Your Family Decorator: White-and-Light Color Scheme Offers Fresh Update

These days, it's all about white and light. If you visited the to-the-trade home-furnishings market in High Point, N.C., last month, you know that furniture makers worldwide are into light finishes – and many of those finishes are white, white and again, more white.

I have enjoyed creating collections for the Kindel Furniture Co. of Grand Rapids, Mich., which is operating under a new president, John Smith, and moving not to the center but to the left and the right. The company' pagoda etageres that were once stained mahogany or simply given a light-wood finish are today sprayed in white lacquer.

Why the light and white? Maybe it's because young America has had it with the mahogany dining room of yesteryear, that perfectly groomed room with the Queen Anne-style extension table and the richly stained matching chairs with seats covered in a traditional stripe of soft blue, cream, avocado and russet.

While the pieces may be of the Queen Anne design, the finishes are of today – white. We are returning to the era of the great decorators – Elsie de Wolfe and my mentor, Dorothy Draper. And speaking about the one and only Dorothy, be it known, right here on the pages of the Palm Beach Daily News, that after successful runs in New York City and Dallas, the exhibition "In the Pink – The High Style of Dorothy Draper" will officially open this season on the evening of Feb. 2 at the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale. And Irwin Lipman, director of the museum, is inviting all the Palm Beach group to attend.

Not only that, but Paige Rense, editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest, will conduct a seminar featuring five distinguished designers of today on the morning of Friday, Feb. 1, the day before the show's official opening. For more information about the Dorothy Draper exhibition in Fort Lauderdale, check out the museum's Web site at www.moafl.org. The show will run until June 23.

At the exhibition, you'll see many white pieces of furniture attributed to Dorothy Draper herself. I feel that today's white has come about primarily because today's homemakers live in smaller spaces than did our mothers, fathers and grandparents. Today, a room filled with white furnishings, snappily upholstered, will say "welcome" in every possible way.

Here is a white-and-light scheme for your bedroom that you might find interesting and very practical as well as easy to live with in the classic tradition. For the young married couple who requested this room scheme, begin by painting your ceiling a very pale, frosty green and the crown moldings a white semi-gloss enamel. Walls can be colored bright white.

For flooring, whitewash the wooden floors after they have been bleached and ready for the whitening. Naturally, polyurethane sealer must be added.

Choose a bed with a headboard and footboard in a contemporary style but lacquered white. Sheets, pillowcases and the duvet cover can have a contemporary pattern of light blue on white. For end tables, go for night tables with mirrored fronts. Place on top of each table a contemporary white plaster lamp – maybe one that looks very Dorothy Draper in style with a white silk shade.

A white vanity desk, perhaps one from a Kindel Collection, would fit right into the setting along with a white café-style chair, its seat upholstered in a fresh mint green. Also, a white linen-covered club chair would fit into the setting handsomely, especially if it's piped with pale blue cording. And for a rug on the bedroom floor, try a contemporary-style zebra-pattern rug in pale blue and white from Elson of Washington D.C. – you can see it on the Web site www.elsoncompany.com. And to take a look at all the white-and-bright pieces that Kindel has to offer, vist the Web site www.kindelfurniture.com.

Carleton's Decorating Tip Of the Week

Use a monochromatic color scheme to make a small room appear larger. Use the same color on carpet, furniture, walls, etc.

Interior designer, author and columnist Carleton Varney is the president and owner of Dorothy Draper & Co. in New York City, one of the oldest established interior design firms in the United States. Varney's worldwide roster of clients includes many in Palm Beach. He welcomes decorating questions from readers. E-mail him at cvarney@dorothydraper.com or write to him at Carleton Varney, c/o Darrell Hofheinz, Palm Beach Daily News, 265 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach 33480.

"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software
development, Internet programming,

real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name
registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the
complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software development, Internet programming, real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

source: palmbeachdailynews.com

'TV on a Stick' Makes a Great Holiday Treat

Our computers have literally become the digital hub for most all of our electronic medial products. We use our computers to manage the photos from our digital cameras, the music for our mp3 players and the videos from our camcorders and DVDs. And there's no end in sight. I've recently added my cell phone to that list, because my iPhone uses a copy of iTunes to manage my calling contacts, in addition to most everything else I just mentioned.

Yet the television still seems to elude so many of us who are really into using the PC to manage our multimedia. The Apple TV has certainly helped to bring our TVs into the digital mix by letting us use the TV to view what's displayed on our computer screens. But what I'm talking about here is actually watching TV programming on your computer's screen.

Displaying TV programming on your computer requires you to purchase and install a TV tuner card and the included software. And while that seems like a simple thing, many of us haven't done it. I believe that's because many people wouldn't feel comfortable opening up their computers and installing the necessary hardware.

