Home Front

Every week, Annie Groer and Jura Koncius help you in your quest to achieve domestic bliss. Got a question about decorating? They're happy to whip out their paint chips and suggest the perfect hue, call a retailer to help track down a hard-to-find accent piece or offer some do-it-yourself (orcall-in-a-pro) advice. They can even help you cope with the eternal pets vs. furniture battle.

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Built on years of reporting experience, Home Front is an online conversation between two longtime Washington Post Home writers and their readers about the best way to feather the nest. From bargain shopping to spot removal, antiques to armchairs, they invite all of you to submit questions and share you own great tips, ideas and, yes, the occasional complaint.

You may also browse an archive of previous Home Front discussions.

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Jura Koncius: Good morning! Annie and I are splitting up the chat today. So you've got me for the first half hour. Let's roll.

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Washington, D.C.: Do you have a suggestion for a soft orange wall color to warm up a small, north facing bedroom. I plan to combine it with lime green and a splash of red or pink. Maybe something from Martha Stewart's new line for Lowes or Benjamin Moore?

Jura Koncius: I've got the new VALSPAR line from Martha for Lowe's right here. I love Sweet Potato Pie and also Baked Squash. Very seasonal too.

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Durham, NC: I have a long and narrow kitchen and want to spice it up! I'm painting the cabinets white and would like a granny smith apple color for the walls. What do you suggest?

Jura Koncius: Granny Smith Green is a great color. What about Gleeful by Duron?

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No. Va.: Ugh, clutter, the bane of my existence, especially as the catalogs begin pouring in.

Can you please recommend a good book or two (but not more than two, I have enough stuff!) about organizing your home to minimize or control clutter? I have visions of a minimal, pristine zen-ness to my home and the reality is so far from it. I don't know where to begin! The easier the system, the better - we have small kids.

Jura Koncius: Why not get a subscription to ORGANIZE magazine. You can buy a single copy for $4.99. Check out www.organizemag.com. The November/December issue has great holiday organization tips. You can buy one at Border's or Barnes & Noble. Check it out.

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Alexandria, Va: I'm not sure if this has ever been answered, but does anyone know where one can buy large wooden drying racks? Not the teeny ones from Target or the Container Store, but ones that can take a full load of laundry. I've found them online, but the shipping is just as much as the rack itself. Thank you!

Jura Koncius: What a great question. I have one of these large wooden racks in my basement and I absolutely love it! I bought it at a yard sale a decade ago for like $5. Does anyone know where you can buy one locally? We will look into it meanwhile...

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Anonymous: Jura, your article on the pet parties was fantastic. My husband and I have three furchildren and it's always refreshing to see that I'm not the only crazy pet lady out there. In fact, my dog Spencer is at home waiting for our groomer to come over with her mobile spa. He loves his spa day.

Jura Koncius: Oh thanks so much. I loved doing that article. The dogs were SOOOOO well behaved at the party, it was amazing! Enjoy your dogs and thanks for writing.

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Olney, Md: Good morning: Any reports/reviews on BM's new Aura paint? Pros and cons? Is it worth extra $$ for special effects, superior quality? Merci!

Jura Koncius: Dear Olney: Annie and I have not used the paint personally, but one of us had better do so soon. This is a question we are getting asked a lot. Can we ask for our chatters to chime in = have you used Aura?

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drying racks: Have you checked Ikea? I don't know about wooden ones but we have a metal collapsible one from Ikea that will hold a whole load of laundry (learned the hard way when our dryer went out).

Jura Koncius: Great tip. Thanks.

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Bedroom: I'm starting my bedroom from scratch. The only furniture is a Hollywood bed and an antique mahogany desk. I would like to paint the walls a color that evokes the seashore. Any suggestions?

Jura Koncius: What a fun idea. Recalling the beach is a great thing to do in decorating. Party Streamer by Martha Stewart for Valspar, available at Lowe's is a coraly pink that reminds me of the beach. You can't go wrong with Beach Bike Blue in the same line either.

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Arlington, VA: I am looking for a sofa table to put in front of a sunny window for my houseplants. Do you have any recommendations for where I should look?

Jura Koncius: I got a nice black one at Pier 1 Imports not too long ago.

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Silver Spring, Md: I recently acquired two sets of small-ish (10" x 20"?) indoor shutters. But what can I do with them?! Can I hang them on a window-less wall for effect, or would that not be a very good effect? Other ideas? Thanks!

Jura Koncius: I saw someone use two shutters over a bed for a great headboard look. Or have them made into a screen.

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I can paint my rental: Hi, Ladies--really enjoy this chat every week. What colors would you suggest for our South-facing dining-living room? We face South, on the 9th floor so our view is a lush canopy of trees. Most furniture is either teak or darker. Sofa is covered in deeply textured herringbone fabric about the color of oatmeal with khaki undertones. Two wood chairs with cushions covered in merlot-colored velour. We want colors that will brighten the place and draw in the outside. Thanks so much!

Jura Koncius: Oatmeal and Merlot. Hmmm. To draw the outside in, perhaps a pale green. Acadia Green by Benjamin Moore would be woodsy. Also Kittery Point Green or Sherwood Green.

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Aura paint: I stopped by a BM paint store to check out the Aura paint. The price was way too expensive for me. I thought it was a bit much with their marketing blitz, huge color folders telling me the virtures of Aura paint. It is only paint!!

Jura Koncius: Thanks for voicing your opinion!

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Dark blue & rust: What other colors can I use to round out a decorating scheme with a dark blue couch (the color of dark jeans) and a rust colored accent wall? I'm looking at tans and greys, but wondering abut other options. Other furniture is dark brown.

Thanks!

Jura Koncius: With dark blue and rust, you could add in a gold color, sort of like Hawthorne Yellow or Amber Waves by Benjamin Moore.

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Re: clutter: Try the online sites for home magazines like Real Simple.

Jura Koncius: Yes. Good idea.

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Clifton, VA: My rough collies celebrate their bdays and thier got days. My sis's BC's and my bro's Mal come over for cake and frosty paws. Spa day or nail polish please. My rough collies work herding sheep and a spa day for them is getting to work sheep and get all muddy and covered in sheep poop. Nail polish please my collie girl is alpha #$%-& who loves to cross check sheep when they wont do what she wants them do. She loves to cool off in the wading pool after a tough day working no matter what the temp. I ahve to keep bubble in the cool off tubs for her in the dead of winter. She gets very upset if the pool is frozen. And no by morning all the mud and stuff is out of there coats and they dont smell. Herding dogs dont. Baths maybe once a year. Coat needs to have its natural oils for their work day!

Jura Koncius: Party animals.

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The catalogs that pour in: When I receive a catalog I like, I find the website address and bookmark it in my "shopping" favorites folder. Then I pitch the catalog. Others go immediately into the trash.

I wouldn't mind getting a single catalog every season, but I'm getting weekly catalogs from the same places. Sometimes more than weekly! It's overwhelming.

Jura Koncius: I agree. Yesterday I got three Brooks Brothers catalogue. And two Garnet Hill. And a ton more. Oh, I got two Vineyard Vines. It is a total waste and it fills our recycling container up so fast.

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Black vs. Brown?: Our living room has 2 sofas: one a dark brown leather, one a cream twill. We have the black Zoe buffet from Arhaus that we're using as a TV console - rubbed black outside, wood-grain shelves visible through the glass doors. A tan rug and green silk curtains/pillows are accents and we have oak hardwood floors.

We need to choose a coffee table and end tables for the room. Should we match the black of the outside of the buffet, or should we pick a lighter wood tone like the inside of the buffet and the floors?

Jura Koncius: We'd go with black for the contrast.

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Chantilly, VA: How long does a can of paint last? I bought some paint (behr) last year and i am finally thinking of using it. I'm wondering if it's still good to paint with since it's about a year old now.

Thanks!

Jura Koncius: Here is on pro's tip. If you open the can and it smells like rotten eggs, throw it out. But if it smells okay, give it a good stir and try it first on a piece of cardboard to see how it looks. It will probably be just fine if you stored it in a cool place.

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Arlington, VA: The question about clutter control reminded me that ages ago (like early 1990s) the Post did a story on "use what you have" decorating where they took maybe three people and had decorators come in and rearrange their existing stuff to work better, moving things in from other rooms, rearranging, etc.

Could you consider doing this again, maybe for the new year? I love the concept. It's like House Calls without spending a lot of money. So many of us have nice things, we just don't know what to do with them.

Jura Koncius: One of those articles was about MOI and the first floor of my house. I had three decorators come in and give me advice. Amazing how similar some things were, and others totally different. Maybe my editor will spring for a bedroom makeover for me!

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Catalogues: My coffee table has a bottom shelf. I keep the most recent issues there. When I get a new one, I update the pile and recycle the old one. Granted, this time a year it can be hard to keep up but it generally works very well.

If I get catalogues that I don't like enough to keep, I take my name off the mailing list.

Jura Koncius: Good system.

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San Francisco, Calif: May be off topic, but: can you suggest gift ideas for relatives I haven't seen in ages (like, 10 years?) and their now pre- or teen kids? In the past, I've given Mt. Vernon or White House ornaments, but have exhausted the designs I like. I was hoping for something that is VA-native--oh, and the gifts must be packable to take back home overseas.

Jura Koncius: I see you are from California and want Virginia native things. Go to www.virginialiving.com. There are some good things to buy from the website. And the magazine Virginia Living itself would be a nice gift as it has beautiful photographs of Virginia places and people.

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Re: Drying Racks: For wooden ones, you can drive out to Amish country. Any local hardware serving the Amish popoulation will have them (that's where we got ours). Not terribly convenient, but a great excuse for a weekend trip!

Jura Koncius: Wonderful!

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re: Seashore Color:"Mystic Sea" by Behr. Great sea glass green color.

Jura Koncius: Marvy.

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Richmond, Va: My solution to clutter was: (1) get brutal about getting rid of stuff, and (2) getting more containers to contain stuff wiht the new rule that I can fill up and container and when it's full, I can't have more junk than can fit in the corresponding container. Buying more books about organizing is not going to help, sorry to sound mean. That's such an American acquisition oriented response. Buying more will not help. Getting rid of stuff is the only solution.

Jura Koncius: The sad truth. You found it.

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re: Clutter Control: The BEST book on the subject is by Dan Ho entitled 'Rescue From Domestic Perfection'. Dan Ho is the anti-Martha Stewart (yeah!) and will let you know that all that stuff will not bring you happiness nor be fufilling to your life and your soul You must simplify and NOT listen to all the crap the designers and the makeover shows on television saw you must have to achieve the perfect life. A whole cottage industry has sprung up telling people they must have this and that to feel good about themselves and that is just hogwash. Good luck and purge purge purge!

Jura Koncius: Purge. Purge. Purge.

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Aura paint: I thought about using Aura paint when we decided to repaint our kitchen red, in the hopes that it would take fewer coats as advertised. I bought a sample size and and can tell you, that's not the case (at least with darker colors). The smell may have been less, but there was still a faint paint smell. And if I'm going to have to paint a couple of coats anyway, I'd rather buy something half the price and open the windows.

Jura Koncius: Thanks.

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Philadelphia, PA: Decorating magazines never show houses with wall-to-wall carpeting anymore. Is it completely passe? If not, what styles/textures are considered acceptable in the design world? I need to replace worn carpeting throughout my second and third floors; the wood floors beneath are in very bad shape. Since I may be selling in the next few years, I don't want to invest money unwisely.

Annie Groer: Hello all, I've just joined the chat...And not to worry about w-2-w carpet. Many big name designers believe it is perfectly fine, particularly in bedrooms and upstairs, where we tend to want softer surfaces and comfy spaces to roam around without shoes..

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Wilmington, NC: I recently had some smoke damage in my house that has been cleaned. As a result of the damage, the whole interior of my house is being repainted. This is wonderful and daunting - I have never had to pick out paint colors on such short notice. And, have I mentioned that my house will be filled with 8 crazy relatives/houseguests for Thanksgiving? Help!

Some rooms will be repainted the existing color but I have selected new colors for most of the house. I need a little advice to make sure I am picking out good colors.

For the great room, downstairs hallway, stairwell, and upstairs hallway I have picked Olymipic Brown Mustard. For the kitchen and breakfast room I have picked Valspar La Fonda Antique Red. These colors go with general earthy, warm color scheme I have achieved in the living areas throughout the house. I just want to make sure they won't be hideous once the painters are done.

For the guest room, guest bath, and spare bedroom I have picked Olympic Pony Tail.

For the media room and office, my husband has selected Olymic Scarborough and Blue Willow respectively. (yes, i realize these are neither warm nor earthy, but these are my husband's "man rooms" where he gets to pick how things are decorated).

Annie Groer: Excellent choices, and lucky you to get all the work done. Two suggestions: Get the painters to paint large swatches of the earthy mustard and red on the walls so you can live with it for at least 24 to 48 hours and see it in natural daylight and artificial light. Tell them to start with the bathrooms and other spaces where you are not so worried about the colors.

And since you are getting company for the holidays, go for low-odor, low VOC paint, keep your windows open as long as possible and run a fan to get the smell out.

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Re. Red paint: Did you use a primer first? Maybe it wasn't the paint, but the fact that you need a primer...

Annie Groer: Good point. And for those of you who are about to paint a room red, use a dark primer for better coverage.

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South Riding, VA: We're getting ready to reconfigure a lot of the furniture in our house. The basement will be recreation and craft area (pool table, TV, and sewing). Any thoughts on how to make it seem warm and inviting. We don't go down there much now, so it has a disused air about it which doesn't make it very welcoming.

Thanks!

Annie Groer: Bring in as much light as possible. Paint walls light colors. If the floor covering is icky but the basement tends to be dry, have inexpensive wall-to-wall carpet installed. Get a few easy chairs and maybe a TV so while some folks are playing pool, others can be hanging out.

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Another Carpet Question: We also are replacing carpet. We've liked our berber, but we noticed that it's difficult to vacuum beagle hair out of it. What design/type of carpet would you recommend for a home with a pet?

Annie Groer: Probably a lower pile carpet. You might also consider a vacuum cleaner made specifically for pet hair.

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dark blue and rust, you could add in a gold color: Yes, perfect! Was thinking tans and greys but also thought that would be dull... gold will liven it up.

Thanks.

Annie Groer: Thanks...good color combos.

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For the gift givers: Have you tried the National Wildlife Federation's catalogue? I bought a bunch of their ornaments and a tree will be planted for each one. The gifts that keeps on giving. They have other ideas, too.

Annie Groer: Ooh, very eco-green.

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Richmond, VA: I agree that catalogs are filling up our landfills - I feel bad every time I get one. However, I just learned that you can stop catalogs by going to -SOME- company's web sites and requesting not to receive them anymore. You can also put your name on the Direct Marketing Associations Do Not Mail list and many organizations use the list before sending out mail. It costs a buck. Here's the link - https://www.dmachoice.org/onlineform.php.

Thanks! Love your chats!

Annie Groer: Excellent ideas. In my condo building, we have a big table in the basement we use as a book, magazine and catalogue exchange. When you're done reading, pass it along. Some of the stuff has been read by up to a dozen different folks.

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Virginia stuff: My relatives have liked the Virginia peanuts I've sent. They aren't like your "regular" peanuts - they are big and crunchy. Try Plow & Hearth for one source.

And there is always Colonial Williamsburg - lots of stuff in their catalog.

Annie Groer: Love those fancy goobers. And museum catalogues are always a treat. Also, for one-stop shopping, the Mansion at Strathmore in N. Bethesda 10701 Rockville Pike (301-581-5100) is selling stuff from 17 local museums starting today and running through Sunday. Call for hours.

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Oxford, MD: Bedroom and sitting room have carpet and trim in a sort of wood-rose color, softer than wine. Can you suggest a neutral wall color that would work until we can replace the carpet and paint the miles of trim? I currently have about 12 different colored squares on the walls, and I can't decide! Thanks for your help.

Annie Groer: How about a pale parchment like Lush Shade...it's made by Waverly Home Classics by Valspar (sold at Lowe's).

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Washington, DC: Drying Racks: Try your local ACE hardware...I've purchased one there for about $25.

Annie Groer: Love 'em. So low-tech and practical.

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RE: paint large swatches of the earthy mustard and red on the walls : I second this. I painted both my living room and bedrooms without doing this. The colors look great during a bright day, but at night, wow, do those colors change and get more intense. Completely changes the room.

I actually like the BR color now, but that LR is going to have to be repainted.

Annie Groer: I love to be validated. Thanks.

