Home & Garden - Courant.com

The Worst Home Improvements For The Money

By Lew Sichelman, United Feature Syndicate — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

The "10 Best Home Improvements" is an oft-cited list in newspapers and shelter magazines. But what about the worst improvements? Since the bad ones rarely rate a mention, here's a look — realizing, of course, that we're not talking about personal taste, need or comfort. This list, rather, comes from a strictly return-on-investment point of view.

Harvesting Ideas From An Irish Garden

By Adrian Higgins — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Gardeners tend to be so rooted in their own patch that they forget to look at what others are doing. When I say "they," I mean "I."

Save, Then Splurge

By Heidi Stevens — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Chic home can fit within a tight budget — provided you know how to target those design dollars

You could set out to design on a dime.

Five Years Of TLC Restores Booth-Dimock Homestead

By DEBORAH HORNBLOW, Special to The Courant — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 09:50:13 GMT

In the realm of challenging real estate investments, there are fixer-uppers and there are projects that, to most eyes, hardly seem possible. When Tom and Susan Crossen first saw Coventry's Booth-Dimock homestead, it was definitely in the latter category.

Joke Ceramics Meant to Make People Laugh And Blush

BY TERRY KOVEL, King Features Syndicate — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:48:52 GMT

Put some fun into your collections and start hunting for old or new figurines, plates and drinking mugs that were meant to be jokes. Puzzle mugs date back to the 1700s. They were popular in taverns. When a patron was tipsy, the bartender poured ale into a mug that hid a realistic pottery frog at the bottom. Empty the mug and the frog appeared while other patrons laughed. In the early 1800s, Chinese export porcelains were sometimes decorated with humorous or off-color subjects. One famous design is a scene of a young woman wearing a full skirt and sitting on a swing. The man next to her appears to be pushing the swing. But on the back of the plate you can see the back of the woman. Her skirt is pushed up to show her bare backside. The design was so popular that the same scene was made into a molded iron ashtray 100 years later. Many of these jokes were connected to drinking and bars. In the 1920s, when Prohibition was the law, dozens of small bottles and flasks were made by Schafer and Vater, a German company. They were satirical, funny and risque. A disheveled drunk labeled "Prohibition," an Uncle Sam figure holding a martini glass, a decanter shaped like a monk pouring a drink with the inscription "Spiritually Uplifting" and many other figural bottles that held whiskey were given as gifts for birthdays and holidays. Twentieth-century joke ceramics range from dime-store "potty figures" of children sitting on potties to George Tinworth's Royal Doulton figurines of animals acting like humans and English Martinware fantasy birds with removable heads. Twenty-first-century jokes are easy to find and include Disney and comic-book characters. Many of the fun pieces made before 2000 now sell for high prices. But don't ignore joke ceramics of today. They may turn out to be valuable in 50 years.

Home Automation: Set It And Forget It

By Michael J. Solender — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Turn off the lights, lower the thermostat, and make sure the dishwasher is not leaking. You can run yourself ragged trying to stay on top of those little details.

House Decorated! A Dream Come True

By MARYELLEN FILLO, mfillo@courant.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:27:32 GMT

Designers Tranform Your Home For The Holidays With Your Stuff Follow CT Lifestyle & Entertainment News On The Courant's Features Buzz Facebook Page

My Christmas wish has been the same for the past couple of decades or so.

Native Plants Mean More Wildlife, Less Work

By THERESA SULLIVAN BARGER — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 02:53:06 GMT

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Gardeners who melted in this summer's heat to water their wilting, hybridized hydrangeas may be looking for more low-maintenance plants. Or maybe they're seeking a nature-friendly alternative to invasive species.

Master Suites Filled With All The Perks

By H.M. Cauley — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 04:00:00 GMT

ATLANTA - After the kitchen, the one part of any house that gets the most attention is the master suite. And rightfully so: While the kitchen is the gathering place for family and friends, the master bedroom is just the opposite - a place where quiet and tranquility reign.

Jacob Petit Porcelains In High Demand

BY TERRY KOVEL, King Features Syndicate — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 15:44:02 GMT

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Jacob Petit (1796-1868) was a talented porcelain painter who worked for the Sevres factory in France, then opened his own shop. He moved his company to Paris in 1869. In less than 10 years, he had hired about 200 people to make and decorate porcelains. They made ornamental vases, statues, clocks, inkwells and perfume bottles. A specialty was figural veilleuses shaped like sultans or fortunetellers. These were tea warmers meant for use in the bedroom. Each was a stand with space for a candle heater and a teapot. Most of the Petit pieces had decorations that were colored pink, light green, pale purple, black and gold. He used the cobalt-blue initials "J.P." as his mark, but many of his pieces were not marked. His customers wanted "antique"-style china, so he made copies of Sevres vases, Meissen figurines, many patterns of English dinnerware, Chinese export porcelain and more. These copies often are mistakenly identified as original old pieces. But Jacob Petit porcelains are so attractive and well-made that they are almost as pricey as originals.

