Spring Home & Garden

Spring Home & Garden May 2, 2013 •Special Section C

Inside Keep an eye on decorating trends........................3C Is it about time to replace your shingles?.............5C Family fun begins with planning a garden...........6C Start spring lawn care off on the right foot.........7C Spring decor has a bold, optimistic face..............9C How to care for window screens..........................9C

PAGE 2C — Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013

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Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013 — PAGE 3C

Home & Garden

Natural and worn materials are popular in home design this year

By CHRISTY LYNN If you’re planning a sprucing-up or renovation of your home this spring, you may be pleasantly surprised by some of the fun, resurfacing trends that home designers are seeing for 2013.

World-renown designers at Pantone LLC are seeing a revival of bold, saturated colors, which fill a room with brightness and positive energy and balance the stillrelevant earth tones and gentler colors. Emerald, poppy, Morocco blue, and nectarine pop in the palette, complementing more subdued dusk blues, jade, and linen tones.

Balancing of old and new items, colors, patterns, and materials is a common thread in home design, borrowed from trends on the runway, in clothing and throughout graphic design themes.

Antique furniture paired with thin modern lines, metals, and exposed industrial materials translate these trends into the house, coming together for a fun and funky twist.

Locally, designers say Vermonters are following suit, fitting organically into the classic Green Mountain aesthetic.

Pam Carter and Chelsea Audy are a mother-daughter design team who own Keeping Good Company, a floor-to-ceiling interior design firm run out of Vergennes.

Vermonters are “moving toward a more organic modernism using worn modern materials that look vintage,” says Carter. The industry is seeing a lot of slate, weathered concrete, natural tile, and warn or vintage materials, she adds.

Furthermore, local trends seem to be toward user-friendly, inviting space that is designed for function and utility over excessive maintenance and fashion. Gone

KEEPING GOOD COMPANY is an interior design company run by a mother-daughter team out of Vergennes. They specialize in managing every detail of home design, from large building and renovation projects to color consulting and second home management.

are the days of precious spaces with delicate décor reserved for special occasions; instead the modern aesthetic is for high-use — worn items are as trendy as they are practical, which is good news for many.

As for the bold colors, patterns, and textures, Carter and Audy are finding that their clientele are more and more willing to take risks with their interior decorating.

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“Paint is the biggest bang for your buck — there’s little risk and it can really make a large impression.”

Of course, a safe decision is to follow trends through relatively inexpensive items such as paint, throw pillows, tablecloths, or curtains, rather than committing to buying an expensive sectional couch or replace other major fur-

niture or décor.

Introducing trendy lamps, vases, picture frames, and even art, plants and flowers can also help transform the character of the room and refresh the feel without (See Trends, Page 11C)

PAGE 4C — Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013

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Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013 — PAGE 5C

Is it about time to replace your shingles?

Use these tips to gauge when it is time to deal with exterior features AMBLER, Pa. — Quickly-emerging springtime weather means it’s time to evaluate your home’s exterior.

Owning a home means giving constant attention to the building products that go into protecting the structure of your house. While we’d like to believe items like our roof, siding and windows will last forever, that’s not the case. Mark Clement, co-host of the national home improvement radio show MyFixitUpLife, offers a variety of tips for knowing when it’s time to replace products on your home.

“The first thing any homeowner needs to understand is that every element of your home’s exterior, from the top of the roof down to the front entry door, will eventually need to be replaced,” says Clement, a professional contractor in Pennsylvania.

“The key is to know when the time is right to invest in new products for your home. This means an ongoing evaluation of your home’s current products, researching new product options and contacting professionals for support.”

Clement points out that replacing older products with newer, more energy efficient and longer-lasting products is a sound investment for homeowners. “We have a 100-year-old home and just replaced the original decaying wood door with a fiberglass door and trimmed it out with longlasting PVC millwork,” says Clement. “We also replaced older windows with ENERGY STAR qualified vinyl windows and added a new polymer slate roof. These are all man-made products that add more life to our house. Plus, we’re saving more on

our daily energy bills because of the incredible features of these products.

“Another important aspect to consider when it does become time to replace key products on the home’s exterior is to look at upgrading and taking advantage of newer, more aesthetically pleasing products that are on the market. That’s what we did with the high-performance, low-maintenance products we selected. Our product choices not only make our home more livable right now, but also more add value to the home and make it more ‘sellable’ when it comes time for us to put the house on the market.”

