Home Front: Bargains on Picture Frames, Replacing Windows, Tips for Novice Decorators, Sad Farewell to Domino Magazine and more

Home Front is an online conversation between two Washington Post Home Section writers and their readers about the best way to feather the nest. Every week, Jura Koncius and Terri Sapienza help you in your quest to achieve domestic bliss. Jura was online Thursday, January 29.

A transcript follows.

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

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Jura Koncius: Good morning. Are you sad about the demise of Domino magazine? We are. Gosh. It is scary out there. Let's get going.

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Jura Koncius: This was sent to me as an email regarding our discussion last week about small washer/dryers. Unfortunately, Candey Hardware which used to be downtown has closed. I just tried the phone number for them and it is disconnected so I do not think they have relocated. Anyway, keep that in mind but they are available in other places.

"For the person looking for a stacking combo - she might consider whatI did. I have a tiny space for my washer drier so was looking into the same ideas. I ended up at Candey Hardware... They specialize in small European appiances. I got a wonderful European washer-dryer which is one unit. The washer becomes a drier. Now, full disclosure -- I knew from growing up in the UK that it takes forever to dry everything. I love it because it has so many different cycles -- three delicates. I wash all my wool and silk in it. It was no more expensive than buying both from Sears. The delivery was costlier -- but they did what they said they would exactly when promised. NOT at all what happened with Sears, so I didn't begrudge the exta money at all. Anyway -- I thought you might want to throw this out there next week.

All the best and thanks for your excellent advice.

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Displaying Photographs: Hi Ladies - My husband and I finally got around to unpacking all of the boxes from our move (it's been 2 years!) and I discovered that we have a lot of framed photographs in '80s style light wood frames. I'd like to have a more cohesive and up to date look -- say silver wood frames. Where can I buy a bunch of these w/o spending a lot of $$$? Thanks!!

Jura Koncius: That is very smart of you. A great designer tip is to frame all your photos in the same frames to give them a polished, pulled together look. You might try Home Goods, Tuesday Morning, Michaels or Ikea. Any other ideas?

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Lusby, Md.: Just a comment on today's House Calls, I like the room and colors used, my only issue is leaving the cold tile on the floor. I think carpet should be use to warm up a room already so cold with so many windows, a throw rug just isn't enough.

washingtonpost.com: House Calls: A Room With a View (Post Home Section, Jan. 29)

Jura Koncius: I have a tile floor in my den and it is cold. In the winter, we throw a rug on top of it.

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New York, N.Y.: Hey -- I just moved to New York, leaving behind a house and all my furniture. I've got a tiny studio apartment with a loft that is home for the next year, while I'm here on work assignment. Do you have any suggestions for attractive pieces that can have several functions? I'd like my coffee table to be a storage area and my sofa to have a sofa-bed for visitors, but I'm not sure how else to maximize my use of the limited space I do have.

To complicate things, I'm also trying to keep things cheap, since I'm still paying a mortgage on my permanent place.

What would you suggest?

washingtonpost.com: Living (small) (Post Home Section, May 24, 2007)

Jura Koncius: Your problems are the same of many who living in small apartments or condos. You can buy coffee tables that have drawers underneath or come with four stools that fit under the top and can be pulled out to use as extra seating or extra end tables. If your sofa must function primarily as seating for your living room, you would be best off getting a sofa bed. Try Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams designs or go to Jennifer Convertibles.

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Washington DC: For new picture frames... www.myframestore.com gave me a bulk discount when I bought 20 or so frames from them. And their prices were among the lowest I found (for what I needed) even before the discount.

Jura Koncius: Wow!

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Oh no!!: Not Domino! The comfort foods of the magazine world are really disappearing.

Jura Koncius: Yes. It is so true. I love to read House Beautiful, Elle Decor or Real Simple when I need some kick-back time for myself. But I also used to love to read Domino, Cottage Living and O At Home!!

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Re: Picture Frames: If the poster really wants to save money, she could either lightly sand and paint her existing frames or buy unfinished frames and paint them all in one shot.

Thanks - love the chats and articles!

Jura Koncius: Yes. That is true. I personally would not have the time or patience to do that. Certainly, she can recycle the frames or sell them at her next yard sale or donate them to charity.

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Domino: Noooo!!! I just started my subscription and I loved it! What am I supposed to read now?!

Jura Koncius: Bad bad news. The www.dominomag.com website is still up -- and it doesn't say what subscribers will be getting in place of Domino until their subscription runs out. The weird thing is that when House & Garden folded, they gave everyone Domino instead.