And the required video drivers and other software that come on the installation CD to make it all work can sometimes interfere with the computer's video-display hardware. Plus, running the TV application can be somewhat daunting in setting things up. Even accessing the TV programming guides to find what's on the different stations can be a real turnoff.

But there's something new that eliminates all of those problems and makes watching TV on your computer a breeze.

Pinnacle's PCTV HD Ultimate Stick does everything for you. All you do is plug the ultra-portable device into any USB port. There's no software to install, because everything you need is already built into the device. That's right: There's no software installation required.

The only other thing you have to plug in is the video source. If the TV signal is coming from the air, just attach a little telescopic antenna – included with the device – that will pick up the signal. If the source is from a cable TV or satellite box, just connect the appropriate A/V cable into the Ultimate Stick's included connectors.

Once you get it going, it gets better. The Ultimate Stick is capable of receiving and displaying standard-definition and high-definition programs on your computer's screen. It will also use your computer's connection to the Internet to automatically download a television programming schedule, so you will know what's playing up to a week in advance.

And if that weren't enough, the Ultimate Stick has a complete personal video recorder (PVR) built into it. The PVR will let you record or time-shift up to two hours of video directly into the device. The destination file formats support other video-based, consumer-electronic products such as the iPod and PSP as well as a variety of video standards like DivX. You can even burn the video directly to a DVD.

And because it's all in the Ultimate Stick itself and not the computer, you can easily unplug the device and insert it into another computer when you want to watch programs at another location. Remember that everything is on the stick itself, so you can watch TV or what you recorded on another PC at any time. When you unplug the device, it's as if it were never there, so you don't have to worry about uninstalling anything.

The Ultimate Stick also includes a little remote control so you can sit back and control all that you see and hear without having to get up from the couch. The device supports analog (NTSC) and digital (ATSC) TV signals alike and is hardware-ready for ClearQAM, which is unencrypted digital cable reception.

The PCTV HD Ultimate Stick only works with Windows PCs and sells for $129.99. And it's small size makes it a perfect stocking stuffer.

"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software
development, Internet programming,

real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name
registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the
complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software development, Internet programming, real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

source: palmbeachdailynews.com

Deadline Today for Palm Beach Realtors' Holiday Luncheon

Today is the last day to make reservations for the Palm Beach Board of Realtors' annual holiday luncheon and officer-installation ceremony to be held Thursday, Dec. 13, at The Beach Club, 755 N. County Road in Palm Beach. The doors will open at 11:30 a.m.

Tickets purchased in advance are $50 and those paid for at the door are $55.

The annual event, which has been held at The Breakers Palm Beach for the past several years, typically draws dozens of Realtors, Realtor Associates and their guests.

During the luncheon, the board's new slate of officers and directors will be sworn in. President Elect Ava Van de Water of Brown Harris Stevens is expected to accept the gavel from outgoing president Norma Mirsky of Mirsky Realty Group.

The luncheon is sponsored by the Palm Beach Daily News and Premier Title of Palm Beach. A variety of local businesses have donated door prizes.

Reservations can be made by calling Athleen Barr at (561) 659-3810 by 5 p.m. today. No cancellations will be accepted after that time.

Index: Remodeling Activity

Rises Slightly In Third Quarter

Remodeling activity held up well during the third quarter of 2007, according to the National Association of Home Builder's Remodeling Market Index. The "current market conditions" indicator increased slightly to 46.2 from 44.8 in the second quarter. And the future expectations measure came in at 43.3, down just slightly from 44.6. Comparisons to third quarter 2006 showed only a slight decline.

"Buoyed by continuing strong demand for minor additions and alterations, the remodeling market is expected to end the year in pretty good shape," said NAHB Remodelers Chairman Mike Nagel, a remodeling professional from Chicago. "Though down a bit from the previous quarter, the remodeling market is not experiencing the dip in production and sales being seen by the new-home-building sector of the industry."

The index measures remodeling professionals' perceptions of market demand for current and future residential remodeling projects. Any number over 50 indicates that the majority of the respondents view market conditions as improving. The index has been running slightly below 50 since the final quarter of 2005.

Nationally, minor additions and alterations increased significantly during the third quarter to 47.07 (from 43.27), while major additions and alterations remained stable at 46.89 (from 46.36). Regionally, minor additions and alterations increased significantly in the northeast to 56.68 (from 50.43) and Midwest to 57.44 (from 45.06).

The amount of work committed for the next three months rose slightly to 36.12 (from 35.91), and the backlog of remodeling jobs decreased to 44.93 (from 47.33). Additionally, owner-occupied remodeling increased to 49.1 (from 47.1), while renter-occupied remodeling declined to 38.7 (from 40.2).

