Staunton News Leader, VA
Remember the days when the kitchen was the heart of the home?
For many families, those days are gone.
Thanks to takeout, fast food and pizza delivery, some kitchens are more like glorified pantries for snacks and cereals than an epicenter of food prep, dining and family togetherness.
Now the heart of many homes is the family room, or great room. Whether it’s a bonus room over the garage, in the basement or on the main floor near the kitchen, the family room is often the most used room in the house — and usually the most cluttered.
“It’s also one of the many rooms in the home that guests initially see and form a lasting impression of,” writes Debbie Sklar, a columnist with RealtyTimes.com
That’s bad news if you’re putting your house on the market this year, particularly given the importance of this room among local home buyers.
“With this in mind, the area should be decorated appropriately to mirror the family’s lifestyle,” Sklar writes, adding that it should be made into “the best room of the house.”
But how do you turn a room that has traditionally been a catch all for old furniture, faded sofas and piles of toys and games into a space worthy of such praise?
Here are a few of Sklar’s great great-room tips:
Reorganize the furniture. Find a focal point and focus. Whether it’s a fireplace or the television, orient the furniture so the room is comfortable and easy to use.
Paint the walls in colors that are warm, inviting and relaxing. Sklar likes some of the newer hues of blue that are popular now.
Create a sense of space and depth by adding a mirror on any wall. Just be sure the mirror doesn’t reflect a bad view, say a bathroom. For the best results, place it on a wall opposite a window.
Speaking of feel-good rooms . . .
Fab Find
Spring cleaning got you down? Head over to Byers Street Housewares on the Wharf in Staunton where you’ll find shelves stocked with all sorts of gourmet cleaning treats.
That’s right — cleaning treats.
From luxe-scented laundry soaps and fabric softeners to wonderfully aromatic stain removers and all-purpose cleaners, you’ll find more than you can imagine to make your home smell as clean as it looks.
“We even have cleaning ladies who come in and buy their supplies here,” said Hillary Sutphen, the store’s assistant manager. “They want their customers’ homes to smell really good when they leave.”
One of the store’s most popular lines of cleaning products, Mrs. Myers Clean Day, features an all-purpose cleaner, surface scrub, liquid hand soap and hand lotion, carpet cleaner, ironing spray, stain remover and a stainless steel spray “that customers say works really good,” said Sutphen. The line also includes a shower spray, laundry detergent and fabric softener. Scents include lemon verbena, lavender and geranium. For pet owners, Mrs. Myers offers a coary sage-scented pet stain remover, spray-on carpet cleaner, dog shampoo and pet freshening spray.
Prices for the two lines range from $6.95 to $14.95
Byers Street Housewares also carries the Caldrea Collection of household products. Available in white clover and white tea fragrances, Caldrea’s White Collection features an all-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, fabric softener, automatic dish detergent, liquid dish soap, countertop cleaner, hand soap and linen spray. The company also offers a line of limited edition fragrances include a Pineapple Nutmeg with delicious notes of black pepper, cinnamon and orange as well Lavendar Pine and Green Tea Patchouli scents. Prices for the Caldrea Collections range from $8.95 to $16.95.
I tried Mrs. Myer’s Aromatic Dishwashing Liquid in lavender and Caldrea Countertop Cleaner in the pineapple nutmeg scent. Both products worked well, though I found the pineapple nutmeg cleaner to be a bit too masculine for my fruity/floral preferences. Cooks would probably love the scent, but no one has ever accused me of being a cook. (Just ask my husband who, after eating take out for the first 12 years of our marriage, only began gaining weight once my mother came to live with us several years ago.)
The lavender-scented dishwasher soap was wonderful — particularly since I started the dishes shortly before bedtime. Lavender is known for its calming properties, and it certainly worked. I think I’ll run it in the dishwasher every night — whether I need to or not — just to help get my soon-to be 7-year-old son and his tweenie sisters in bed, and keep them there!
Byers Street Housewares is located at 12 Byers St. They’re open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For information, visit their Web site at www.byersstreethousewares.com, call 887-1235 or e-mail them at housewares@ntelos.net.
Something Old, Something New
Daffodils, tulips and an occasional squirt of lavender-scented dish soap aren’t the only things in bloom right now. For some lucky gardeners, the season began weeks ago as their hellebore blossoms burst out of the ground.
Often called Christmas Rose or Lenten Rose, these hardy perennials (Helleborous niger and H. orientalis) were once a standard in many regional gardens. Unfortunately, “they’re one of those plants a lot of people have forgotten about,” says Laura Harrison, the former owner of Weeds and Leaves Landscape Design and new manager at Driver Brothers Garden Center and Greenhouses in Staunton.
What a Shame!
Local horticultural icon Mark Viette loves hellebores, but is particularly excited about new varieties that are coming on the market.
Look for a new variety called ‘Ivory Prince’ that features unusual silvery mottled foliage with numerous, upward facing ivory buds. When they open, the blooms flush pink and are streaked with green and rose hues that deepen with the season.
But there’s more to love about these beautiful plants than their season-heralding blooms. According to Viette, helleborus is toxic to rodents. Deer can’t stand them. They’re versatile, thriving in either full sun or bright shade. “Some will even grow in heavy shade.” And there’s more. Helleborus is evergreen, meaning it will add interest to the garden whether it’s in bloom or not.
Got a great tip for the home or garden? Know about a great local store specializing in household goods, decorative accessories or great goodies for the garden? Dish the details to me at jenellewatson@gmail.com or drop me a line by writing to: Jenelle Watson, 77 Hamshire Way, Fishersville, VA 22939. Please include your name and daytime phone number and write soon; I can’t wait to chat!