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Arlington, Va.: Is there any way to tell how old my gas hot water heater is?

Jura Koncius: Get the company name and serial number. Then go on the company website or call them and they can tell you. A good tip that my plumber Joe (that is his real name) has given me: When you get a new water heater, usually the instruction manual comes in a plastic sleeve attached to the heater. Keep it in there along with your original receipt. Then you will always have the info handy.

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Washington, D.C.: Thank you for last week's article on yellow. I'm thinking about painting my living/dining room in C2 Fleece. Furniture is dark wood, style is Asian transitional. Big windows, but only northern exposure. What do you think? I like the idea, but some friends say yellow walls are dated.

washingtonpost.com: In Times So Mellow, A Burst Of Yellow (Post Home Section, Jan. 22)

Jura Koncius: Dated? No way... I like Banana and Polenta by C2.

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RE: STACKING W/D: I got mine 2 months ago from sears.com. It was cheaper than Lowe's and it has a front loader washer and energy star product by Frigidaire, I love it! It was shipped to my local Sears free, the set was on sale, I paid under a thousand with tax!

Jura Koncius: Thanks for that.

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Dupont Circle: Candey Hardware closed some months ago. It will now be a Nando's Peri-Peri chain restaurant. I love chicken as much as the next person, but I was sad to see a place open since the 1910s shut down. It was amazing to see all the stuff in there.

I don't have a washer dryer combo because I live in an apartment building and do my laundry in the basement, but Candey Hardware sold Miele products.

Jura Koncius: Yes. I really miss Candey also as I could run over there and get vacuum bags or light bulbs at lunch. And I could get a key made. Chicken sounds good though...

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displaying photographs/just a thought: My daughter and her fiance have helped me see the "new world" re the display of photos. They have a lovely digital frame in their family room and it's an astonishing technology.

Am in the process of digitizing all of our family photos in order to use one or more digital frames (will still have a few about in traditional frames). The photos will now be protected from deterioration and can also be shared with others. My 86 yr.old mother is helping me identify and categorize them and she's so excited about this project.

Jura Koncius: What a great idea to involve your mother in identifying all those relatives whose names seem to escape you over the decades! Organizing photos is one of the horrible jobs that many of us put off for years and years until it's too late!

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Arlington, Va.: I recently bought a 1940's Cape Cod in Arlington that is in desperate need of new windows (original metal ones still there! and they let tons of cold air in, I'm freezing...). I saw your article today on what to look for in new windows; do you have any recommendations of who to call for estimates?

washingtonpost.com: A Guide to Buying Windows (Post Home Section, Jan. 29)

Jura Koncius: If you read my article last week on energy audits, I still have my original 1937 windows so I do not know of anyone to call. Check out this article everyone. And can you help Arlington with a name of a company?

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Gaithersburg: Say it ain't so Domino!! I love that mag. I also went to the book signing they had a month ago and got a signed copy which I turned around and left on an airplane 3 weeks later :(

Jura Koncius: Their book did very well -- it is too bad they could not make it over this correction in our economy.

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B'More Cat and Home Magazine Lover: My subscription to Cottage Living was replaced with Southern Living. I haven't read SL in a long time, but has that magazine gone downhill or what? It's terrible. Very cheap looking and without a lot of appealing articles anymore.

I used to buy Domino for a special treat every now and then. What will I buy now?

Jura Koncius: Fascinating. Now I understand why we are getting so many copies of Southern Living here at the office!!!

What magazines do you all suggest? Like I said earlier, you might consider House Beautiful, Met Home, Elle Decor or now Oprah, which is supposed to combine Oprah Home.

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Washer/Dryer Combo: Make sure you don't get a Haier. A friend of mine got one 2 years ago on my recommendation and it has broken 3 times. The repairman told him they are the worst on the market.

Jura Koncius: Hmmmm.

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RIP Candey's: So where are the denizens of downtown offices getting their keys cut these days?

Jura Koncius: Wish I knew...

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Alexandria, Va.: Candey Hardware has now relocated to Alexandria: 817 S. Washington Street, 703-299-0092. It is called Candey's of Alexandria

Jura Koncius: Really? How great. Thanks for that news.

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Alexandria: With regard to the light wood frames, how about a can or two of spray paint? I've made mismatched frames look more cohesive with a can of black. They also make silver paint. It's really an easy DIY project.

Jura Koncius: Black or silver would look great, yes.

