Every week, the Washington Post Home staff talks about various ways to improve your home. Find out about new trends, upcoming antiques shows and a variety of how-to help.

Ask Post staff writers Annie Groer and Jura Koncius about all things home related.

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Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Good morning everyone. This is Jura, alone for the last week. I'm looking forward to Annie's return from Down Under. Will she be painting her living room Bondi Blue? Her kitchen remodeler Teddy just called me to discuss the latest metallic colors by Ralph Lauren. So we know Annie's going to be makinga lot of decisions when she returns.

Meanwhile, our hearts are going out to the thousands of people in New Orleans and other cities on the Gulf who have lost their families and homes.

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Baltimore, Md.: Hi! I plan to paint this holiday weekend - and would like to know: in what order do you paint walls, ceiling and trim? Thanks!

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: I'm talking to Mark Woodman at Duron right now. He just got back from Australia. He says people are really into food down there - good food. He says there is a hunger for contemporary minimal down there. The most interesting thing down there from the design standpoint is the communal table at restaurants. People are very friendly. He says red is big down there. And a lot of tone on tone.

So now to the question at hand.

Lots of people will be painting this weekend. Mark says he always does trim last because it's done in gloss or semi-gloss. First will be the ceiling for him, then the walls, and then polish it off with the trim.

Mark says that's the classic approach. And it's easier on your back.

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Washington, DC: My 40 year old brother, who loves all things retro, just bought his first condo and is in the process of furnishing it. So far, the living room has a leather Eames style lounge chair snagged at an auction house, a huge movie-studio type spotlight (stands 9-10 feet tall) and a transitional sofa. The room really needs a second chair-- but certainly not the mission rocker he has there now. Any ideas of what would work there and where to get it?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: How about the fabulous new Flight Recliner from Design Within Reach. It's on page 7 of their new catalogue or check out one of their local stores in Cady's Alley, Bethesda or Adam's Morgan.It's a bit pricey, but then, most really good things are unless you can find them at an estate sale or used furniture store.

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Washington, D.C.:

Painted our bedroom walls Ben Moore Straw, with Ivory (BM 925) trim. Thought that the 2 BR windows would look fine with room-darkening roller shades in Ivory. But they were installed yesterday ($$$$) and the look isn't pretty and simple like I had hoped. The look is very unfinished and the brackets for the shades show at the top. These 2 side-by-side windows are double-hung. Help ... and thanks!

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Hmmm. That is a problem. And you've already invested money in these things. Would you feel comfortable adding window treatments to soften the look? Crate & Barrel has just added window panels for the first time and they look really nice and affordable. The have silk, cotton or linen. And really nice hardware to go along.

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Arlington, Va.:

We just bought our first house and are trying to cost efficiently update our 1938 cape kitchen. The upper cabinets are very nice original painted wood but the lower ones are not as nice. I'd like to keep the upper ones but replace the bottom. Would it look weird to have the top ones painted and the bottom ones wood? We will have a granite countertop and I'd like to keep the colors light, such as a pale sage-y green paint and a light maple stain.

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: It's not the usual look for a kitchen, but the colors you've described make it sound like an interesting look. Go for it. It will make your kitchen look very eclectic and cool and custom.

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Baltimore, Md.:

Do you have a Benjamin Moore, Pratt & Lambert, or C2 Colors light light blue that looks modern and sophisticated and soft/warm for non-kids-room areas? Also, do I better avoid the kids-room look by choosing another trim color to go with the blue than a white white? Is a cream or milk white or grayish white better? Thank you!

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Dusky Blue from the Benjamin Moore Classic Colors fandeck is a nice choice. And go with a white that has a little gray in it for the trim. From C2 Alpine or Rivulet would wlrk.

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Arlington, Va.:

I have an ugly brass and glass shower stall door in my lower-level bath. I'm thinking of taking off the door and replacing it with a curtain rod and long length curtain to update the style and add warmth to the room. Am I missing something -- would this be a bad idea? any suggestions to execute this in style?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: It's a great idea. You can use a tension rod at the top if that would work. Make sure you have a waterproof liner, but the outside fabric can be anything you want. It will make a smarter look for the bathroom.

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Rockville, Md.:

After many years of all white walls, I have finally gotten into color. This spring and winter I have done some projects and was drawn to bright sunny colors. Now that fall is coming, I find myself drawn to more neutral comforting colors. To keep some punch in things, would the new metallics help keep the neutral den I am planning from being too staid?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Yes definitely. Check out the Ralph Lauren Regent Metallics. There's a wonderful olive called Candelabra. Also Benjamin Moore's new Studio Finishes have metallic colors.

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Washington, D.C.:

I just inherited a lovely old davenport. It's a nice piece of very well-made furniture, but has more sentimental value than anything else. Right now, it has a dark wood frame and traditional, medium green satin upholstery. I'm thinking of reupholstering it with something more modern, to give the piece an update. Any ideas? Also, any recs for good upholsterers here in the DC area?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Check out www.maharam.com. Also check out Discount Fabrics in Thurmont, Md. www.discountfabrics.com. Upholsterers abound in our area, and many get mixed reviews. A lot of people use Yi's in Rockville.

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Washington, D.C.:

Hello- This is an asthetics question. I am in the process of restaining my deck. Should the stain on the deck and the fence be the same color? Thanks.

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: They could be but don't have to be. They could be two different shades in the same family. Good for you for doing the project yourself.

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Richmond, Va. : My guest bedroom has an antique brass bad with an Amish quilt bedspread and a Victorian era marble top dresser. The quilt is white with a blue 8 pointed star motif. There are 2 shades of blue: navy and a sort of dark sky blue. Can you suggest a color for the walls? I don't want to go to dark, and I prefer low VOC paint. Also, what shade of white should I paint the trim. Thanks for your help!

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Dear Richmond. It sounds very nice. Definitely use a nice crisp white in semi-gloss or gloss for the trim. For the walls, what about Behr's Opal Cream for a soft yellow. Or you cound introduce another color and add a pillow or a vase to pull the whole thing together - pale green would be nice - what about Behr Spearmint Stick?

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Washington, D.C.:

Hi - Another paint color question. Our living room has a very old Persian rug which is mostly red with some other colors like blue and brown in it. We want to paint that room this weekend but need help picking a color. A friend suggested blue but I'm not too thrilled about painting the living room that color. The dining room next to the living room is painted cranberry red. Any ideas?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: A taupe color would be nice, or sort of a khaki. Duron's Deerfield or Peanut Shell is nice. Or Tuscan Clay.

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Clarendon, Va.:

Good Morning! I fell in love with Ralph Lauren's Zinc "suede" paint and I painted an accent wall in my bedroom this color. I love the look, but I probably should have planned better because now I have an accent wall and need to paint the other three walls. Should I continue to be bold or should the other walls be subtle? Can you suggest a paint that will contrast with this color? The room has maple flooring, a modern feel, and blond wood furniture.

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Go for suede in the whole room. Why not?

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Washington, D.C.:

I recently painted my living room and dining room BM Philadelphia Cream (thanks to your wonderful suggestion!). I am now ready to paint the kitchen and sunroom, which flow directly from the dining room. I do not want to use the same color, but would like a nice, warm color to complement the Philadelphia Cream. Is there a lighter shade of Phi. Cream? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: BM's Philadelphia Cream is one of their wonderful Historic Colors. Glad you liked it. For something a little lighter, but still rich, another Historic Color from BM is Montgomery White. Hepplewhite Ivory is also nice.

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Washington, D.C.:

Please help! We have a smallish bathroom used by our toddler and guests. I want to keep it light and airy, maybe even whimsical. I'm thinking of bright white walls with cheerful (not neon) blue and yellow accents - maybe even blue and yellow 1-2" stripes near the top of the wall to "stretch" the room a bit? What colors am I looking for??

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Cheerful blue? C2's Blue Moon or Proxy should fit the bill. As for the yellow, go with Banana or Shine. It should perk up the place.

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Bel Air, Md:

I have decided that I would like to hire a contractor to remove all the wallpaper and then repaint the walls in my recently purchased townhouse. The problem is that I don't have the money to go into major decorating mode, especially since I'm still not sure what my style is! (Fluctuates between contemporary, country, southwestern, and everything else on a daily basis!) How do I pick out colors for the contractor to paint that will allow easy accessorizing and decorating down the road? I'm looking at two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen and the entrance hallway! (Yes, the former owners were wallpaper crazy - I am emphatically not!)

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Dear Bel Air. Stop reading so many decorating magazines and watching all those makeover design shows! Sounds like you are still confused about what you're really into. But congratulations on starting from scratch and getting a pro to take off the awful wallpapers. There is always the option of painting everything a nice white. Then, as you have more time and money to decorate, you ean easily put a coat or two of color in each room and you might be able to do that yourself very inexpensively. Don't make mistakes now when you're just not sure of what you're going to do in the future in those rooms. Good luck.

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Brunswick, MD:

Will be painting the powder room this weekend and want something cream-colored for the walls. Would like to have the same or nearly-the-same color stripe every 6 or 12 inches. Maybe a flat/semigloss contrast? There will be sage and lavender accents. What's a good color - something in the cream family? Wood floors. Thanks for the input!

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Sage and lavender are an unusual pairing. You might try to go the sage route on the walls to make the place really stand out. You could go with Sagey and Olivine by Behr for a strong look; Palm Breeze and Spring Hill for a lighter look.

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Brunswick, Md.:

Our kitchen island has bar seating. The builder painted the wall area a flat Duron Antique White. We've only been in the house 2 weeks and there are already foot- and shoe-prints. What's a good durable alternative to the flat paint in that area?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: If you painted it a darker color, the footprints would not show so much. A canvas floor cloth or sisal rug might work.

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Washington, D.C.:

I would like to repaint my dining room a browner color than it is right now. The kitchen next to it is currently Behr California Poppy. Any Behr suggestions?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: California Poppy is a great color. How about Sweet Georgia Brown or Fudge Bar by Behr. Great color names.

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Chicago, Ill.:

Hi! Yet another paint question.... I have a sunroom with a front window that has a Moorish arch. I was thinking of decorating it to have kind of a Moroccan feel. Any suggestions for paint colors? I'd prefer something colorful, not neutral.

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: A Moorish arch. How neat! I recently was in Chicago and went to the Bloomingdale's which is in a former Medina temple. It has wonderful arches and curves in there. To go Moroccan, you could do Behr's Sailor for a dark blue, Luscious for a berry red or Apple Crisp for a wonderful goldenrod.

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Washington, D.C.:

We need to paint our guest room, which is now a terrible flourescent green. I'm thinking of a muted pink of some sort, kind like a dusty rose. Any ideas of colors we should consider?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Hot green sounds better than dusty rose, if you ask me. Are you sure you want pink? It makes for a very feminine guest room. A peachy pink would be preferable, like Benjamin Moore's Classic Colors Peach Melba or Amelia Blush.

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Different color cabinets:

HGTV, Debbie Travis' Facelift just did this. The base cabinets were light blue and the upper were white and it was very nice. If you go the website, it is under "French Country Kitchen."

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Thanks!

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Rockville, Md.:

I'm looking for a spicy orange to paint my dining room/kitchen, which are already decorated with a number of Mexican and Indonesian things I picked up while traveling. Any suggestions?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Spicy orange sounds perfect to go with your neat stuff. Soft Pumpkin by Benjamin Moore Color Preview is one of our favorites.

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Charlottesville, Va.: I have a house with a two-story living room that screams to be decorated very Frank Lloyd Wright - lots of interesting angles, large windows composed of multiple tall, slender panels, etc. The furniture, due to still be in school, is the minimum at the moment - the cheap ikea couch and a couple of black leather ikea end chairs that are a bit too modern for that look but will have to suffice, a mahogony 36" square card table with matching chairs, thankfully with vertical slat backs so that they look kinda in the style I'm going for. Do you have any reccomendations for books or sources of Wright houses that I can use for inspiration? How about inexpensive alternatives to leaded glass? I saw this kit on hsn where you used paint and crackle medium and such to simulate leaded glass - you thoughts on that? Thanks, my house appreciates your advice!

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Good for you for trying to stay true to FLW. This summer I visited Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona and was amazed at how his work withstands the test of time and has weathered the desert elements. If you can, take a drive up to Fallingwater in southwestern Pennsylvania. Go to www.franklloydwright.org to find lots of information and books available.

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Washington, D.C.:

I love the Ralph Lauren suede paints. How difficult are they to paint over? I'm in an apartment where I'm allowed to paint, but I wouldn't want to do anything that would require my landlord to do anything other than the usual re-painting when I leave.

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: That is a very good question. We have never used these ourselves. Can anyone out there give their experience on this?

