At Home Living 081917

Saturday, August 19, 2017 An advertising feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

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Preparing for fall Tasks to do before cold weather arrives page 6 n Daylilies: Low-care beauties, page 2 n Creating mystery in your courtyard, page 5 n Fresh face for kids’ bedrooms, page 7

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Daylilies: The lazy gardener’s best friend If you’re looking for a low-maintenance perennial to plant this fall, one with continuous colorful summer blooms, look no further than the daylily. A September planting of daylilies, with proper care, will allow the plant to root and bud, resulting in vibrant flowers the following summer.

Daylilies have adorned roadsides for years with their typically orange or yellow flowers.

Hybridization of this rugged perennial has improved size, color and flowering ability.

Hemerocallis, the botanical name for daylilies, means “beautiful for a day.” As the name suggests, individual blooms last for only a day, but new buds open and blooming is continuous for weeks.

Daylilies can be used for massing along borders, on banks for erosion control, or as specimen plants exhibiting special qualities of color and size.

Daylily plants have long, slender, bright green leaves that arch to the ground. Flowers form at the tip of flower stalks, which arise from the center of the foliage. Each

Ariel Whitely

arielw@ksu.edu

stalk has numerous buds that open at different times.

One daylily can produce as many as 200 to 400 flowers per season and remain in bloom for about 30 days.

Flower size, shape and color vary greatly. Petals may have ruffled or crinkled edges, or be shaped like trumpets or bells. Some varieties are selfcleaning but most benefit from deadheading. Bloom time can vary from June to August.

One of the reasons daylilies have persisted in gardens across the country is their ease in growing. These plants can survive adverse conditions and are trouble-free, lasting many years if undisturbed. Insect control is usually not necessary, and daylily diseases are rare.

Daylilies grow best in full

sun or in a location with at least six hours of sun. The daylily is adaptable to most Kansas soils and not too particular about soil type. It is best not to plant daylilies too close to trees where they will compete for moisture or nutrients.

Fertilize daylilies annually with a light application of nitrogen after plants enter dormancy in the fall and/ or in early spring when new growth emerges. Fall fertilization is especially helpful, because during the fall, the roots of the daylily remain active and are forming flowers for the following year. Excessive fertilization may result in over-growth of foliage and sparse blooming.

Before planting, prepare the bed by working the soil 6 to 8 inches deep and incorporating 2 inches of organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure. Dig the planting hole deep enough to accommodate the roots without bending or breaking them.

Cut the foliage back to 5 or 6 inches. Place the plant so the crown (where the stem and WHITELY continues on 8

Submitted

Daylilies border a rock wall in the Master Gardener Prairie Star/Prairie Bloom Demonstration Garden at the Shawnee County Extension Office.

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Proper choice of bathroom mirror can reflect function, fashion

By Jonathan Steinitz Domaine

Looking in the mirror can be an important part of a daily routine.

And while we can all agree that beauty begins from the inside out, we certainly don’t mind any help we can get to look and feel our best.

That’s why we’re always on the hunt for bathroom mirror ideas — you can consider it an investment in how you see yourself.

For something you spend a healthy amount of time staring into every day, you can afford to spend a little more time making sure you’ve chosen the perfect one.

So how can you get the most out of your bathroom mirror? Looking and feeling your best involve a variety of factors, but it

all starts when you wake up. The first thing you see when you look in the mirror in the morning is probably not your favorite image of the day. So, for starters, a chic mirror can help your bathroom vanity provide a confidence boost to kick off the day.

Need a Monday morning pep talk or maybe a moment of reflection (literal and figurative)? Regardless of your routine, the right bathroom mirror will frame the conversation in style.

From minimal to ornate, round to rectangular, antique to modern and everything in between, the possibilities are endless to suit how you want to see yourself. n You can’t go wrong with round.

A round mirror is always a good idea, but it’s

even better when mixed with geometric shapes. After all, the best bathroom mirrors are the ultimate testing ground for your own most Instagrammable angles.

Looking for something to admire beyond your own reflection? Try treating your bathroom mirror as wall art to strike a balance between fashion and function. n Twinning is winning.