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Curtains vs. Doors Update: Hi Ladies, Thanks for yours and the chatters' input last week. After reading the comments last week and talking to other homeowners who have shower doors vs. shower curtains, I decided not to get the frameless shower doors. Many of the comments from chatters were echoed in my personal conversations re: level of effort needed to keep the doors clean, and the diversity you have with shower curtains. So thanks to you and the chatters.

Jura Koncius: Glad we were able to help. Cleaning those doors is a pain I hear.

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Today's House Calls: I love the look of today's room, and have no objection (as others might) to putting storage units/benches in front of the floor to ceiling glass. But the designer says keep the play area open so the kids can play? That I don't see. Looks like the space is pretty much filled up with a game table and chairs, upholstered chair and ottoman as well as the aforementioned storage units. Where is the open play area of which she speaks????

washingtonpost.com: House Calls: A Room With a View (Post Home Section, Jan. 29)

Jura Koncius: We will pass this along...

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Alexandria, Va.: Good morning! I have a decorating-related question -- who pays for the redecorating of the private quarters at the White House? I think I remember reading that there was a $100K budget, but what is the source of that money? Just curious.

washingtonpost.com: West Coast Decorator Gets White House Nod (Post Home Section, Jan. 15)

Jura Koncius: The allowance granted each president to redo the private quarters is $100,000. This is government money. The rest must come from their own wallets or from private donations. Sometimes the White House Historical Association, a non-profit, pays for projects at the White House.

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Washington DC: Hi Jura and Terri, I was wondering where I can find a handyman who can both install crown molding, and cut/measure/provide crown molding for my studio apartment? I live in DC. Thanks!!

Jura Koncius: Every neighborhood seems to have a favorite handyman whose name is passed around on the local online list serves. Also you find them in local newsletters, craigslist.com and on bulletin boards. Meanwhile, CASE has a handyman service and there is something called www.housedoctors.com.

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poster asking about W/D: It's me, the poster who asked about the W/D combo. Looks like my warranty company will finally get it fixed. I was nervous I'd have to replace it. I wanted to thank everyone for their recommendations. Hopefully I won't need them in the future. :-)

Thanks for the chats. They are so helpful to a new homeowner. BTW, any suggestions on where to get shelving for my living room? I saw some at Pottery Barn but they are super expensive. I want to place framed pictures on them, so nothing extremely heavy will be on them, but I don't want the shelves to look cheap either. Someone recommended Lowe's. Any other suggestions?

washingtonpost.com: All my shelves are from IKEA and I'm happy with them. -- Elizabeth

Jura Koncius: I saw some cantilever shelves this week from Ikea and they were really cool.

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Desparately Seeking Solution in Woodbridge, Va.: Hi,

Asked this question once already; hope my question makes it in this chat. You both give excellent advice! My question is relatively simple: I am NOT rich by any means. I have NO and I mean NO sense of decorating AT ALL. My townhome still looks the same as when I moved in 3 years ago!! I need new slipcovers, drapes, accessories, etc. Where do I start? I make approx. 50K per year. Is this possible with my salary?I did call several decorating places, TOO EXPENSIVE!

washingtonpost.com: Time to Decorate. Where to Begin? (Post Home Section, June 19, 2008)

Jura Koncius: You can make some improvements. And we realize money is tight. Stores like Ethan Allen are offering free design advice now in all their stores. You might find someone by the hour to give you some ideas for paint colors, fabrics, flooring etc and accessories - you could execute it yourself. In today's HOME section you'll find information on an ASID Spring Spruce Up where you can book in home design consulations with experts for $100 an hour. You must call this Sunday to sign up.

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re: downtown keys: There is a shoe repair place next to a cleaners that cuts keys downtown across from Macy's. I think it is on G St. between 13th and 12th.

Jura Koncius: Anyone know the name? this is a little far from Conn. and M Sts.

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re: think carpet should be use to warm up a room already so cold with so many windows, a throw rug just isn't enough.: I thought the same thing, especially since they want to have their grandchildren play in the room. I did like the furniture arrangement a lot. The table and chairs could be removed if you wanted to provide a large play space for very young children, and brought back in when they are older and playing less on the floor.

Jura Koncius: True.

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Dupont Circle again: There is True Value on 17th St and Corcoran near the Soviet Safeway, and a hardware store on 24th St at L. Not exactly downtown but close.

washingtonpost.com: Also Logan Hardware at P and 14th near the Whole Foods...

Jura Koncius: Ah yes. Good ideas. Thanks.