TIPS FOR EVALUATING YOUR ROOF Using either a ladder or binoculars from across the streaet, look for problem areas, such as missing or broken shingles, along with roofing tiles that may be “flapping” in the wind. These are all indications that a new roof may be in your future.

Check the sides of your roof. The southern exposure weathers significantly faster than the other sides of the roof, so make sure to carefully examine this area. Also, shallower pitches weather faster than steeper pitches. So again, if your roof has a shallow pitch — like a shed dormer — make certain you can clearly see it to get a true indication of the condition of your roof.

If you have a real cedar roof, consider your geographic location. Many West Coast homeowners are proactively replacing these wooden roofs with fire- and impact-resistant polymer shake roofs. Along with helping protect the home from potential wildfires, these roofs oftentimes come with a homeowner insurance discount.

TIPS FOR ASSESSING YOUR WINDOWS Evaluate the functionality of your current windows. If you have condensation between glass panes, the windows are hard to open or close, your

energy bills are soaring, or if there are drafts coming in around the window units, then it’s time to seriously consider replacement windows.

Determine how many panes of glass are in your windows. Singlepaned windows are the least energy efficient. You can replace them with double- or triple-paned windows to enhance energy efficiency and make your home more comfortable during all seasons.

Look at the frames of your windows. If they’re made of a product that needs constant maintenance like wood, you’re probably spending a good deal of time scraping paint and repainting every year or so. An investment in vinyl-framed windows would be smart since these low-maintenance frames eliminate maintenance hassles.

TIPS FOR KNOWING WHEN TO REPLACE A FRONT DOOR If you can see light around your main entry door from the inside, the door is hard to close or lock, or the door itself is warped, it’s time to consider a new door.

Even if you can’t see light, air may be moving through gaps in the weather stripping at a surprising rate. On a very cold or hot day, hold the back of your hand an inch or so away from the bottom and perimeter of your door. If you can feel air moving or a significant cold spot, that’s a signal your existing door could benefit from better sealing.

Think about the weather conditions your home’s door faces along with your energy bills. If either run to the extreme, consider replacing your entry door with a high-performance fiberglass door (which can have four times more insulation than wood doors).

Look for a door with enhanced weatherstripping, corner seal pad, door bottom sweep and profiled sill that all work together to provide strength and stability in your entry door.

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TIPS FOR EVALUATING TRIM FEATURES OF THE HOME Take a top-down look at your home.

Most houses have louvers placed high above the attic or garage space to allow ventilation in those areas. And, most houses have wooden louvers that can rot with time. Replacing louvers with insect-resistant and rot-resistant synthetic louvers can improve the home’s appearance and functionality.

Wrap it up. Clement recommends that if you have unsightly porch posts you can easily transform them into showpiece parts of your home by using Column Wrap Kits. The decorative PVC or urethane pieces can generally be installed in less than 30 minutes around existing structural posts and columns to give an upgraded look to any home.

If you have the opportunity to replace your entry door or windows, make sure to finish off the job with stylish window and door trim. Lightweight and easy to install, weatherresistant synthetic mouldings, shutters and entryway surrounds made of durable urethane or PVC are a definite do-it-yourself project for any homeowner.

PAGE 6C — Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013

Family fun begins with the planning of a garden for all

By ROSANNE DOMBEK For the Associated Press Now’s the perfect time for dreaming about your spring and summer garden. Gather up your seed and garden catalogs, take some notes, visit a garden center, let your imagination loose and put a plan on paper.

Choosing one style, though, can be difficult. Do you want a formal garden, a cottage garden, perhaps herbs mixed in with vegetables and flowers? Will you grow only culinary herbs, or a combination of culinary, aromatic and decorative?

Well, why not a little of them all?

Consider planting a number of smaller, themed gardens. I did that at my home in Maine, and came to see each one as a room: There was a beautiful knot bench in the “tea garden” where I grew chamomile, lemon thyme, sage, yarrow, lemon balm, roses, calendula, bee balm, mint, lemon verbena and several scented geraniums. The bees loved this garden, and it was a great stress-reliever to sit on the bench in the warm sun and listen to the buzz of their activity, inhale the fragrances, and enjoy the garden’s peace and beauty. In the middle of winter, it was possible to sit and recall the warmer days of summer; the bee balm seed heads were as fragrant then as in midsummer, and you had only to crush one to be taken back.

The “culinary garden” was circular with a birdbath in the center.