When it comes to bathroom mirrors, two is better than one — for the simple reason that multiple people can use them simultaneously. A doublemirror moment is ideal for couples who like to get ready together but still value a little bit of personal space. n Old is new again.

When renovating almost any room in the home, it’s

chic to antique. And bathrooms are no different.

We love to mix and match pieces to create an oldmeets-new vibe, and an antique bathroom mirror makes for a stunning statement piece. When you look in an antique mirror, it’s hard not to feel like a wellframed work of art.

Bright whites always look a little crisper with an element or two of contrast. An antique mirror does just the trick in a more rustic take on a white bathroom, giving the space texture and warmth while maintaining a fresh, clean feeling. n It’s never too late to get in shape.

Sometimes, the best approach for a bathroom design is to build personality into your morning and nighttime routine.

An oval provides a fresh

Dreamstime

Try treating your bathroom mirror as wall art to strike a balance between fashion and function. twist on the round bathroom mirror trend. The slimmer curved shape leaves plenty of room for chic geometric sconces

along with enough open space for shibori-inspired wallpaper to shine. Consider us sold on this shape.

4 | Saturday, August 19, 2017 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Time to rethink tried-and-true bar sinks

By Ed Del Grande Tribune News Service

Q: Dear Ed: I’m planning an extensive kitchen remodel. I want a kitchen island with a bar sink and plan to include this feature with our new kitchen. What bar sink features can you suggest to help me find my perfect island sink?

— Mary, Wisconsin A: With kitchen island sinks, I can tell you that the good old-fashioned bar sink has basi-

cally evolved into a staging area for food and beverages rather than an actual work station.

With this in mind, I suggest you think of your island sink as a focal point in your kitchen, and you take advantage of new bar sink design features. Three categories to explore: n Material choices. Cast iron and acrylic are now popular material choices, as well as stainless steel. n Shapes and mounting. Under-mount bar sinks with rounded shapes can make a dra-

matic visual statement. n Faucets and accessories. High-end faucets and custom cutting boards also help keep a new island sink on the cutting edge of the latest design trends.

Master contractor/plumber Ed Del Grande is known internationally as the author of the book “Ed Del Grande’s House Call,” the host of TV and Internet shows, and a LEED green associate. Visit eddelgrande.com or write eadelg@cs.com. Always consult local contractors and codes.

Kohler

The good old-fashioned bar sink has basically evolved into a staging area for food and beverages rather than an actual work station.

How to create a magical dinner in the courtyard

By Mary Carol Garrity Tribune News Service

On lovely summer evenings, the best seat in the house is outside. That’s why I entertain al fresco every chance I get when the weather is nice.

Today, I want to take you back in time a bit, to the courtyard at my old home in Atchison, which was one of my favorite places on Earth.

For one of my spring open houses, we set the back for a beautiful dinner party. The setting was as delicious as the dinner. I hope it will give you some ideas and inspiration for your own openair event.

When I entertain, I like to set the mood the moment guests enter. Our guests entered the venue from my screened porch.

Next to the steps was an iron garden urn. So we turned it into a drinks table, topping it with a silver stand.

When you build dramatic stands like this, make sure you anchor the server well or you’ll have a cascade of broken dishes the first time a guest grabs a cup. But it’s worth the engineering, because multi-level servers pack a lot of visual punch.

The awesome table design was inspired by the centerpiece. Sometimes, we do it the other way — come up with a place setting look we adore then create the centerpiece to complement it. We had a bevy of fresh plants we wanted to use, so we placed them in a mix of green pots that encircled an oversized ginger jar.

A showy centerpiece like this is going to make cross-table conversation impossible. But, oh my,

MARY CAROL GARRITY/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

The table design for the courtyard at Mary Carol Garrity’s Atchison home was inspired by the centerpiece — a mix of green pots encircling an oversized ginger jar. does it make your jaw job when you see it.

We let nature set our color scheme for the party, taking our cue from the fresh summer green in my courtyard. The base for each place setting is a summer placemat turned on its end, trailing over the side of the table. This is one of our favorite ways to use placemats, giving the look a little edge and allowing more space on the table for additional settings.