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Domino: Fellow mourner here. My next favorite, and a possible replacement for those looking for one, is House Beautiful. It's not as modern and DIY as Domino, but it's pretty approachable and there's always a nice cooking feature from Ina Garten.

This month's issue even featured a story on what color to paint your front door -- one of our favorite topics!

Jura Koncius: Yes.....

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Springfield, Va.: GAK! Help me before I have a heart attack! My husband and I have been in our new home for only about 3 months, and I have to host a huge party in 2 weeks! GAK! I am SOOO not ready. I don't even have enough furniture to fill the place up yet. I have whole rooms of unpacked boxes, a halfway painted 1st floor, not nearly enough seating for everyone, poorly arranged furniture, and I'm FREAKING OUT! What would you guys do? Moving the venue is not an option unfortunately.

Jura Koncius: Maybe you should just keep the rooms empty and rent cool cocktail tables and ballroom chairs - hopefully it will be warm by then and people can go outside too! GAK is right...

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Candeys in Old Town: Candey's has not relocated to Old Town. We are Old Town Hardware, part of the ACE line of stores known for great customer service. Come check us out!

Jura Koncius: Wow. Sorry about that! It did sound kind of weird...

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Silver Spring, Md.: Hi ladies, I know you get these questions all too often but I'm giving it a go! We are re-doing our basement to be mainly a playroom, however are putting a sofa and tv down there as well. My husband claims our entire house is beige so I thought I'd give the old Palladian Blue a try! The carpet is going to be beige and I've picked a chocolate brown sofa from Ikea. Anyway, now I'm worried that with the brightly colored toys etc, the blue will be too much color (and by the way, my test looks blue NOT green!). Do you think I should go for more of a tan or yellow tone on the walls? And my mother tells me chocolate and blue are OUT!

Jura Koncius: Well, some design divas have declared chocolate brown and light blue to be OVER. I must admit there's a room in my house still in those colors! But I also have silver in there!

I think the Palladian Blue sounds lovely for your basement!

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Keys: There's a little convenience store just outside International Square before you take the escalator to the street level at the corner of 18th and I NW that offers key cutting services. Sorry - don't know the name.

Jura Koncius: Super!

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Silver Spring, Md.: I am devasted about Domino. I have read on a few blogs about Canadian House and Home, not sure if that's the exact name but I hear it's great. Problem is if you see something you like you might have to travel to Canada to buy it!

Jura Koncius: Have not heard of that!

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Atlanta: Hello -- I recently bought a new house, and I love almost everything about it. One thing I don't love: the paint in the kitchen. It's a light blue color (like baby boy blue). The kitchen has cherry cabinets, tan stone backsplash, and cream-colored granite. I am stuck; any ideas? The kitchen opens onto a gathering room anchored with an area rug that has a cranberry border, so the furniture and so forth that you see from the kitchen are likely to be reds and golds/caramels.

Many thanks for any insights!

Jura Koncius: I would suggest something like Adobe Beige. Benjamin Moore.

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Water heater age: When you get your water heater (or furnace) replaced, write the installation date on it in permanent marker.

Jura Koncius: Love that!

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Ikea cantilevered shelves: Their shelves are constructed with a "hanging technology" that is very substantial. Finding shelves of similar price/quality is difficult.

There are many more options though at www.exposuresonline.com.

Jura Koncius: Thanks.

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Arlington, Va.: So I know trends come and go. Can you tell me if faux finishes on walls are passe? I'm thinking of sponge painting gold/deep yellow over dark cream for our dining room - fairly low contrast. I saw something similar in a restaurant recently and really liked it. But is it going to look dated? What else might I consider?

Jura Koncius: Dated. Just try and find a rich color you like to paint the walls for a dramatic look.

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Re: Displaying photographs: I have found that art stores like Utrecht (in downtown D.C.) often have a good selection of frames at reasonable prices. If you're based in D.C., it's more convenient than trekking to Ikea or other suburban places.

Jura Koncius: That is a great idea.

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Washington DC: For the decorating-impaired in Woodbridge:

Here's the classic (almost cliched) advice: Start with something you love, even just a throw pillow, and decorate around it. For me, it was a persian rug. I pulled the colors for the walls and all the other fabrics from the rug, and since it's a tree-of-life design, I sort of went with a botanical theme for the rest of the ground floor. I dunno. I like it. It gets compliments. I'm sure if it appeared in House Calls, it would get torn apart.

Jura Koncius: You have to start somewhere. Good for you.