The walks around the beds were of crushed rock, and bricks outlined the circular shape. In the winter, the snow would melt off the rocks first and

leave the herb beds covered, making an interesting pattern. I grew tarragon, marjoram, curled onion, chives, sage, winter savory, Welsh bunching onion, garlic chives, thyme, oregano, nasturtium, parsley, coriander, chervil, basil and borage here. It was my habit to pick a bouquet of these herbs to chop and toss into a salad. If there were any left over, I would put them in a basket to dry for winter use, or freeze them in a little water to add to a winter soup. As soon as the snow melted, the chives and bunching onions were there to harvest for the first taste of spring. The blue jays and mourning doves that frequented the birdbath were great company on an afternoon spent cultivating and harvesting.

The “rose garden” was next; it had two entrance trellises and a third trellis with a bench underneath.

In the beginning, I planted 14 old-fashioned roses, but some didn’t sur-

vive the cold winter. I replaced them with the more vigorous rugosa rose.

This garden was also circular, but with a larger center then the culinary garden. I edged the center with sweet alyssum; placed a lovely old clay pot in the middle filled with scented geraniums; then planted double pink petunias around it. The effect was of a huge tussie mussie. I planted creeping thyme between the bricks in the path.

The aroma was out of this world.

When the thyme was in bloom, the bees were busy at the blossoms so it was necessary to step carefully. The trellises made interesting shadows in the snow for a pleasing winter effect.

Garden structures can be important for a winter garden.

The next garden was the “everlasting gar-

den,” where I planted herbs and flowers that dry for decorative use: liatris, strawflowers, statice, echinops, xeranthemum, acroclinium, feverfew and salvia horminium, to name a few.

Everlastings are generally easy to grow, and in most cases the annuals can withstand a light frost. I planted this garden first in the spring and simply covered the rows with Remay cloth until the days became warmer.

A huge number of strawflowers can be harvested from just a dozen plants; I picked them every sunny day. This garden provided me with bouquets to carry to friends, fresh flowers in summer and dried bouquets in the winter.

The pleasure of giving and getting was twofold — between the garden and me,

and between my friends and me.

I had never heard of a “libation garden” until one day I realized I had inadvertently planted hops, grapes and elderberries together in one corner of the main garden, and that all are used to make alcoholic drinks. I decided to expand on the idea, did some research and discovered that heathers were once used as a substitute for hops in making beer. So I added heathers to this garden. I planted sweet woodruff for May wine, and a quince bush, rose bush, mint, wormwood and lemon balm for making cordials. A friend would occasionally harvest hops for beer, but I didn’t try it. I did, however, harvest the hop cones each year for use in sleep pillows, an old-time remedy for insomnia. And the heathers were a marvelous addition for year-round pleasure. The reds, greens and golds of the leaves and the pink, rose and white flowers make a garden tap-

Editor’s Note: Rosanne Dombek is a Master Gardener who owned and operated an herb and garden shop in Blue Hill, Maine, for more than 15 years.

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estry to be enjoyed even on a winter walk. I harvested bunches to use in wreaths and winter bouquets. There was a low bench in this garden that was a wonderful place to hide away and sit quietly. The mint crept out into the path, and its refreshing fragrance would linger long after it was touched.

The “fragrant garden” was just what the name implies. On warm summer afternoons, its heady aroma could be overpowering. Lavender was of course a part of this garden. Old-fashioned cinnamon pinks, though not as attractive as the new hybrids, smelled beautiful. I planted several dwarf lilacs and a half dozen peonies, along with several fragrant rugosa roses and garden phlox. There was a succession of aromatic blooms all summer, from the early spring peonies to the late summer phlox. I harvested huge baskets of peony petals for potpourri, and added rose petals from the rose garden. I enjoyed strolling in the gardens just at dusk and picking a bouquet of fragrant herbs to infuse for use in the bathtub. I would put some sprigs in a pan of water, simmer for a few minutes and then strain the infusion into the bath water. The whole house would smell sweet.

With all this talk of fragrant baths, meditative teas and secret hiding corners, you might get the wrong impression of what it is like to cultivate more than an acre of garden space.

My knees were permanently stained brown.

It was difficult at times to really enjoy the gardens — or get away for any length of time — because there was always something that needed attention.

Summer was an intense time of planting, weeding, harvesting and processing.

But I loved it.

Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013 — PAGE 7C

Start spring lawn care off on the right foot Editor’s note: This piece was contributed by Leonard Perry, University of Vermont Extension professor.

Your lawn has just survived another long winter. In order to restore it to its former green glory, it will need to be raked, renovated, repaired, fertilized, and then mowed properly.

