterior. Selzer said aluminum frames are more contemporary, but also more expensive. Most windows sold today are double pane, although people in northern climates may choose a triple pane, Haglund said. “Single pane is still available in southern climates, though we don’t recommend it.” Windows must meet an area’s building energ y code, she said. “Windows in the North are optimized to reduce heat loss in the winter, while windows in the South are optimized to reduce heat gain during the summer,” according to the government’s Energy Star website. “This explains why windows that are energy efficient in Florida will not necessarily be energy efficient in Michigan.” The Energy Star and National Fenestration Rating Council labels can help you compare windows. Consumers may be most familiar with the U-factor, which tells you how much heat can escape through the window.
AP PHOTO/SIMONTON WINDOWS, THERESA CLEMENT
In this image taken in 2011 and released by Simonton Windows, Mark Clement, a professional contractor and host of MyFixItUpLife home improvement radio show, installs energy-efficient Simonton replacement windows in his 100-plus-year-old home in Ambler, Pa. The labels also include information on how much light and heat from the sun is transmitted through the window. While Haglund urges homeowners not to scrimp on energy efficiency, she said there are other ways to save money short of full window replacement. A new window can be fitted into existing frames that are in good condition. Or, she said, you can replace just the sash — the part of the window that contains the glass. Again, this would only work if the frame is in good condition. If you decide not to invest in new windows, you can increase the energ y e f f i c i e n cy o f yo u r existing ones: “Stor m windows are certainly a good idea,”
Selzer said. Use caulk or weatherstripping to seal any leaks around the frame. And insulating draperies or other window treatments also can help increase comfort. “They’re so much more tailored and thinner than they used to be,” she said. “Old insulating treatments were very bulky, like putting up blankets. Now, they’re certainly sleek and more effective.” • Online: Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota: http://efficientwindows. org Federal Trade Commission on windows: http:// w w w. f t c . g o v / b c p / e d u / pubs/consumer/homes/ rea20.shtm The Progress-Index, Petersburg, VA Sunday, September 23, 2012
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Paint can be a dramatic, low-cost floor covering BY DIANA MARSZALEK FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
When it became clear that allergies would prevent Nancy B. Westfall’s infant daughter from having a rug in her room, the Atlantabased artist turned instead to paint, a few stencils and a plan. Westfall used the baby’s bedroom floor much like she would a canvas, painting on it a diamond-shaped pattern that gave the space a custom look you simply can’t achieve with a kid’s area rug. Eleven years and another house later, Westfall remains a big fan of bringing floors to life with color instead of covering them up. “They look pretty refinished, and they look even better painted,” Westfall says. You don’t have to be a professional artist like Westfall to do it, although proponents of painting the floor say it does require patience and nerve. Rachel Cannon Lewis, an interior designer in Baton Rouge, La., encourages clients to consider it. Painting a floor, whether it’s wood or concrete, can be more affordable than tile, carpet or
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other floor coverings, she says. And in homes that date back more than a century, painted floors are more historically accurate: Back then, people frequently painted their wide, plank wood floors to protect them from warping, Lewis says. Plus, painting just looks good. “I’m starting to think of the floor as the sixth wall,” says Lewis, who considers floors “an overlooked opportunity to get creative and introduce color.” (The “fifth wall,” by the way, is the ceiling). Painting floors yourself can be a lengthy process, Lewis says, primarily because the thin, oil-based paint she recommends requires multiple coats, with lengthy dry times between each one. Getting fancier by, say, creating a pattern with paint or a stencil, requires even more patience and precision. Even if you hire a professional painter, however, “You have to be willing to embrace the idea that it’s going to be a different solution than what most people tell you to do,” Lewis says. Please see FLOOR, Page T8
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AP PHOTO/GREGG IRBY FINE ART
Atlanta artist Nancy B. Westfall painted this floor in her daughter’s room.