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Silver Spring, MD: Missed last week's chat. Finding a good yellow is a favorite topic of mine. I accidently found an excellent butter yellow while searching through the creams. Rather than make a specific suggestion, I just tell folks to scan the darker shades of the creams and they will likely stumble upon a nice, soft butter yellow that way.

Jura Koncius: Good idea.

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hopefully it will be warm by then and people can go outside too!: 2 weeks from now I'm probably still going to want to stay in for parties. Or you could call it a Nordic party, like that commercial where the company turns their heat off every Tuesday and calls it "Nordic Tuesday" pretending it's fun.

Jura Koncius: I guess I am being overly optimistic but I am so so tired of this cold weather this year!

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cheap frames: For the poster looking to reframe family photos, check out Target! They always have fashionable and cheap frames in a variety of sizes and materials.

Jura Koncius: Target is always a good source for this stuff.

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Fort Collins, Colo.: For older homes--mine is a Craftsman built in 1922 -- custom windows that would preserve the architectural significance of the home are prohibitively expensive. For mine, I used a Bi-glass licensee who did an excellent job, pulling out one opening at a time, repairing the rail and stiles if needed, fitting them with double-pane argon sealed glass, insulating the old weight pockets, and routing out to make conventional sash, splitting the muntins and applying them on either side of the new glass. Five years in, the work beautifully, look just as they did originally; in the first year, they dropped my natural gas consumption by 35%. The work was done on time and impeccably, at about 2/3 the cost of even conventional replacements, and half the cost of custom work. The process involves premeasurement for the glass, and a workshop parked long enough to refit three openings a day. Try to book it for warm weather!

This is my only connection with this company and its licensees.

Jura Koncius: Thanks for sharing that. They sound beautiful.

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Candey's Appliance - Alexandria: Here's a place called Candey's Appliance at 817 S. Washington Street in Alexandria:

http://candeysappliance.com/

What is the story here?

washingtonpost.com: That must be the source of the mixup -- this Candey's looks very different from the former D.C.-based hardware store.

Jura Koncius: I just spoke to Mario who is at the new Candey's. They have dropped the hardware part and are just selling appliances and vacuums. They haven't done their marketing yet as they are just getting ready for their main opening. Mario says although the place opened its doors last November, they are still finishing up the sample kitchen. They have Miele and Viking products and under-counter refrigeration, washer dryers, etc. They do Miele repair and sell the vacuum bags.

703-299-0092. So now we know!

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Re: Faux Painting: Ralph Lauren makes a great faux paint you paint on top off your paint - it's called Candlelight. When looking directly at the painted wall you can't tell it's been painted, but when the light hits it it shimmers slightly, like the wall is lit by candle light. Very easy and inexpensive to do. We painted this in our dining room and whenever the chandelier is on, the back wall shimmers. Very pretty but very subtle.

Jura Koncius: Yes. That is a good suggestion too.

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Richmond: Tankless has pros and cons. After reading the Consumer Reports article, we decided it isn't for us. It's dependent on electricity to get hot water. Right now with gas hot water, I can get a hot shower if the electricity's out. If we go tankless, we'd be dependant on electricity to run the system and I'd be stuck with a cold shower. I love that I can get a hot shower if the electricity's out, so we're keeping our current system. Also, CR did the numbers and found that the tankless system pays off in about 20 years, not the 5 the ads claim. The system costs about 4 times as much to buy and install as a regular system.

Jura Koncius: Another opinion on tankless..

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re: Woodbridge: This might sound cheesy, but I take a photo from a catalog or magazine of a room I love, and try to copy it. Not copy it exactly, but I'll look at the color scheme and the furniture layout and try to copy that. So I will pick out my own style things, and go shopping for finds that are personal, but I'll keep that color scheme in mind when picking stuff out. Right now I'm looking for art work of a in certain colors, and it's fun trying to find it.

Jura Koncius: Not cheesy at all..

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Salt Lake City, Utah: Frames - I bought nice Martha Stewart silver frames on sale at Macy's for about $6 each for the person looking to redo photo displays. They had around 5 different styles if you want to mix and match! Just a thought since I know Macy's is in D.C.

Jura Koncius: The Martha Stewart stuff at Macy's is a good deal and is often on sale.

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Pottery Barn prices: With just about every retailer out there dropping prices and having massive sales, how can Pottery Barn still cost so much? They tacked on a huge shipping charge last year due to the huge fuel charges but that has not gone away. Their sales aren't worth it... $20 off a $300.00 piece?