First, if starting a new lawn, make sure there is good drainage. You cannot grow grass in standing water. Drainage may consist of ditches or, if underground, drainage pipe or tiles. Then rough grade the area.

Add six inches of topsoil, if needed, for new lawns and depressions in established ones. A normal, welldrained soil may be adequate if fertilized appropriately. If not a fertile or well-drained soil, add organic matter. Figure on three bales of peat moss per 1,000 square feet, or the equivalent of other product such as compost. Then mix it thoroughly into the top six inches of soil. If poorly drained, you may need to add sand or even bury perforated plastic drain pipes.

You may need to add limestone if the soil acidity or pH is below 6.0. To find out, you can do a soil test either with inexpensive kits from garden stores, or a more in-depth test from your state university. Kits for the latter are available at many garden outlets, and Extension offices. These university results are much more accurate than the home kits, and give you results on various fertility needs as well as recommendations. Soil testing can save you money by not applying fertil-

izer that’s not needed, which in turn can help prevent any runoff pollution.

Prepare a smooth seedbed free of stones, hollows and ridges for new lawns. Raking off the old leaves, sticks, and other winter debris gives your existing lawn a chance to breathe, as well as makes it easier to repair and reseed worn or dead spots (or those areas scraped by winter snow plowing).

Broadcast a complete fertilizer, or one of the commercially mixed fertilizers specific to lawns. Use enough to supply two pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. This translates, for example, to 10 pounds of 20-0-12 (nitrogen-phosphoruspotassium) or 20 pounds of 10-0-10.

Or use 15 to 20 pounds of the organic 6-0-6. Since phosphorus (the middle number) is often present in sufficient amounts, and restricted for lawn application in some areas due to water pollution concerns, many lawn fertilizers no longer contain it.

Uniform fertilizer application at the proper rate is essential for good end results. If you are using a spreader, follow the setting on the fertilizer bag or ask your lawn and garden dealer for the proper setting.

If you are reseeding or sodding the lawn, the earlier you do it in the spring the better. Remember to prepare the seedbed well, and water the lawn thoroughly. A less frequent, heavy soaking of the lawn is better than frequent, light watering, but don’t let the germinating seeds dry out initially.

When reseeding, choose the

right mix for your growing conditions. Zoysia, for example, is not a good choice for northern New England as it will turn brown in cool weather. A common good mix may have Kentucky bluegrass, a fine fescue such as red fescue, and a perennial ryegrass. The last grows quickly, so is good to overseed worn areas or to use in areas with lots of wear, as are the newer tall fescues. Kentucky bluegrass prefers sunny lawns in good soil, while fine fescues tolerate some shade.

Broadcast seeds with a mechanical spreader using three or four pounds per 1,000 square feet. Any more than that is wasteful. Rake the seedbed lightly, using just the tips of the rake teeth. Go over the area with a lawn roller if convenient. Sprinkle the soil gently, and keep it moist until the seeds germinate.

Mow once the grass starts to grow.

Grass kept at a height of two to three inches can withstand heat stress better than closely cropped grass. This mowing height encourages deep rooting, so you don’t have to water or fertilize as often.

Be aware that if you are using a combination fertilizer and herbicide, this may be taken up by any tree and shrub roots under the lawn, and injure them, too. If you use residual weed killers that linger in the soil to prevent future weed growth, these may kill many soil microorganisms. This sometimes results in poorer soil, and thus, poorer lawn growth and vigor.

If applying weed killers, be sure to prop-

erly identify your weed problem before you select an herbicide. Then select the least toxic product for the job, looking at application rates and potential toxicity to plants, animals, and humans. Read and follow all label directions carefully. Always use these products judiciously to avoid contamination of water supplies and lakes, streams, and other surface waters.

Lawn pests, such as chinch bugs and Japanese beetle grubs, can be a problem in northern New England.

The often-advertised milky spore product is not very effective on soil grubs in cool climates. Instead, you should check into beneficial nematode products for these pests, or seeds enhanced with “endophytes” — beneficial fungi that help provide some pest resistance.

A healthy lawn is the best cure for weeds and pests. If problems occur, such as insects and diseases, check with your local garden center for answers. Also check with your local Extension Master Gardeners, as some states have hotlines for questions (1-800-639-2230 in Vermont, or master.gardener@uvm.edu). For special lawn treatments such as vertical cutting, dethatching, or coring to reduce soil compaction, you might consult a lawn care professional.

Avian home ONE PLACE TO start a home improvement project is to build a small home for birds in your neighborhood. Not only will you quickly have something to show for your efforts, you’ll also be able to enjoy the songs of birds while on your deck or lawn.

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Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013 — PAGE 9C

Home & Garden

New designs for spring decor are showing a bold, optimistic face

By KIM COOK For The Associated Press In home decor, there’s something about the start of spring.

When life’s renewing itself outdoors, we feel the urge to revive our interiors too.

This season, decor offerings are especially upbeat.

Start with the palette. “Saturated” is a word being used a lot; it means ripe plum hues, intense tangerines, rich indigos, verdant greens, zingy turquoises, hot reds and peppy yellows.

Dee Schlotter, a color expert with PPG Pittsburgh Paints, says exuberant orange is No. 1 on her trend radar.

“It’s full of joy and playful,” says Schlotter, who also cites geranium pink as a hot hue. “It goes really well with orange, and it’s a happy, girly color.”

Teal and turquoise are back after a lengthy retirement, and with experience in mid-century modern and traditional decor, they’ve got legs that will carry them into fall.

Erin Olson loved the color family enough to devote a blog to it; the House of Turquoise follows all things blue-green.

“What I love about turquoise is that it can be paired with any other color, since it has both warm and cool undertones,” she says.

“My personal favorite is using turquoise as a fun punch of color to an otherwise neutral space. A turquoise throw pillow, lamp or rug will instantly bring new life to your room, and can easily be switched out,” she says.

Crisp clean white’s a common counterpoint, but you’ll see black as a foil as well.

Cleaning up your mesh: how to care for window screens

Graphic prints pop in these bold colors: Zigzags and stripes are all over the home accessories marketplace. So are lattice and ironwork prints; big and little florals; and abstracts. African handblock, Moroccan and Silk Road patterns have crossed over from last season.

Not a fan of bright? Look for a whole world of calming neutrals such as soft putty, grellow (a gray/ yellow blend), greige (a gray/ beige), aqua, pewter, copper, vanilla and shell pink.

You’ll see lots of texture in this category: weathered wood, animal hide, burnished metals, burlap and gauzy cottons. Honeycomb patterns, naturalistic motifs like twigs, leaves and birds, watery Impressionist prints and airy florals soothe the soul.

Neutrals are “taking the popular gray trend and moving it forward, by adding warmth with natural materials like jute and linen, and then giving it a real punch by adding a sunny pop of yellow,” says Sherwin-Williams’ color marketing director, Jackie Jordan.

Repainting walls in a fresh spring hue is one way to update a room, but if you’re not ready to commit in a major way, small changes can also alter a room’s mood. Try a lemony throw, clean white paint trim, a teal rug or sandy-toned drapery.

Go for a bright, candy-hued lamp base, and pick the color up again in a big fruit bowl. In the kitchen, replace cooking tools with new ones in luscious tomato red.

By AMY LORENTZEN For The Associated Press For many of us, spring cleaning includes washing winter dirt and debris off of windows and window screens.

Paying extra attention to screens now can end up saving homeowners money, as well as ensuring better views and keeping out bugs.

Here’s the lowdown on screens and screen care: CLEANING IS KEY The average home has 12 to 15 window screens, usually made of aluminum or fiberglass with a vinyl coating. Experts recommend washing them twice a year, but at least once in the spring to rid them of winter grime.

“We’ve had the rain and the snow all winter and the dirt builds up on them,” says Scott Walker, president and owner of Screenmobile, a mobile window and door screening company with close to 100 locations throughout the country. “If you think of them as a filter, you wouldn’t want to breathe all the dust and the dirt that builds up.”

The easiest way to start is by marking screens so you’ll remember which window they fit, says Colleen Maiura, a spokeswoman with Lowe’s Home Improvement stores. You can use a marker or a small piece of tape that’s strong enough not to be washed away by the garden hose. She suggests a cleaning solution of 1 cup ammonia, 3 cups of water and a squirt of dish detergent.

Lay the screens on a flat surface, thoroughly wet them with a hose and use a squirt bottle to apply the cleaning mix. Leave it on for about 10 minutes, use a soft-bristled brush to remove stubborn grime, then rinse.

Don’t scrub aluminum screens too hard; you could dent them.

Maiura suggests shaking screens to remove excess water. If you’ve got fiberglass ones, you can gently snap them with a towel to send water drops

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flying and prevent hard water stains.

If you pay someone to wash your windows, it’s a good idea to inspect the screens beforehand. That way you won’t blame washers for tears already there, and you can ask them to pay for any damages that occur during their work.

REPAIRS FOR A REASON The point of having window screens is to let you open up your home to fresh air while keeping bugs and debris out. Rips and tears in the mesh, or bent screen frames, defeat that purpose.

Walker says you can do some minor repairs on your own. Inexpensive patch kits available at home improvement stores include small pieces of mesh that grab around holes and close them up. Pieces of household tape can cover up tiny tears. Neither option is attractive, Walker adds, but they can serve as quick fixes in otherwise good screens.

Homeowners can attempt to fix slight bends in aluminum screens, but should know that the frame may crack under the stress.

Spring cleaning is also the time to repaint wooden screen frames if needed. Painting helps seal the wood and keep it from warping.

PREVENTING DAMAGE Children and pets can be especially tough on screens and screen doors because sometimes they just don’t see them. Consider using decorative stickers to remind them that a screen is there. Pet screens can be mounted on sliding screen doors for easy access for pets that enjoy the outdoors.

For those who might have used an elbow to keep a swinging screen door from closing too quickly, there’s a better option that won’t cost you a repair. Check the top of your door for a piston mechanism that you can turn and increase the pressure, to make the door close more slowly.

To keep window screens and doors

sliding smoothly, Walker suggests skipping oil-based lubricants such as WD-40 and instead using a siliconebased lubricant, such as furniture polish.

If you have the storage space, cleaning screens in the fall and then storing them away during the winter can extend their life, experts say.

REPLACE AS NEEDED If a screen has large or multiple holes, or if its frame is bent or broken, then it’s time for a new one.

“Our rule of thumb is that if the frame doesn’t seal up against the window, then the bugs can come around there, so you’d need to replace it,” Walker says.

Fiberglass screens, which have a vinyl coating, will begin to show white strands, which means “there is virtually no integrity” left in the screen, he adds.

NEW PRODUCTS Maiura says that if you’re switching screens, consider a charcoal color for better visibility. She and Walker both touted new fine-mesh screens that can block small bugs and improve your view. The screens are made of super-fine strands so homeowners see less screen and more scenery.

“It’s almost like an invisible screen,” Walker says of his company’s BetterVue prod-

uct.

Other new products include strong pet screens that cats can climb without tearing and retractable screen doors that are mounted on door jambs so they’re hidden when homeowners don’t need them. Walker, who is based in Thousand Palms, Calif., says entire patio enclosures are being built with retractable screens that are motorized for easy use.

Homeowners will also start seeing strong, stainless steel screens on the market that offer some security.

“You get the look of a screen door, but the benefits of a security door,” says Walker.

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PAGE 10C — Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013

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Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013 — PAGE 11C

Trends (Continued from Page 3C) breaking the bank or risking regret when the trend passes.

If that all sounds great but not worth your time or energy, working with an interior design team can help make the updates you want for your home.

“We work with any project, from clients who just need a little help

putting together a color palette for their home to full project management,” Carter says of their eightyear-old firm. Keeping Good Company acts as a project management firm, she says, working with local craftspeople and architects to ensure a home is ready and comfortable down to the last detail when the homeowner opens the door.

VERMONT HOME DESIGN trends are moving toward an “organic modernism,” says Keeping Good Company co-owner Pam Carter, who enjoys using textured, natural materials like wood, glass and stone to achieve this modern aesthetic.

PAM CARTER RUNS the interior design business Keeping Good Company out of Vergennes with her daughter, Chelsea Audy.

“We cover the details right down to making sure there are Q-Tips in the bathroom,” Carter says. “One time we even set up a client’s

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Christmas tree.”

Keeping up with fashion trends is obviously not everyone’s passion. However, for many people

springtime marks an opportunity to renew the tired decorations in your home, move plants outdoors and welcome cut flowers inside again,

refreshing your living space for another year. Embracing this opportunity can help keep you happy and satisfied in your home.

PAGE 12C — Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013

May flowers THE YARD OF a Middlebury home is graced by perennial spring flowers called “Sanguinaria canadensis,” more commonly known as bloodroot.

Home energy challenge THIS IS ONE of series of signs along Middlebury’s Washington Street Extension promoting the Vermont Home Energy Challenge. Middlebury Home Energy Challenge Coordinator Laura Asermily says that weatherization is viral in her neighborhood as a result of visits she did in 2010 and 2013. At least three neighbors are completing energy audits to see if buttoning up their homes will save energy and save on energy bills.

Independent photo/John McCright

Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013 — PAGE 13C

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PAGE 14C — Addison Independent, Thursday, May 2, 2013

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