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“There are going to be friends that come over who don’t get it, and your mom is not going to get it,” she says. “But I love the notoriety that comes with pushing the envelope and going for it.” Painted floors are not as durable as some of the alternatives, especially in high-traffic areas, says Sidney Wagner, a Charleston, S.C., interior designer. “Over time, even with polyurethane, they will show scratches and the paint will scratch?off,” she says. “However, a tip to help combat your floors from looking too shabby is to paint a contrasting layer of color underneath. So when that second layer of color comes through with the scratches, the marred floors will look planned
with your color scheme.” Carol Charny, a Larchmont, N.Y.-based interior designer, says that painting floors requires a bit of throwing caution to the wind. “You can do anything you want. The world is your oyster,” she says. “You just have to disengage from fear.” In the home interiors shop she used to own, Char ny used black and white paint to make the floor look like it was covered with an area rug, complete with fringe. She warns that the margin for error grows with the complexity of the project. “You’re not going to paint an Oriental rug,” she says. On the other hand, the beauty of using paint is that, if something goes awry, you can cover it up. “You have to relax,” she says. “It’s only paint.”
Home fragrances offer new variety, seasonal scents BY LISA A. FLAM FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
When the lazy days of summer give way to hectic fall schedules, there is nothing like dashing in from the cold and being enveloped by a home filled with delicious smells. These days, there are endless ways to add a special scent to your home. Home fragrance products have exploded into a $5 billion industry, with can-
dles, diffusers, room sprays and oils offered everyplace from drug stores to high-end retailers. There are many use-what-you-have, do-it-yourself options as well. The idea is to create an inviting, comforting and calming environment, whether you’re having 20 people for a sit-down dinner or simply hanging out on the couch for the evening. “This is a time when people are
spending more time at home, and they want that cozy, holiday, warm feeling, and maybe you want that even when you’re not entertaining ? you want it on a Tuesday night when you’re watching TV,” said Jessica Romm, lifestyles editor at Martha Stewart Living. “Fragrance is a really nice way to do that.” Once comprised mostly of candles Please see SCENTS, Page T9
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and potpourri, the home fragrance market took off in the mid- to late 1990s, and retail sales in the United States hit a high of $5.3 billion in 2011, according to Karen Doskow, industry manager for consumer products at Kline and Co., a market research company in Parsippany, N.J. Sales last year were up 4 percent over 2010, she said. Today’s of ferings include candles, room sprays, reed and plug-in diffusers, wax melts, essential oils, and old standards like drawer liners and sachets. Many products now of fer a more sophisticated scent and they’re more decorative as well, Doskow said. Just as there are scores of scents to
choose from (Yankee Candle has about 200 candle fragrances), the prices vary greatly. “It can range from a Renuzit adjustable (air freshener) for 99 cents up to a Jo Malone scented candle that’s in excess of $100,” Doskow said. In fact, Jo Malone’s luxury candle offers 230 hours of burn time and sells for $425, while a large Yankee Candle that offers up to 150 hours of scent costs $27.99. Crabtree & Evelyn has scented sprays for $19, while French perfumer Frederic Malle’s “perfume gun” spray sells for $145. W h at eve r yo u r budget, try to capture the natural smells of the season in a simple and minimal way, Romm says. She men-
tions masculine scents like wood and leather, and the smells of seasonal fruits and vegetables, such as pumpkin, apple, pear and squash. “You’d think about meals that you’re cooking or things you would have around ? fruits of the season or spices you might use,” Romm said. “Our philosophy in terms of home fragrance is to not battle or compete with what you would naturally have in your home during the fall.” As winter arrives, a fresh Christmas tree is great, Romm says, but without one, you can introduce the smell of pine, or eucalyptus, and spices like clove and cinnamon. A good way to carry fragrance through your home is to use multiple products at once, says Hope Margala Klein, executive vice president for brand, design and innovation at Yankee Candle. “We recommend a layered approach, with the
candle being the focus,” she said. About an hour before guests arrive, a host might light a candle ? or a no-flame alternative if kids or pets are an issue ? in each of the major entertaining spaces, such as the kitchen, dining room and great room, and accent those with diffusers. “By the time guests get here, the house smells amazing,” Klein said. Don’t forget to add a glow to the bathroom, where you may also want to display a can of room spray for a concentrated burst of fragrance if needed, she recommends. The amount of scent you should use depends on the size of your home. “People who have enormous rooms would probably need more,” Klein said. “Or if you’re living in a small apartment in New York City, you could probably do one candle for the whole place. You don’t want it to overpower folks.”
