Welcome Mat

Is your house making you happy? Or, is your couch making you cringe? Royal Oak-based Dennis Fairchild, billed as a "house whisperer," will discuss the ancient Chinese art of feng shui and the notion of rearranging — or possibly replacing — furniture to ensure prosperity, happiness and well-being from 3-4 p.m. Sunday at Leon & Lulu's, 96 W. 14 Mile, Clawson. Call (248) 288-3600.

Here’s a toast to chocolate biscotti to dip and dunk

I don't spend a lot of time in bars, but I always manage to meet the nicest people there. I'm a shy sort of girl, but put a glass of wine or a cocktail in front of me, and suddenly everyone is my friend.

Create office that fits your needs and desires

Thanks to technology, many of us log a lot of work hours from home. So a high-functioning home office has become a must. Do you have a home-office space that allows you to do your best work? If not, it's time to create a spot that works for you. Here's how:

It’s worth the time to compile your memories

This month we said goodbye to our beloved golden retriever, who had just turned 13. Molson was my first dog, and he will stay in our hearts forever. After our initial grief finally subsided, we began reminiscing with old photos that are stored on my computer.

Get a jump-start with greenhouse gardening

When I lived on Elm Place in Nutley, N.J., my father and I simulated a much-needed greenhouse environment in the only really sunny window in our house — a large picture window right above our kitchen table. Dad built out the sill so that it measured a bit more than a foot wide, installed fluorescent light bulbs directly above it and placed all the seedlings we would need for the vegetable garden on the shelf until it was time to plant them in the prepared beds.

Color key to success for crocheter’s hats

Dawn Nelson of Birmingham is one of the many crocheters who works without a pattern.

Owner of Marc Chagall prints one of lucky few

Charlotte Corner and her husband purchased two framed prints by well-known Russian artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) sometime in the early 1970s from a small gallery in North Carolina. "I can't remember how much we paid for them, but I don't think it was more than $100 for both," she told Bob DuMouchelle of DuMouchelle Art Galleries during a recent appraisal session in Detroit.

Magazines offer early spring inspiration

There's nothing like throwing an outdoor party or volunteering to participate in a garden walk to get a gardener's juices flowing. I'm planning a pig roast this summer, and I'm already nervous about how my gardens will look. Who knows how the plants will react to this funky winter weather with temperatures bouncing all over the place.

Houston’s tragic death comes as no surprise

Here we go again.

Enter bathroom to warm, fluffy towels

Towel warmers are bathroom fixtures that gently warm bath linens. They come in designs ranging from simple, plug-and-use metal towel bars to ornate, even custom-built-ins that can coordinate with just about any bathroom design, from Victorian to Art Deco.

When resurfacing fireplace beware of flammability issues

Q. I have a house built in 1969 with a brick fireplace that we put a gas decorative insert in and changed the decorative fireplace door. There are now large gaps between the masonry work, brick and the door. This is not an insert — just a decorative log. Is it possible to stucco over a brick masonry fireplace and make a smooth surface so the door is flush with the fireplace?

Grosse Pointe Park homeowner: ‘Red just fits me’

You could play it safe and paint your room the usual predictable white, boring beige or other nondescript neutral. Or, you could liven things up.

‘Culinartist’ takes recipes to the next level

Georges Mokbel is a perfectionist. His manner is calm, his senses keen and his expertise in design coupled with his culinary skills is impressive, to say the very least.

Old pots, pans or pails get new life as planters

While some folks think of May 1, also known as May Day, as the first day of spring, nationally it's celebrated on the spring or vernal equinox, which lands on ...

Yarn shop filled with spirit of mother who loved to knit

Swaran Dhaliwal just "needed to spend time out of the house" back in 2008 when she opened Michigan Custom Boutique & Home Decor in Westchester Square in ...

Be sure hydrangea has the room to bloom

Q. My hydrangea won't bloom. Why?

Hot or cold, tea can be a comfort anytime

Tea can be comforting at any time of year. The popular beverage also has the advantage of being prepared hot or cold to suit your liking. Charlie Baden, senior ...

Novi home show’s banner year a hopeful sign

I just got back from what seemed like a trip back in a time machine. The Novi Home Improvement Show was held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi Jan. ...

Don’t let boring bedroom put you to sleep

Is your bedroom suffering from decorating neglect? Try these easy steps for turning it into the restful retreat you deserve.

Granite, quartz, tile can beautify the bathroom

Industry insiders help you select the best surface for your bathroom countertop:

Sun, air vents are threat to fade cabinet’s value

D earHelaine and Joe: I would like to have some information about this cabinet. It stands 331/4 inches tall, and the top dimensions are 193/8 by 333/8 inches. ...

Parents, feel free to let go of those adult ‘children’

The first time I heard the term "helicopter parent" was back in the early '90s during a parenting workshop I attended when our kids were little.

Welcome Mat

Beyond grape leaves and vines

Well-preserved tea set’s high time has passed

In this age of disposable cups and Starbucks to-go mugs, tea and coffee sets remind us of a more gracious time and a slower way of life. The porcelain set that ...

Don’t be a flake when shoveling snow off your roof

Q. A recent news story showed people shoveling snow off their roofs. We came from a warmer climate, and I'm not used to a lot of snow. Is this something I ...

Stinky skunk leads couple to make over their home and lives

It would lead to a complete overhaul of her house. Carolyn Krieger-Cohen, the owner of Farmington Hills-based CKC Public Relations and her husband, Jason Cohen, ...

Welcome Mat

“It’s all about love” this month at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center...Motawi Tileworks in Ann Arbor joined forces with artist Cary Phillips of Lawrence, ...

Pointes tragedy hits much too close to home

Why do we find murder victim Jane Bashara's tragic story so compelling? In part because of the tony suburb of Grosse Pointe Park.