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Raleigh NC: Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving! Please suggest a clear, clean looking shade of grey (indoor) paint. Also, we have a bedroom with a very high hip shaped ceiling and two of the walls are very high (think barn-shaped). What can I do with paint minimize the starkness and bring down the eye. Thanks! -M

Annie Groer: Try Ralph Lauren's Kitchen Cupboard. And paint the ceiling the same color for a seamless look. Minimize starkness with art, plants and soft lighting.

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Chicago, Ill: I love going to the Winterthur gift shop in Alexandria. Technically the Winterthur estate is in Delaware, but the gift shop is in Virginia.....I've bought very cute ornaments there and a splendid fake Christmas wreath for my door.

Annie Groer: Excellent.

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clutter: I submitted the original clutter question and it's true, we need to purge a few things (junk mail accumulates, old clothes I can't part with, etc.) but honestly our problem isn't so much that we buy too much, it's that we aren't good organizers and tend to lose important items and/or waste too much time looking for things like shoes, tools, etc. And getting out the door for preschool is chaos. So I checked out the site for Organize and it looks like it offers advice on what we need - i.e., systems. Thanks!

Annie Groer: To save time hunting for things, create a family staging area for keys, cell phones, important papers the kids need to take to school, everyone's schedules. It will change your life.

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More on Aura: We were considering Aura paint for our living room and baby's room for the rich-color-and-low-odor promise (I'm way pregnant)--until we found out the price! (For $60/gal, it had better put itself onto the walls!) We ended up using Ben Moore's EcoSpec, which has no VOCs, beautiful color, and great coverage, all for $35/gal. So for those considering Aura for its low-odor properties, I'd suggest EcoSpec, for a great paint at a way more reasonable price.

P.S. I'm not affiliated in any way--just a happy customer.

Annie Groer: We love happy customers. Thanks for the money-saving tip.

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richmond: best internet source of peanuts:

virginiadiner.com

Annie Groer: Thanks. You all are so smart.

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Washington, DC: Good morning. I have a coffee table that is veneer wood in beige color. Can you paint over veneer wood? I would like to paint it in dark wood.

Annie Groer: Make sure you glue down any peeling veneer. You can paint it or you can stain it. In either case, you extend its life and save a few trees.

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Bethesda, MD: Hi ladies,

My husband and I just bought a 3BR condo in a heavily shaded location near the woods. We want to work with that, and give the place a cozy feel to it. What minor touches would you recommend?

We have lovely oak floors and lots of windows where you see trees, trees, and more trees.

Thanks!

Annie Groer: Since the view is so green, you don't want to cover it up with window treatment, but sheer curtains might soften the hard surfaces. A few throws (blankets)in colors that complement your furniture will cozy things up (and in winter, you can cuddle into them). Artwork always helps, and a vase or two of flowers.

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earthy mustard and red: Thanks for the advice and hand-holding. I will get them to do the test swatches!

Annie Groer: Great. That's why we're here.

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Arlington, VA: I am redoimg my 50's era tiny master bath. It has those tiles that are in all the old bathrooms, but mine are an inoffensive yellow, so they are staying. My question is what color paint? I am painting the trim BM super white, can I do the walls the same color? Also I saw a nice light fixture, but it is halogen. Is that OK to use in a bathroom or is the light too bright? And lastly I want to replace the $3 miniblind on the one window. Any ideas? Thanks, LUV the chat.

Annie Groer: You can do the walls super white, but I'd go for the same pale yellow as the tiles, or even a shade or two lighter.

As for halogens, I'd stay away from them and go with a bright light on a dimmer. And for the window, if you need privacy, use the opaque window film that lets in light but keeps gawkers at bay.

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Arlington, VA: I hope I am not too late to get this in...

A two part question - we want to use a carved trunk for a coffee table. The top of the trunk is carved in the middle and it makes sense to have glass over that. Are there any great places you can recommend for custom glass?

Also, if the glass is over the middle, that leaves a rectangle of bare wood around the top (I hope that makes sense). Do we just make sure people use coasters with drinks or do you have any suggestions for what we could do to make sure that wood doesn't get destroyed?

Thanks for your help!

Annie Groer: You can go to a custom glass or mirror shop, but you may get a better deal at an auto glass store. I suggest extending the glass beyond the entire trunk so you don't have to worry about coasters, etc. Make sure it is at least 1/2 inch thick and tempered so it does not shatter easily.

It's a cinch to clean.

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Annie Groer: Thanks all...Jura and I will be back next week.

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