To make a place setting more interesting, use a variety of dish patterns, with different shapes and sizes adding to the fun.

Leaf majolica plates, with their curled edges, add an interesting structural quality.

When you’re entertaining outdoors, lighting is a big part of the party.

I didn’t have electric lights in my courtyard, so we harnessed the power of candles. We placed wire lanterns on top of iron pillars, filled with candles.

A beauty of entertaining in the garden is that most of the decorating is already done for you.

We made the space more magical by hanging votive cups from the branches of the shrubs.

The winking lights suspended from the branches in the dining area made the outdoor room feel like a fairyland. Once the fireflies started up, and the cicadas began to hum, it was summer bliss.

This column was adapted from Mary Carol Garrity’s blog at nellhills.com. She can be reached at marycarol@nellhills.

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6 | Saturday, August 19, 2017 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Preparing for Autumn

Fall’s coming: Get your house in order The Topeka Capital-Journal Although summer’s end is still a few weeks away, it’s not too early to begin thinking about preparing your home and tools for colder weather.

What things should you do outside and inside the house? What can you do to save energy when autumn’s chill arrives?

Lawnmowers should be maintained and cleaned before being stored for the winter.

Tools and mowers

A few minutes of maintenance before storing lawn and garden equipment this fall will pay off next spring.

Jennifer Owens, who works at Jackson’s Greenhouse and Garden Center, 1922 N.W. Lower Silver Lake Road, said dirt on shovels and other hand tools should be washed off with water and the tools stored once they are completely dry.

Rubbing alcohol can be used to clean fungus from pruner blades, Owens said, and WD-40 can be sprayed on pruner hinges to keep them lubricated.

Before storing your lawnmower, run it until it’s out of gas, advises HGTV’s website, hgtv.com. As an alternative, add a fuel stabilizer to a full tank of gas, run the engine for a few minutes to let the stabilizer circulate, turn it off and add more gas to refill the tank.

HGTV also recommends disconnecting the lawnmower’s battery and spark plugs; removing its blade (sharpen or replace if need-

Metro Creative Connection photographs

Caulking around exterior doors and window frames can stop cold air from entering your home. Weather-stripping doors and windows also can help stop drafts. ed); draining and changing the oil; cleaning the frame; and turning the mower onto its side and washing its underneath with water from a hose.

Use a tool, not your hands, to scrape off any remaining dirt or clippings on the mower. Once clean and dry, replace the spark plugs.

Outside the house

The “Fall Maintenance Guide” compiled by Angie’s List, media.angieslist.com, recommends homeowners do the following outdoor tasks before cool weather arrives: n Walk around your

home and look for cracks in the foundation. Repair the cracks to prevent moisture problems and further structural damage. n Have your garage door inspected to make sure moving parts are lubricated, safety sensors are in good shape and all other parts are working properly. n Repair your wooden deck before colder weather hits. Stain or reseal, if needed. n Clean leaves and other debris from gutters to prevent water from pooling around the foundation of your home or causing interior water damage.

n Remove garden hoses from faucets, drain and then store in a garage or shed. n To prevent freezing, wrap outdoor spigots with insulation.

Inside the house

Did you know lowering your thermostat a few degrees at night during the fall and winter can reap big energy savings?

Topeka-based Westar Energy indicates homeowners should lower their thermostats “to the lowest comfortable temperature.”

“Lower it 8 degrees or more at night for maximum efficiency,” the company’s

Furnace filters should be cleaned or replaced once a month. Dirty filters will block warm air coming from the blower and cause the furnace to operate less efficiently. website notes. “You could lower your energy costs by 1 percent for each degree you lower your setting (for at least 8 hours).”

Other energy-saving tips for fall and winter listed on the Westar Energy website, westarenergy.com/energysaving-tips, include: n Clean or replace furnace filters once a month, or as needed. Dirty filters block warm air coming from the blower and your furnace will operate less efficiently. n Insulate or increase the amount of insulation in your attic, outside walls and basement. n If your water heater is

older, wrap it with an insulation jacket. n Stop drafts by caulking all exterior doors and window frames, and weatherstripping all exterior doors and windows. Install foam gaskets around wall outlets, too. n Keep shades and curtains open to allow sunlight in during the day. Close them at night. n Close the fireplace damper when it’s not in use. n Don’t block air registers with furniture, drapes or other objects. n Electric blankets use very little electricity and allow you to comfortably lower your thermostat at night.

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Kids’ bedrooms should reflect personalities Melisa White, of Melisa White Interiors in New York.

Writable surfaces, such as chalkboard paint or large marker boards, also let kids customize their room.

By Melissa Kossler Dutton The Associated Press

Parents, do you want your kids’ bedrooms to be relaxing oases where they can decompress and escape the academic and social pressures of school? Don’t assume that means muted colors and quiet sanctuary.

Instead, designers say, let the room reflect your child’s personality, even if that involves some more vibrant colors and patterns.

“Many parents find that hot pink walls are better than hot pink hair, right? And it’s only a bucket of paint. Such a space allows kids to be themselves, and that is a calming thing in today’s world,” said interior designer Kelee Katillac, who enjoys designing children’s rooms and runs a studio in Kansas City, Mo. She and other designers recommend working with kids to create an organized, multi-functional and comfortable bedroom with an interesting color palette.

Everything in its place

Room’s purpose

A first step to creating a great space for kids is defining what purposes the room must serve, Katillac said. Most kids do more than sleep in their rooms. They play, do homework and entertain friends there. Delineate a place for each of the room’s main functions, she said.

If a child intends to study in the room, supply a desk, chair and good lighting. Create a reading nook for the bookworm. For the kid who likes to have friends over, provide a seating area — even if it’s just cushions and a rug — and have mood lighting or even decorative string lighting.

Defining separate areas helps kids relax because it creates a sense of structure, Katillac said.

The right colors

Wall color can impact your mood, said Sue Wadden, of Sherwin-Williams in Cleveland. She recommends avoiding primary colors in favor of more natural or neutral tones like greens, browns, light grays or soft blues.

“It’s easier on the eye,” she said. “It’s easier on the brain.”

To promote relaxation, consid-

SHERWIN-WILLIAMS photographs VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Above: This child’s bedroom is painted in a Sherwin-Williams color called Loch Blue.

Right: Another bedroom is painted in a Sherwin-Williams’ color called Breathtaking. er using softer or less saturated versions of the bright colors typically used in kids’ rooms, she added. If you’re concerned that your child’s color choices could get too bold, pick several colors you could live with and let them select from those, Wadden suggested.

You also can use other elements to add the pops of color that kids crave. Consider painting a colorful accent wall, or adding a vibrant rug or patterned comforter.

“Bring in brighter tones with secondary pieces,” Wadden said.

Bring in interests

Let your child help choose the room’s theme, said Janet Paik, an editor with the online interior decorating website Houzz.com:

Provide bins, shelving and storage that children can reach to take out and put away their things, White said. Everyone enjoys a tidy room: “Clutter can cause anxiety, although children may not understand that.”

An organized room will help children relax, agreed Heather Turgeon, co-author of “The Happy Sleeper: The Science-Backed Guide to Helping Your Baby Get a Good Night’s Sleep — Newborn to School Age” (TarcherPerigee, 2014).

“A lot of clutter and toys can keep kids’ minds activated, the same way having an office desk in your room or a pile of stressful papers beside your bed might do for you,” said Turgeon, a psychotherapist.

Consider including a shelf or bulletin board where kids can display items important to them, she said. When Katillac was working with a teenager who collects shoes, she put in shelving where he could set out some of his favorite pairs. That not only kept things orderly; it created a meaningful vignette in the room.

“Kids are very vocal about the things they like,” Katillac said.

“Look at their interests and see if you can turn it into a piece of artwork.”

Monitoring screens

“If you want it to feel like their personal sanctuary, it needs to be their own space.”

It can be easy and inexpensive to incorporate a favorite hobby,

sports team or activity into the room. Decals, bedding, artwork and accessories can highlight a child’s interests, and are easy to change out as they get older, said

Ideally, the room should be media-free at bedtime, Turgeon said.

Create a communal charging station where the entire family charges electronics someplace other than bedrooms, she suggests.

“Have everybody say good night to their devices at least an hour before bedtime,” she said.

If children keep a computer in their room, try to separate it visually from the sleep space with a bookshelf, curtain or another creative design idea.

8 | Saturday, August 19, 2017 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Mistakes people with good style never make

By Gabrielle Savoie Domaine

People say you can’t learn style — you’re either born with it or you’re not.

While this may be true to some extent, we believe you can learn how to make your home polished and put together whether you’re a born stylist or not.

To demystify the secrets that make an interior memorable, we turned to the most stylish ladies to grace our Instagram feeds. These worldly women are art directors, interior designers, brand marketing managers and fashion stylists — and they know a good room when they see it.

Curious to know the decorating mistakes they always notice in other people’s homes and — more importantly — how to fix them?

We asked each woman to share what they consider to be the biggest decorating faux pas. n They aren’t afraid of contrast.

DREAMSTIME

Contrasting elements can make a room more interesting. “People with great style have a natural understanding of scale and proportion,” says New York-based interior designer Alyssa Kapito.

“People with great style have a natural understanding of scale and proportion,” New York-based interior designer Alyssa Kapito said.

“Having everything in a room at the same height and scale is a rookie mistake — it’s the contrast that makes things interesting. Try

Whitely: Flower provides colorful ‘pop,’ needs little effort, potentially for years Continued from 2

roots meet) is no deeper than 1 inch below the soil line. Firm the soil around the base of the plant and water thoroughly. Planting several plants of each variety in the same area creates visual impact.

Removing seed pods and stalks at the end of the season will prevent seedling plants from coming up in the bed and will ensure good flowering the following year.

If you already have daylilies in your garden, fall is also the perfect time to divide your plants for more vigorous blooming. Daylilies should be divided every two to five years, although they often reach peak blooming in their third year.

When dividing, cut

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

n Shawnee County Master Gardener Steve Paige will talk about fall lawn care at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th. Free. n Master Gardeners will answer lawn and garden questions from 7:30 a.m. to noon Aug. 26 at the Downtown Topeka Farmers Market, S.W. 12th and S.W. Harrison. around the entire plant with a sharp, flat shovel and lift the clumps out of the ground with a gardening fork.

Using a garden fork will cause less damage to the roots and leave much of the excess soil.

Wash off any soil left on the roots and cut the plant into sections. Each division or section should have about three strong fans or crowns. Cut tops back to 6 inches on large growing plants and 3 inches on dwarf plants.

Trim broken or damaged roots or tops and reset plants as described in the planting section.

Daylilies are the perfect perennial for anyone who wants an abundance of flowers with infrequent maintenance.

With proper site selection and care, daylilies can be a bright pop of color for you to enjoy for years to come.

Ariel Whitely is the horticulture agent for Shawnee County Research and Extension.

oversized artwork next to a pair of petite lamps or incorporating height into your room with skyhigh curtains.” n They don’t focus on the TV. “A lot of people decorate their apartments surrounding their television, but your TV doesn’t have to be the central focal point of your room,” said Babba Canales, a New York-based Swedish It girl and brand marketing professional. “Instead, it’s much nicer for a beautiful long table to be a focal point of a room where friends and family can gather.” n They don’t copy Pinterest.

“The main thing that I want to redirect people from falling into is following trends or copying what they see on Pinterest and Instagram,” said Paige Geffen, a Los Angeles-based stylist and art director. “It feels inauthentic. We are so saturated with beautiful imagery, and I think we can all agree that we see the same things over and over again.”

TIP OF THE WEEK: Optional uses

Metro creative connection

Here are some alternative uses for everyday items: n Socks, T-shirts and towels make excellent padding when boxing up for a move. n Spiff up dark-colored leather shoes in a pinch by rubbing them with a balled-up black-and-white newspaper page. Full-color pages won’t work. No polish needed. n Use a kneadable eraser to rub out scuffs on hardwood or tile floors and smudges on light-colored leather bags and shoes. An emery board also can be used to gently buff away stains on suede bags and shoes.

Source: heloise via goodhousekeeping.com

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