Nancy Szerlag: Gardening

Give home a face-lift by replacing old shrubs

I drove through my old neighborhood the other day and was amazed to see how little the landscaping had changed. Yews and arborvitae planted in the 1940s and 1950s, when the houses were first built, still survive. Tall arbs stand like giant soldiers at the corners of foundations, and yews carved into huge flat top boxes mask the features of the houses. - 03/12/2010

Jeanine Matlow: Smart Solutions

Find your center with unusual focal points

Not everyone has the luxury of a spacious living room with a natural focal point like a fireplace. That was the case for one reader who e-mailed for some creative solutions. - 03/12/2010

Judith Harris Solomon: Marketplace

Black and white décor makes stylish statement

'Black and white is the perfect neutral," claims New York interior designer Richard Mishaan. "If you're starting out you can always add to it. And if you have lots of colorful things already, you can carefully add them to a background of black and white." Here are some black and white items we particularly like. - 03/12/2010

Glenn Haege: The Handyman

Painting indoors can be less toxic experience

If your budget for home improvement projects is being stretched tight, consider painting. It gives your home a big visual impact for only a small number of dollars being spent. According to Pantone, the new color for 2010 is turquoise. I knew you thought it was off-white. So we all need to update our wall colors. But one of the problems with painting indoors in the winter has always been the sickening paint odor that could last for days, even if you leave the windows open. - 03/12/2010

Mary Carol Garrity: Style at Home

Carve home study out of spare room

When my sister, Judy, first poked through our recently purchased historic fixer-upper, she declared that the small, dark study was her favorite room. She called it. Because today, our study is my family's chief gathering place. It's a snug, warm space where we melt into the comfy chairs, prop our feet on the coffee table and talk for hours. - 03/12/2010

Martha Stewart: Living

Seal wood deck for summer use

Q. What is the best procedure for getting a deck ready for the summer? - 03/12/2010

Jocelynn Brown: Handmade

Yarn shop offers cozy setting

If you happen to walk into a quaint little place in Birmingham filled with irresistible yarn and feel you're in someone's living room, no need to worry -- more than likely you're in Gail's Darn Yarn. - 03/12/2010

Khristi Zimmeth: Trash or Treasure?

Despite artist's signature, work just a print

Can treasure really come from trash? Stories of valuable finds surface all the time. Luigi and Celeste Liegghio of Chesterfield Township were hoping they'd be one of the lucky ones when they brought a framed piece of art they recently plucked from their neighbor's garbage pile to a Trash or Treasure appraisal session. - 03/12/2010

Marney Rich Keenan: Home Life

New TV series gets to heart of 'Parenthood'

Until recently, I did not know how to tape TV shows airing at inconvenient times (translation: past 10 p.m.), despite the fact that my kids had shown me the buttons to push on the remote, say, maybe a thousand times. - 03/12/2010

Ideas to help banish the bedroom blues

Updating your bedroom doesn't have to cost a fortune. Here are six ideas for turning your space into a sumptuous retreat on a dime: - 03/12/2010

Foodstyles

Baileys pie a decadent treat for St. Paddy's Day

For celebrating St. Patrick's Day there are plenty of traditional favorites to consider. You could start with Irish smoked salmon offered with slices of buttered Irish soda bread, and for the entree, follow with a steaming pot of corned beef and cabbage accompanied by boiled potatoes. - 03/12/2010

Glenn Haege: Ask Glenn

Heating system needs ventilation to avoid streaking

Dear Glenn: I hope you can help me out here. We have a new home and use electric baseboard heat. After two years of use, I am now seeing vertical black streaks on the walls above them. I've tried every imaginable cleaner, including TSP and the Magic Eraser. Any ideas what might work, and what is causing this? Our neighbors have the same type of heat but older units, and they don't get the streaks. It's a mystery! - 03/09/2010