Timely Home Improvement News from the Washington Post:
- A Bethany Beach house gets a makeover May 16, 2012For 20 years, the Burns family made awesome memories here in their cedar-sided beach house on stilts. They learned to fly kites and ride boogie boards and even met future spouses. Most summer weekends, Kevin and Nancy Burns and their three kids couldn’t wait to hear the crunch of gravel in their driveway as they pulled in after a three-hour trip, first from Potomac, and then Bethesda. Read full article >>Jura Koncius
- Mount Sharon, a classical garden in Virginia May 9, 2012Orange, Va. — Those who think making gardens in the classical tradition is a lost art should meet the landscape architect Charles Stick. Better yet, they should take in his work at Mount Sharon, a private estate that this weekend will offer a rare glimpse into the rarified world of high design in the Colonial Revival style. Read full article >>Adrian Higgins
- How To: Paint exterior brick to look distressed May 16, 2012Q. We recently purchased an older home with brick on the front that’s been painted white. The siding is white also, so it looks somewhat boring. I would like to “age” or “distress” the brick, but I can’t find a painting company that knows how to do it. I don’t want to remove all the paint, just some of it to make it look aged or weathered. Is there a chemical that a Harriet Homeowner such as myself can use, or is this a process that should be done professionally? Read full article >>Jeanne Huber
- How To: Troubleshoot hot-water problems May 9, 2012Q. I live in a 1958 rambler. My problem is getting hot water in both the master shower and the hall bathroom shower. When the hot water is turned all the way on in either bathroom, only lukewarm water comes out of the shower. In the master bathroom, if you flush the toilet, the shower water becomes hot. In the hall bathroom, if you turn on the hot water in the sink, the water in that shower turns hot, while the sink water remains cold, though without the shower on, the sink hot water works just fine. All other hot water faucets work. Both a handyman and a plumber have been puzzled by my problem. Where should I turn next? Read full article >>Jeanne Huber
- How To: Clean velveteen or velvet furniture May 2, 2012Q. I have had two velveteen high-back chairs for about 20 years. They are in very good condition, but the fabric needs to be cleaned. If I can do this at home, I’d rather not have them cleaned professionally. What kind of solution or upholstery cleaner can I use? Read full article >>Jeanne Huber
- Lanning Roper: Remembering the garden designer May 16, 2012Years ago, a magazine sent me to write about a grand Elizabethan garden outside London with a peculiarly un-English display of the Union Jack, fashioned from roses and lavender. An editor was sending a helicopter for the photographer to get aerial shots of the flag garden and suggested I climb aboard as well. Read full article >>Adrian Higgins
- A Garden Festival at Ladew Topiary Gardens May 2, 2012My affection for Ladew Topiary Gardens north of Baltimore continues, 20 years or so after I first saw the enchanting gardens of their colorful creator, Harvey S. Ladew. If you haven’t been, you should go, because Ladew, in Monkton, Md., is both grand and whimsically self-mocking; it captures the essential pleasure of a garden that is laughing out loud. Read full article >>Adrian Higgins
- National Gallery of Art’s exhibit on Japanese painting shines April 18, 2012Within the protective dimness of the display space at the National Gallery of Art, the Japanese bird-and-flower paintings of Ito Jakuchu achieve a transcendent luminosity. Even if Asian screen art is not your thing, the degree of refinement, composition, movement and narrative in these national treasures of Japan will leave you breathless. Read full article >>Adrian Higgins
- Planting sweet potatoes in late spring May 16, 2012Spring, eagerly awaited though it may be, can sometimes outstrip a gardener’s reserves of time and energy. There the garden awaits, a blank brown canvas, ready to be filled with the usual favorite crops. Leave it unplanted, and weeds will happily do the job for you. Read full article >>Barbara Damrosch
- Growing peppers, hot and hotter May 9, 2012Peppers are hot these days, both in the kitchen and the garden. Cooks stir up fiery Thai and Indian curries, or spicy Jamaican stews, and seed companies stand ready to light the match for those who grow their own heat. Tomato and pepper plants that have been hardened off can be planted out. Wait two weeks before sowing cucumber and squash seeds. The soil is still too cold for rapid germination and growth. Read full article >>Barbara Damrosch
- Foraging for dandelions, that edible weed May 2, 2012I love the idea of a spring tonic. After a winter of roots, grains and deer jerky, the human species emerges from its smoky cave to forage greens from the wild. Herbaceous plants such as stinging nettle and sheep sorrel offer up their mineral-rich stores. Do these wild treasures really unkink the digestive system as if it were a stored hose? Will a salad of them flush the liver of toxins, as their proponents assure us? Who knows? But when it comes to vitamins and minerals, I’ll bet they hold their own against garden powerhouses such as spinach and collards. Sure, I have these domestic crops growing happily in my home plot. But it’s fun to go out and gather those wilder greens when they’re still young and tender, and taste their best. Read full article >>Barbara Damrosch
- Handy Guide: Room air conditioners April 25, 2012Read full article >>Jura Koncius
- Handy Guide: What’s fresh in paint March 21, 2012Read full article >>Jura Koncius
- Handy Guide: Buying a Mattress February 22, 2012Read full article >>Jura Koncius
- A home theater in Waldorf gets a makeover May 16, 2012Karl and Roberta Berry of Waldorf are struggling to decorate their dated family room. They want a casual, cozy space where people can watch movies, but it should be brighter than a home theater. Their wish list includes wood floors, recessed lighting and storage. Read full article >>Megan Buerger
- Bedroom design ideas: Creating a sunny retreat May 9, 2012Terry and Steve Long think their Bethesda bedroom looks fussy. They want the space to be sunny and less formal. They’re okay with mounting the TV on the wall, and the pink paint has to go. Editing is key in designer Sharon Kleinman’s approach. By consolidating furniture and emphasizing texture over patterns, she makes the room feel cozy and less cluttered. Read full article >>Megan Buerger
- House Calls: A plain patio gets pretty May 2, 2012It’s barbecue season, so we asked Steve Wlodarczyk of Botanical Decorators — the landscape architecture firm that designed the terrace of this year's DC Design House — to give this plain patio a makeover. Read full article >>Megan Buerger
- Green designer Topher Paterno gives advice on eco-friendly living May 9, 2012Topher Paterno moved to Northwest Washington last May after living in California for nearly 18 years. Despite having a thriving West Coast career as a designer, builder and teacher, being the founder of the LA Box Collective (a group of furniture makers committed to environmentally conscious design and production) and living just two blocks from the beach, he says it was an easy choice. Read full article >>Terri Sapienza
- Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel: Shopping the chains May 2, 2012When it comes to decorating, chain stores get a bad rap. Retailers such as Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and Restoration Hardware have made interior design affordable and accessible, but they are routinely dismissed for the same reason. Design-conscious shoppers often turn up their noses at the chains, deeming their wares too common and not special enough. Read full article >>Terri Sapienza
- Featured Advertiser May 2, 2012