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Bowie, Md.: Hello! I have an upstairs bedroom that I am in the process of turning into a den. The room is bright with many large windows with bulky trim work. Limiting me in paint choice is a chair (the fabric really) that I recently bought from Urban Country. The style of the chair is comfy yet it is still a tad bit formal (meaning it's not totally a knock around type chair). The fabric on it is a dark (but rich) brown with a pattern that contains red and a lighter caramel brown. I have a red room already, so I don't want to go there. Though the chair is not exactly fun, I didn't wanted a stuffy room. There's an adjacent bathroom to paint as well....

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Dear Bowie. Don't despair. A caramel color would be rich and make the room dramatic. What about Kazoo or Pumpkin by C2?

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Ashburn, Va.:

I'd like to turn an existing (useless) sitting room off my master bedroom into an art studio. It's now a carpeted room w/furniture, tv, etc. Any inexpensive flooring ideas, without tearing up the carpet, you can give me, for protecting the carpet from paint, ink, etc.?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Whatever you do, its going to be a cushy place to stand and paint if you cover the rug. Canvas - which could be painted or just paint splashed - could do the trick.

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Tub Tip:

(This may be more of a home improvement tip, but...) I caulked my tub last week and used blue painter's tape to make the lines straight and avoid the mess. I was amazed at how easy it was and how nicely it came out! Afterwards, I asked around, and it seems there are a LOT of folks out there who've never done this w/the tape! Just thought I'd share!

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Thank you Tub Tip. That's great news.

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Washington, D.C.:

I am attempting to decorate my new one bedroom apartment on the thinnest of shoestring budgets. Is there a vintage/discount furniture store in D.C. where I can find great deals?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Hoof it up to Discount Fabrics USA in Thurmont. It's just an hour's drive and well worth it. Open six days a week and closed Thursday. www.discountfabricsusa.com

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Washington, DC:

Not exactly a decorating question, but maybe you can help. My office has a huge mold problem, to the point where people are having respiratory-related problems. A proposed solution is to buy an air purifier. I suggested this wouldn't work, because all of us have our doors open unless we're not there, and there are constantly people coming and going. Have you done any stories on air purifiers in homes or offices?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: A mold problem should be addressed by your employer! Each person should have an air purifier in their office, and try to keep the door closed. But the main heating/cooling system in the office needs to be addressed. Management needs to get on this.

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Another fence question:

The house is a Colonial style - gray with blue shutters and white trim. Should we go with a white picket fence in back or is unpainted wood okay? Rural setting - backs up to woods.

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: White definitely.

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Washington, DC:

Want to add a more comfortable sleeping option to our office/spare bedroom (currently use an aerobed, which is getting tough as parents age). Would you go with daybed (with trundle), futon or sofa with pull-out? (We live in a two-bedroom condo, so the room must stay as a combo room.)

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Aerobeds are great but as you get up in age, they are hard to get up from. They do make double decker ones you know with a double mattress. But if we were to choose, we'd go with a sofa bed. They are much more comfortable than in years past and when they are not in use, the sofas provide seating and a more tailored look than a futon.

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Arlington, Va.:

How do you know how much lighting a room needs? We just redecorated our downstairs (living room/dining room combination) and it's a dungeon it's so dark. We need all new lighting and while I've picked out lighting for various parts of the room that I find attractive, how do I know if the wattage is sufficient?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: That's a very tricky question. Lighting is one of the more complicated parts of decorating,and one that many people don't know very much about. I'm assuming you don't want to install dimmers or built-in lighting but are looking at lamps to brighten up the place. You'll probably need a combination of standing lamps and table lamps in the room and you may want to experiment with halogen bulbs.

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Washington, D.C.:

Is it very expensive to refinish a wood floor?

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Yes! Can't tell you how much, because we don't know how big your space is. Call a place like DC Floors or Hightower Floors, or George & George.

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Rockville, Md.:

Any ideas where I can find simple, chic, contemporary glass-top dining room tables in the DC area? I've seen one that's reasonable at Crate & Barrel but most the other places have some that are too fancy or bulky for me - I want clean lines with dark wood - something that won't cost me an arm and leg (preferrably).

Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: Have you tried Storehouse?

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Annie Groer and Jura Koncius: We are out of time again. Don't miss the HOME section's Back to Class guide in today's Washington Post for great ideas on how to pick up some new skills to improve your home. See you next week. Safe travels Annie.

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