Book helps homeowners downsize with style

Book helps homeowners
downsize with style

Not everyone wants to upgrade to a bigger house. More often, people are opting to simplify.

“Downsizing Your Home With Style: Living Well in a Smaller Space” (HarperCollins, $24.95, hardcover) by Lauri Ward provides readers with strategies for making the transition from a big home to a smaller one using furnishings they already own.

The guide takes readers from the initial evaluation of their prospective home to one year after they have moved in.

Each chapter has a “Good Buys” section and includes lists, tips, sidebars, photographs and anecdotal examples of ways to create more storage and space by making rooms multifunctional.

With tricks on how to make items look smaller and spaces look bigger, the book is a resource for anyone looking to downsize without having to sacrifice style.

Other aspects of downsizing covered include: how to mentally prepare for change, what to pack and what to let go; what to do with the things you want to let go; how to find a new purpose for items; and strategies for living smaller.

The book closes with a chapter on helping you reassess your smaller home one year later.

Kitchen Folio keeps
family papers organized

Keeping a family’s paperwork in order is a challenge. The company momAgenda, which specializes in day planners for moms, has a solution: the Kitchen Folio.

The 9-by-12-inch Kitchen Folio combines forms for recording important information with 18 heavy-duty, clear plastic page protectors for storing sports schedules, school information and the like.

Interchangeable tabs let you categorize the documents by activity or child.

The Kitchen Folio sells for $32.95 at www.momagenda.com and is also available at some specialty stores.

Learn the stories
behind historical homes

The homes that sheltered America’s early patriots have stories to tell all their own. Architectural historian Hugh Howard and photographer Roger Straus III relate those tales in “Houses of the Founding Fathers.”

The book takes readers on a tour of 40 homes and in the process gives a glimpse at the private lives of their occupants — not just the Founding Fathers, but also their families, servants and slaves. Some of the residences, such as George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, are well-known.

Howard thoughtfully includes visitor information to allow readers to see firsthand the homes that intrigue them.

“Houses of the Founding Fathers” is published by Artisan and sells for $50 in hardcover.

Dishwasher offers
SteamClean feature

Jenn-Air has introduced the SteamClean Option dishwasher designed to provide steam-enhanced soil and spot cleaning that can add more shine to your tableware.

Similar to an extra-rinse or sanitize option, the SteamClean option enhances existing wash cycles, such as the china/crystal cycle. A flexible racking system with stem lock and tall-tub design allow more room and loading options for fine china and crystal. The model also has a silent sound package for quiet cleaning.

Available in Euro-Style stainless steel and black and white finishes, the dishwasher features an integrated, electronic-touch control panel, a stainless-steel interior, an UltraClean wash system and start/delay options.

Cost starts at $899. For more information, visit Jenn-Air.com.

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