At Home In Litchfield Hills With Soap Writer Pete Rich

By MARYELLEN FILLO, fillo@courant.com — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:00:00 GMT

The Emmy-Winning Falls Village Resident Has Created A Calm Sanctuary From The Insanity In His Scripts

Remember when Reva Shayne of "Guiding Light" stripped in the downtown fountain and announced, "I baptize myself the slut of Springfield, scarlet woman, common tramp?" Or when Tad Martin on "All My Children" proclaimed to his wacky mother Opal, "I am swimming in one scary gene pool?" Or when GL's H.B. Lewis stoically told son Josh, "Love the lord, love the life he's given you and the rest will take care of itself?"

Painless Patina

By William Hageman Tribune Newspapers — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:01:26 GMT

Metallic, clay, chalkboard — crack open a can of paint, follow these simple pointers, and you can have any or all on your walls

The popularity of faux finish paints — metallic, clay, magnetic, chalkboard, whiteboard paints and the like — may have a sociological basis as much as a desire for something new or flashy.

High-Rise Living On A Human Scale

By Wendy Donahue Tribune Newspapers — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:03:24 GMT

Subtle design tricks bring intimacy into an urban penthouse

High-rise living often boasts amenities such as sweeping views, swimming pools and dramatic exterior architecture. But elevating the interior architecture sometimes requires thinking outside of the box.

No Place Like An Adventurous Home

By Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz , Tribune newspapers — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:27:16 GMT

When you're living in a lighthouse, silo or a caboose, the challenges — and the adventure — come with the house

Marcia Weber was working at a boarding school when she got laid off, losing her income and her living quarters. Her solution? Move into her vacation home. The catch? It's a train caboose.

Derby Home's 'Ugly Yard' Wins Makeover From DIY Network

By SUSAN DUNNE, sdunne@courant.comn — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:27:18 GMT

Casimir and Patty Stochmal Get $25,000 Worth Of Renovations; Show Airs July 18 Follow CT Lifestyle & Entertainment News On The Courant's Features Buzz Facebook Page

A family from Derby won a home renovation from the DIY network and will appear on a reality TV special, "America's Most Desperate Landscape," on Wednesday, July 18, at 9 p.m.

The Lure Of Fixing Foreclosures

By Alina Dizik, Reuters — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:56:00 GMT

A year after purchasing their Richmond, Va., fixer-upper for $290,000 in 2010, Sherry and John Petersik rolled up their sleeves and tackled the outdated kitchen.

Photos Help You Hold On To Fleeting Garden Glories

By William Hageman — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:27:00 GMT

For all that work you put into your garden, the payoff may be awfully short-lived.

A Nose For The Rose: Expert Shares Tips On Identifying Fragrances

By William Hageman, Tribune Newspapers — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 20:26:00 GMT

Scent expert for David Austin Roses shares a few tips on identifying and enjoying fragrance

Not many people get paid to sniff flowers. But that's just one of the duties that Michael Marriott handles as technical director and head rosarian for David Austin Roses.

Hummingbirds Love Cuphea, And So Will You

By Norman Winter, McClatchy/Tribune news — Tue, 29 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Almost everyone is thrilled when hummingbirds visit their garden. It is really a matter of picking out the right flowers such as the new Ballistic, a variety of Cuphea ignea.

How To Build A Structure In A Garden

By Sean Conway, Tribune Media Services — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:28:12 GMT

Several years ago, I went on a garden tour in England. One of the gardens we visited belonged to an elderly woman who had been tending it for more than half a century.

Governor's Mansion Gets Donated Makeover

By DEBORAH HORNBLOW — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:20:07 GMT

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Any governor's mansion should be a showplace, a source and symbol of state pride and a home not only to the sitting governor and his or her family but to all state residents.

Fine Art & Flowers At Wadsworth

By SUSAN DUNNE, sdunne@courant.com — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:55:00 GMT

Florists, Garden Clubs Create Floral Interpretations Inspired By Museum Masterworks Follow CT Lifestyle & Entertainment News On The Courant's Features Buzz Facebook Page

Sometimes, gardeners roll their eyes when they hear the word "sustainability." When overused, both the word and the concept lose their meanings. So Stephen Orr wants to make it clear: First and foremost, a garden has to be pretty.

Historical Society Exhibit Features Vintage Furnishings From Connecticut Homes

By SUSAN DUNNE, sdunne@courant.com — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Nickolas Kotula of Bloomfield brims over with enthusiasm when standing in front of an almost impossibly ornate Philadelphia-style high dresser at the Connecticut Historical Society.

Lawn Care Tips For Connecticut Homeowners

BY STEVE GRANT, Special to The Courant — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

A lawn looks so simple; grass growing in soil. Oh, that it were that easy.

Garden Club Events, Spring Antiques Show

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

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Garden Club Events