Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Home Front

Briefs and news of note

Power you'll crave

Oh, isn't this just too cool? A plain plastic power strip just doesn't measure up to the stamped steel Plugmold Tough Power Strip with diamond-plated exterior. Of course you don't need this; you just want it, admit it. The 48-inch strip adds 10 outlets. It's $49.95 at Home Depot.

Tonight at 8:30 on HGTV, host Joan Steffend on Decorating Cents will offer 100 ideas under $100. Some of these are creative suggestions: Add ribbon to ready-made sheer curtains for a custom look. Convert a kitchen cabinet into a curio by removing doors, painting the interior and replacing a wooden shelf with glass. And then there are some we worry about: Strip the bark off tree stumps to make organic stools! Create a 3-D wall treatment using string and wallpaper paste! Hang Wiffle balls from monofilament for a quirky look! Tune in and see if it's funky or junky.

A hand-forged steel stair rail and a baby grand piano create a cozy conversation area at the Florida Orchestra Guild's designer show house, through May 1. Designers: Deborah Devine and Leslie Baker of Home Depot.

More home-selling tips from Donna and Shannon Freeman, who appear on HGTV's Designed to Sell: Don't eliminate a strong offer from consideration because you don't like the buyer. Don't be stubborn in negotiations because of an emotional or sentimental attachment to the house or to the item in question. Nobody ever asks for a dark house; open blinds, turn on lights, make the house as light and bright as you can.

[Last modified April 22, 2005, 08:41:05]