"The (index) is consistent with our forecasts for the remodeling market," said NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders. "We expect activity to contract in 2008 but to resume positive growth in 2009 and beyond."

The index's "special questions" section focused on outdoor remodeling jobs, which marked the first time questions have been asked on the topic. A little more than half of the respondents reported that the most common type of outdoor remodeling job completed by the company was adding a deck, followed by porch (35 percent), patio (25 percent), front porch (25 percent), decking/patio covers/enclosures (22 percent), outdoor lighting (13 percent) and outdoor kitchen (13 percent).

A little more than 30 percent of respondents reported an increase in outdoor remodeling work compared to the previous year. And 44 percent responded that outdoor remodeling work had increased during the last five years. Respondents said that 62 percent of customers financed outdoor remodeling projects with cash, while 36 percent used an equity line of credit.

The U.S. Census reported $2.5 billion was spent last year on decks. It appears that customers tend to hire remodeling professionals to add decks onto homes after living in the house for a period of time, according to the trade group.

Realtors See Mixed Results in October

Used-Home Sales

Single-family used-home sales were stable in October, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Total used-home sales – including single-family, town homes, condominiums and co-ops – eased by 1.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of 4.97 million units in October from a downwardly revised level of 5.03 million in September.

The national median used-home price for all housing types was $207,800 in October.

Among the many metro areas showing healthy price gains were Charlotte, N.C.; San Francisco; Albuquerque; and Green Bay, Wis.

Total housing inventory rose 1.9 percent at the end of October to 4.45 million used homes available for sale, which represents a 10.8-month supply at the present sales pace, up from a downwardly revised 10.4-month supply in September.

Single-family home sales were unchanged from September at the seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.37 million in October. The median used single-family home price was $205,700.

"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software
development, Internet programming,

real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name
registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the
complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software development, Internet programming, real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

source: palmbeachdailynews.com

Your Family Decorator: Red gifts and accessories can fill a home with holiday cheer

Think red, and you'll be right in tune with so many holiday celebrations this time of year. Everyone seems to be thinking red these days, and at the recent Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens "Festival of Trees" gala in West Palm Beach, Stephania Conrad and others in attendance were all bedecked in vibrant red – and Stephania's Mary McFadden cocktail dress in pleated red silk was as Christmasy as you can get.

Some of the biggest stars on the Palm Beach decorating scene lent their talents to the event, so that a walk down the garden path at evening time reveals holiday trees lighted and decorated – some in the old-fashioned style and others in the mood of today. There is even a tree decorated with black-and-white baubles, and another features twigs and branches – giving the standard green fir something to talk about. The event is open for tours through Dec. 16; call (561) 832-5328 for details.

Palm Beach is always festive during the winter holidays, and the palm trees along the major thoroughfares in the village are even decorated with big red bows. Red bows are all over town, yes, and in West Palm Beach as well. The world-class health club, Ultima, located at Dixie Highway and Clematis, has red bows about to keep the holiday workout hours filled with cheer.

If you are planning Christmas décor, or even the décor for your guest room, think red. Bed linens can give a guest room great sparkle. Why not cover your bed at holiday time with white linens trimmed in red? And for fun, you can add a small boudoir throw pillow of bright red as well.

I always enjoy accessorizing my bathrooms with bright red and maybe a few emerald green towels for the season. Red is definitely the color for the day, and who gets the credit for all the red? Only one person – and we all know who that jolly old man is – the one, the only Santa Claus in his red suit trimmed in white. I won't forget Santa's cap, either – jolly bright red with a snowball at the tip that simply finishes off the outfit.

I love rooms that are red, and I'm all for painting a room, or rooms, red for all-year-round enjoyment. Here is a scheme featuring red that you may wish to use in your dining room. Paint all walls bright red and all the trim a Santa Claus-snowball white. The ceiling can be covered with a silver-foil tea paper. From the center of the ceiling over the dining table, hang a crystal chandelier with a silvered frame.

For a dining table, choose a contemporary look: How about black lacquer? You can set the table with placemats of a black-and-white houndstooth pattern and accessorize with big Christmas-red napkins.

Glassware can be old-fashioned Waterford stemware, the kind with lots of those great prismatic cuts in the glass. How I enjoy that old fashioned Waterford. Never fret if Grandma left you her Waterford crystal. It works with every style of dining décor – contemporary, French, Queen Anne, ultramodern, even Oriental.

For a Christmas look on your dining table, I would line the center of the table with green fir branches into which you can set bright and thick red candles and red berries. Now, since Christmas is upon us, instead of Chinoisserie black dining chairs with red chenille seats, why not make slip-covered back cushions for the chairs? The slip covers – and they are easy to make – can be fabricated of white satin, edged in red satin with backs tied in bows – yes, red satin bows. The white satin can be used at windows all year long as drapery, trimmed in black braid and hung from black lacquer poles on black rings.

