The Home Front

By JUDY STARK

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 28, 2001

Karan launches home fashions

[Photo: Donna Karan]

Fashion designer Donna Karan moves into home design with her first collection for bed and bath, DKNYLife, which debuts Tuesday at Burdines in Countryside and WestShore Plaza. The clothing designer has developed a line of sheets, towels, hand-stitched quilts, duvets and pillows in three groupings: "Fashion," an urban garden; "Essentials," in solids and stripes; and "Pure" in natural textures and serene tones.

Peel-and-stick colors

Here's a "why didn't they" idea. Glidden Paints' "Color View 2001" color card offers reusable peel-and-stick color chips. Peel them off, lay several colors side by side to see how they look together, stick them on the wall of the room you're planning to paint to see how the color looks in a variety of lighting conditions. The colors are divided into four new collections: "Vibrant," "Warm," "Calm" and "Fresh." The "Color View 2001" cards will be available at Home Depot and other Glidden dealers, the company says.

All the rage

Everything French is hot -- from elegant French-style furnishings to models of the Eiffel Tower and throw pillows emblazoned with "Paris" in affordable catalogs. That's the word from the American Red Cross designer showhouse in West Palm Beach. Another trend to watch: Sheer draperies -- translucent, transparent, iridescent and cut out -- are back. They filter the sunlight and move slightly in the breeze. They are typically teamed with a shade underneath to afford privacy. And this tip: If you can't afford original photos by your favorite celebrity photographer, buy a glossy book of his or her work, mat them and surround them in a simple black frame.

See the completed 'Today' house

Between 8 and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, see the completed house the Today show has been building week by week with online input from viewers. The house, by David Weekley Homes, is at FishHawk Ranch in Lithia in Hillsborough County. Each week Today's "Mr. Fix-It," Lou Manfredini, walked viewers through the house during a live broadcast, updating them on its progress. Viewers voted online each week for some element in the house: floor plan, colors, furnishings, kitchen design. The sum total will be on display during Wednesday's Today show, on WFLA-TV Ch. 8. The house will be auctioned at OurHouse.com, an Illinois-based Web site centered on home-improvement products and information, to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

- Compiled by Homes Editor JUDY STARK

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright