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Tablecloths and cloth napkins used to be a crucial ingredient in fine dining, whether at home or at a nice restaurant. But today, formal linen cloths are a holidays-only frill in most households, and it's often an heirloom or vintage cloth handed down in the family.George Matouk is chief executive of Matouk, a luxury home linens company in Fall River, Mass., that was founded by his grandfather in 1929. His business [...]

Looking for a practical and reasonably priced floor covering that at the same time, is right on trend? How about carpet? If you’ve dismissed carpeting as “so last century,” take a second look. You may be very surprised at the intriguing cutting-edge trends in fashionable, functional carpet right now.Carpet tilesDo-it-yourself is hot, hot, hot right now. Laying carpet used to be a bit too cumbersome for successful DIY, what with the need for taking complicated [...]

Your dishes are piling up. Dirty laundry is on the floor. You don't even know how long those toys have been hiding in between the couch cushions. We've all been there. Even with a hectic schedule make cleaning your house a little more manageable by following these tips:1. Be OK with imperfectionYou don't have to have it all together all the time. It's fine to have days where your kid's toys are scattered all over the living room. When these situations arise, choose a [...]

Not long ago, a collar, a leash, a bowl and possibly an outdoor kennel were what most people had as pet amenities.Today, there are designer accessories, electronic feeders, automatic pet doors, special showers and tubs, and flat-screen TVs positioned at Fido's and Fifi's heights, not to mention the ultimate luxury: a room of their own.Some builders are making pets a centerpiece of [...]

Organizing is always a popular topic around the new year, as people resolve to de-clutter, de-stress and generally start over with a clean slate. We asked Cris Sgrott-Wheedleton, owner and founder of Organizing Maniacs in Tysons Corner, Virginia, for her advice about some of the biggest problem areas in people's homes.- Play roomsStorage needs to be safe and secure, but it needn't be [...]

Organizing is always a popular topic around the new year, as people resolve to de-clutter, de-stress and generally start over with a clean slate. We asked Cris Sgrott-Wheedleton, owner and founder of Organizing Maniacs in Tysons Corner, Virginia, for her advice about some of the biggest problem areas in people's homes.- Play roomsStorage needs to be safe and secure, but it needn't be [...]

It's a dab of color on a wooded lot - a two-story house that brings the outdoors inside yet creates privacy.Before, it was a one-story midcentury house with no distinguishing features.The lot was what appealed to Alan Kanner, a lawyer turned builder who envisioned its potential.After going through a divorce, Kanner was looking for a playful house.When his business partner told him [...]

Dear James: The wood frame windows in my vintage house are pretty deteriorated. I want to repair them, not replace them, to maintain its character. What repairs to them can I do myself? — Don H.Dear Don: People are often surprised by the significant impact of window style on the overall appearance of an older house. Unless the frames are totally rotten, you should be able to repair almost any part to return them to almost like-new condition.If a lot of them are in very bad [...]

"Your motherboard is shot," the repairman said, shutting the door to my electric oven and gathering his tools. What a cozy word, I thought, for the complex electronic object that no longer governed my stove. "Eight years," he explained, "is about the lifetime of this appliance. You're lucky it made it to 10."At moments like these, I get nostalgic for the simpler, more durable cooking setups I've worked with - old- [...]

After the holidays, our household is full of quiet celebrations that can be just as joyous as the noisier ones. Aflame with the spirit of cleaning up, clearing out and simplifying, we attack cluttered desks, stuffed closets and any area that has the feng shui of a blocked artery. Last January, in a Marie Kondo frenzy, I rolled and folded every cloth object on the premises.This year's campaign was launched in our [...]