The thing is they have these small 24" glass and metal tables that I would LOVE for my very small living room (2 tables for a coffee table). I've looked elsewhere and can't seem to find anything like them. But each small table is $249.00 plus shipping, plus the extra delivery charge. I tried calling the store in White Flint but they don't carry that item, nor can I get it shipped to the store. Will their prices ever go down?

Jura Koncius: It is too bad you can't buy them from the store directly. Shipping charges are through the roof. I guess all you can do is keep checking to see if they get marked down or look for something similar in places like overstock.com and homedecorators.com.

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B'More Row Home Owner: Thanks for the graphic on buying replacement windows. Is there a way to get an easy to print version? Also, what sort of color flexibility is there for the exterior part of these window?

My primary home improvement project for 2009 will be refurbishment/renovation of my home's facade, including but not limited to replacing windows. I live in a 24 foot wide, 1920's row home in Baltimore. It has a total of 12 windows (6 in front and 6 in back) in SEVEN different sizes! Can you believe that?

Thanks for the info and the chats!

washingtonpost.com: A Guide to Buying Windows (Post Home Section, Jan. 29) -- and if you send me an e-mail at elizabeth.terry AT wpost.com I'll send you a PDF of the page.

Jura Koncius: This should help. Thanks!

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Furniture Sales?: Hi Ladies,

Do you or the chatters know where to find good deals on living room furniture? I've checked out Macy's in person and JC Penney and Sears online, but the sales don't really seem that good. Also, are there any furniture stores that might have a going out of business sale?

We're looking for somewhat decent quality, but not high end. We're located in D.C. but would gladly travel to shop. We have a very limited budget. Thanks!

washingtonpost.com: Save Big At 2 Closing Furniture Stores (Post Home Section, Jan. 29)

Jura Koncius: Sad to say, stores are closing and prices are probably very low. Read Kat Hom's article which is posted here. Every store seems to be having a sale these days too.

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Washington, D.C.: We're replacing the linoleum in the kitchen -- is travertine tougher than ceramic? what about slate? Would it look OK in the kitchen if the finish were matte/non-slip? A neutral color is OK (we'll add small diamonds or squares of a brighter color) but most kitchens seem to have chipped/broken tile from pans being dropped on it. Other considerations? And do you have the link to the advice on granite counters versus alternatives from your recent side-by-side comparison? thanks!

washingtonpost.com: Sorting It Out: Stone Countertops (Post Home Section, Sept. 11, 2008)

Jura Koncius: I would go for slate. And read this article posted about countertops.

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for NY NY tiny apt: To maximize your tiny space and versatility, consider a quality-made futon couch with storage drawers underneath it. I saw some very solid ones recently here in Rockville, and one of their sources is newenergybedrooms.com. I'm sure NYC has LOADS of sources. There are beautiful cover fabric choices available, and 8 different styles (springs, dense foam,soft foam etc) to match the firmness desired. No, I'm not affiliated with them, just impressed!

Jura Koncius: Thank you.

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discount housewares: Excellent prices/sales also at www.smartbargains.com.

Jura Koncius: great.

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For Arlington re. Metal Windows: If the Cape house still has steel casement windows, she should really consider having them restored rather than replacing them.

Seekircher is an expert and did the windows at Fallingwater. http://www.seekirchersteelwindow.com/

Jura Koncius: Thanks.

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Jura Koncius: Time to go back to chipping the ice off your driveway, everyone. Hope it's a good weekend for everyone. And check out those good sales and deals in the Home section today in the Home Front column. Also don't miss Terri's terrific Home Office feature - a cold wintery weekend is a good time to tackle your working space at home and think about making it a cheerier place!

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Pottery Barn: Everyone wants an incredible sale, and then gets sad when the store is forced to close. Whether you buy at an incredible discount, or don't buy because they don't have an incredible discount, they can't win. Not blaming anyone, just saying. Maybe the furniture stores can get a bailout.

Jura Koncius: sending two more at the last minute...

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B'more: Oh no! If chocolate brown and blue are over, what color do I paint my living room walls? I have a big ol' turquoise leather sofa I can't afford to replace and had been thinking ecru on top and light brown on the bottom of the chair rail. So...blue and yellow? (but if yellow is over too) Blue and off-white? Blue and pink? Blue and more blue? Give up and paint over the sofa?

Jura Koncius: Ecru for you.

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washingtonpost.com: Terri's home office article: Seeking Office? (Post Home Section, Jan. 29)

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