Hooray for the holidays and all those sparkling lights! Be careful, however, not to overload your outlets – and be aware of the costs of energy these days. It's always best to make sure the lights are turned off when no one is there to enjoy the sparkles.

I have been installing the design of a residence in Palm Beach for the theatrical producer and theater owner James Nederlander and his wife, Charlene, this week. The Nederlanders both love red, and because it is a motivating color, always have some touches of this favorite hue in their homes as well as in their theaters. In fact, Jimmy Nederlander directs me in theater design, as follows: "Anything you choose for my theater Carleton, is OK with me – as long as it is red." Mr. Nederlander directs – and red it is!

If you're shopping Palm Beach for holiday presents, think red when it comes to picking out that special accessory for a friend or family member. In fact, why not make your complete gift list red? For the young men on your list, what about bright red polo shirts from any number of manufacturers – La Coste, being my favorite – or from Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren or Brooks Bros. Also on my "like very much" list are red pullover shirts, great for all-year use.

For the homemaker with an eye for energy and for home decorating, may I suggest some red gifts. Here are a dozen gift and decorating ideas that can brighten up the home.

• A large red glass bowl for fruit or for floating white gardenias. Make certain the bowl is not too deep – cereal depth is perfect.

• A set of red-glass water glasses, preferably on stems. Red water glasses always give a dining table some new magic.

• A crystal-draped powder-room chandelier, maybe a small one with a black wrought-iron frame. Crystal can be clear as well as red.

• A red lacquer box to place on a coffee table. The interior part of the box might be finished in black lacquer in the Oriental fashion.

• A red leather desk set with a pencil case as well as a blotter. Leather work can also be gold- or black-tooled.

• A set of handsome bright-red drink coasters – perhaps those that are needlepointed or gros-pointed.

• A set of 12 dessert plates of red glass on which to place the summertime dessert of strawberry shortcake or the Christmas dessert of plum pudding with hard sauce.

• A Venetian mirror, featuring a border of clear mirror and red mirror – but all etched. Inexpensive Venetian-glass mirrors made in India are seen all over the market these days.

• Small red lampshades to place on the candles of a chandelier.

• A red porcelain lamp for an end table. The lamp can have a black opaque shade. Visit the Web site of Christopher Spitzmiller (www.christopherspitzmiller.com) for a look-see at some great lamp designs.

• A shaggy red cotton bath mat for the bathroom and also a set of bright-red washcloths for year-round. Or try some red plastic shower curtain rings to make a white shower curtain sparkle.

• And on the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me – a bright red chef's apron to use whenever I bake Christmas cookies!

Your Family Decorator wishes you all a happy holiday shopping season.

Interior designer, author and columnist Carleton Varney is the president and owner of Dorothy Draper & Co. in New York City, one of the oldest established interior design firms in the United States. Varney's worldwide roster of clients includes many in Palm Beach. He welcomes comments, suggestions and decorating questions from readers. E-mail him at cvarney@dorothydraper.com or write to him at Carleton Varney, c/o Darrell Hofheinz, Palm Beach Daily News, 265 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach 33480.


"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software
development, Internet programming,

real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name
registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the
complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software development, Internet programming, real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

source: palmbeachdailynews.com

John's Island: Pristine Enclave on the Water Near Vero Beach

Just north of Vero Beach in the intimate community of Indian River Shores, John's Island offers its residents a private, gated enclave in a pristine ocean-to-river setting. Of Indian Shore's 3,400 affluent residents, almost half live in John's Island, which boasts three miles of private beach, handsome English Georgian- and Bermuda-style estates and world-class social and recreational amenities along nine miles of the Intracoastal Waterway.

This 1,650-acre barrier-island development offers three championship golf courses designed by Pete Dye and Tom Fazio: the South Course, the North Course and the nationally ranked West Course.

Other amenities include 18 Har-Tru tennis courts, an air-conditioned squash court, a professional croquet field and a state-of-the-art health-and-fitness center. A new Beach Club is scheduled for completion in 2008. Excellent fishing and a wide range of foliage and wildlife are also hallmarks of this private community.

Although quaint, Indian River Shores offers gourmet dining, shopping and award-winning emergency and medical response teams.

Since its inception in 1969, John's Island Real Estate Company has exclusively handled John's Island properties. Open seven days a week, the firm is conveniently located inside the west main John's Island gate off Highway A1A. Each sales agent is a year-round resident with first-hand knowledge of the community's charms.

"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software
development, Internet programming,

real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name
registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the
complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

"

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software development, Internet programming, real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

source: palmbeachdailynews.com