AP PHOTOS/THE YANKEE CANDLE COMPANY
Above: The Yankee Candle large jar in Autumn Wreath, Spiced Pumpkin and Apple Cider are shown. Left: A Yankee Candle Signature Reed Diffuser in Spiced Pumpkin is seen. One scent can be used throughout the home for an intense smell, or you can combine scents. “People will create their own recipes for what they think is great,” Klein said. Romm is partial to DIY home fragrance, like setting a pot of apple cider with cin-
namon or cloves to simmer on the stove, displaying a pretty bowl of cinnamon sticks, or drying sliced apples on parchment paper in the oven on low heat. “You can serve it just as guests are arriving so that smell fills your home,” she said.
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For Nate Berkus, the home should tell a story BY ARLENE HIRST NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE
The interior designer Nate Berkus first appeared on the national scene in 2002 as a guest on “Oprah.” He was such a hit with the audience and the star that he became the show’s featured design expert. Since then, his career has boomed. He has written a book, “Home Rules: Transform the Place You Live Into a Place You’ll Love,” and starred in his own television program, “The Nate Berkus Show,” which ended this spring. In October, Berkus, 40, will have two major introductions: a 150-piece collection of furnishings for Target, and a new book, “The Things That Matter” (Spiegel & Grau, $35). Speaking from his office in Chicago (he has another
AP PHOTO/JEFF CHRISTENSEN
Nate Berkus poses for a portrait Feb. 14, 2011, in New York. in New York), he spilled details about both projects. Your new book is extremely personal. It’s as much about the people themselves as it is about interior design. Why did you decide to write it?
It’s a reaction to all the information and the misinformation that is out there on television, in magazines and on websites telling people what to do: how to decorate. For me, the home should tell a story about the people who live there. It’s a different way of looking at design. My goal was to tell how people made their choices. I hate when people say there are no rules to design. There are rules about things like scale and proportion. And of course a home needs to be utilitarian and functional, but there are many roads and directions to achieve this. How did you select the projects in the book? I picked the interiors because they are far-flung: a studio apartment in Brook-
lyn; a San Francisco apartment with a 10,000-squarefoot terrace; a minimal ranch house in Marfa, Texas. But all really reflect the people who live there. The 14 projects in the book are triumphs of personal style. There’s a big chunk of your own biography, too. I didn’t set out to do that when I started, but I learned so many personal stories that I felt it was only right and appropriate for me to tell mine. Before Target, you designed a 2008 collection for Home Shopping Network. Are you philosophically committed to the mass market? I am a fan of the mass market. I have a responsibility to my custom clients to know as much as possible about antiques, rare carpets and fine art, and a lot of what
we do is custom for high-end clients. But I get a rush finding a beautifully designed object at a great price. How would you describe the style of your Target collection? I don’t strike a chord with any one style. I love everything from Swedish antiques to midcentury modern to Milan design from the ‘70s. I love crafts, basketry and metalwork. All these elements are incorporated in the line. I did design with a point of view using natural materials, knitting and textural finishes. I don’t want people to buy the entire collection. I want them to be able to buy pieces and layer them into their homes. The line will have a long life. I’ll be able to constantly refresh it. I don’t want to totally overhaul every sea-
son. The whole is focused on accessories and objects. I see every horizontal surface as an opportunity. A lot is drawn from pieces in my home that I’ve been collecting over the last 25 years. There’s a lacquer tortoise shell like one that’s hanging on my wall. What about color? I’m influenced by fashion, painting and photography. My colors for the fall are deeper and earthier. Then they will lighten up in the spring. I only used two colors in each product because they’re easier to incorporate. Who are your design heroes? In design, Axel Vervoordt a n d J a c q u e s G r a n g e. Grange’s interiors are so intensely personal and so Please see BERKUS, Page T11
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BERKUS
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layered. I admire Andree Putman and an architect I have worked with, Ahmad Sardar Afkhami. I love Verdura jewelry, Gio Ponti, Fornasetti and Gabriella Crespi. In the mass market you need to know what the best things are. You were an executive producer of “The Help.” How did that come about, and are there more films in your future? Tate Taylor, the producer, is a friend of mine and he sent me a galley of the book before it was published, looking for financial backing. I read it in a day and a half and loved it. So I signed up to support it in any way I could. It was a thrill to sit at the Academy Awards. I love the idea that it reached so many people. And I’m currently working on a second movie project but I can’t tell anyone yet what it’s about. I can say that it’s another adaptation of a book. You’ ve built an amazing career in a very short time. What do you want to do next? I want to go back on TV in a meaningful way. I’m working on a new show and hope to find a home for it in a year or two.
Fall gardening can yield hearty crops BY KATHY VAN MULLEKOM DAILY PRESS
NEWPORT NEWS — The growing season isn’t over with the end of summer. Until the first hard frost hits, you have plenty of time to plant, pick and plate cool-weather crops. Fall is a great time for gardening thanks to cooler, milder temperatures, fewer garden pests and softer, moist soil. Some vegetables, like collards, taste best when nipped by light frost. Lettuce thrives for weeks in fall temperatures, and is easy to tuck between and under taller plants or in containers. When you plant in pots, make sure there are numerous holes for good drainage; use good quality potting soil, not garden soil because it’s too heavy. Planting a fall garden late summer ensures crops mature before freezing weather, especially when you choose varieties that mature quickly; information about days
to maturity can be found on plant tags. A fall garden is best started with transplants, rather than seeds, so you get earlier harvests. Find your frost/freeze dates with the National Climatic Data Center at www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/freezefrost/frostfreemaps. html. Here are some fall gardening tips from Bonnie Plants.
Fall gardening tips Tidy up. Remove spent plants, like early planted beans, cucumbers or lettuce, since they’re pretty much done for the season and can harbor pests. Clear away holes left from pulling plants, and get rid of weeds before they go to seed. Throw away anything distressed and compost the rest. Discard any fallen fruits; rotting produce can attract pests. Take note of where everything was planted so you rotate crops to keep plants healthy. Set up the soil. Freshen garden
soil by removing the existing layer of mulch and replace it. Straw makes an excellent cover because it’s easily scattered, it’s also a favorite home for spiders that help control insect pests in your garden. You can also use a layer of shredded leaves for mulch. Loosen compacted soil, and fluff it up with a garden fork. Major tilling isn’t necessary; just move soil enough to allow new plant roots to settle in and let water get through. Test soil (you can buy a testing kit at most garden retailers) to see if it needs help. Add amendments, if needed. At the very least, work some compost in where your plants will be growing.
6 fall crops Top Bunch Collards — This hybrid yields good and matures early. They grow best in full sun, tolerate partial shade, are rich in vitamins and sweetened by frost. Space transplants 36 inches apart.
Spinach — Although spinach prefers full sun, it’s one of the few vegetables that produce a respectable harvest in partial shade. Winterbor kale — This nutritious leafy green is a vigorous producer that endures winter easily. Cut the outer leaves so the center continues growing. Space transplants 12 inches apart. Early Dividend broccoli — Popular, productive and easy to grow, this broccoli is high in fiber and calcium. Space transplants 18 inches apart. Mustard greens — Offering spicy hot leaves, this is a very fastgrowing, nutritious vegetable, and always tastes sweeter when nipped by frost. Space plants 12 inches apart. Bonnie hybrid cabbage — Grows large, round, blue-green heads. Cabbage is especially high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, K and fiber. • Online: www.bonnieplants.com
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