WORTH KNOWING

NEW BOOK:

How to bring back old furniture

“Furniture Restoration: Step‑by‑Step Tips and Techniques for Professional Results” by Ina Brosseau Marx and Allen Marx (Watson‑Guptil, 2007, $50).

Old furniture or decorative pieces you love, whether family heirlooms or flea‑market finds, may have seen better days. Here’s a book to encourage you to refurbish them instead of retiring them to the basement.

The Marxes, who live in Princeton, N.J., have worked for 30 years as professional restorers and teach and write about their field. Their goal in this book, they explain, is to pass on what they’ve learned about how to fix warped veneers, chips and dents.

The well‑illustrated book offers guidance on myriad aspects of restoration, from building a tool kit to replacing original gold leaf–or knowing when to call in a professional.

The couple explained in a telephone interview they wanted “to show people step by step, in a very simple way, what we have done, starting with no experience.”

They share what they call their guiding principle: simply, “whatever two hands have put together, your two hands can try to fix.”

So, what are the top tips for care of furniture, to help avoid the need for restoration? Simple things can prevent damage before it occurs, for example:

·                      Pick a chair up holding it under the seat; lift it, don’t drag it by the top of the back or an arm. Similarly, don’t try to move a table by tugging it along by the tabletop; lift it.

·                      Be careful when vacuuming not to bang into furniture feet and bases.

·                      Dusting is the least damaging way to clean and prolong the life of objects that have intact surfaces. Use a slightly damp chamois cloth or a very full, soft‑haired brush. Avoid dusting sprays. Their ingredients are harmful to wood because they contain silicones that get deeply into the pores of the wood.

·                      To remove dirt and grime on brown wood surfaces (not painted, gilded or Asian lacquer), dampen a soap‑filled steel‑wool pad and rub it with slight pressure along the grain. Then wipe with a dry cloth or towel for a smoother, cleaner surface.

The Marxes’ enthusiasm for recycling is in tune with the zeitgeist. “We say, keep your eyes open for the things in the back of antique shops no one else is interested in, and the marvelous things people put out in the trash.”

HOUSEKEEPING:

Laundry lowdown

School is back in session, and that means washing machines are in peak use.

Some basic planning suggested by experts at Mr. Appliance Corp. can keep laundry room clutter down and ensure the washer and dryer work at peak efficiency.

Just involving your children in the process can cut your laundry workload in three ways:

·                      Sorting. Put plastic bins in your child’s bedroom or bathroom. Use one bin for colored clothes, one  for whites and another for towels and jeans. If you have an athlete in the family, consider including another bin for uniforms to keep grass and mud from staining other clothes. To make this more fun for younger children, use trash cans with plastic lids and draw faces on them with a permanent marker.

·                      Scheduling. Post a washing schedule above the dirty‑laundry bins so that on the appropriate day your child can carry each bin to the laundry room to be washed.

·                      Finishing. After the dryer buzzer sounds, encourage your child to help you fold clothes. It lightens the chore and gives you another chance to chat about his or her day at school.

Reducing your laundry workload also relieves stress on your washer and dryer. The back‑to‑school season is one of the busiest times for washer repairs, according to Mr. Appliance Corp. president Doug Rogers.

“Don’t try to squeeze as many clothes as possible into your washing machine,” Rogers says.

HOME FASHION:

Bringing fall inside

The change of season suggests a change of style around the house as well as in clothes. All it takes to get started is a few simple moves–and the guidance of an authority.

Fall fashion for the home has its traditions, as well as new trends, points out Robyn Arvedon, national spokeswoman and style expert for HomeGoods stores. She volunteered a series of easy, inexpensive ways to give the home to a more cozy, autumnal feel.

Where do you start?

“I’d start in the room you spend the most time in,” she said in a phone interview from company headquarters in Framingham, Mass. “Or it could even be your entryway.”

Color is key, of course. “There are always the traditional dark greens and browns, but you don’t have to be stuck in them. We’re seeing variations this year–plum, and pink or light yellow, for example.”

Here are five smart fall fixes Arvedon volunteered:

·                      “Pillows are an easy and affordable choice to change the look of a room.” They can add color and texture, with fabrics such as nubby raw silk or that appear handmade or show ethnic influence.

·                      “I also love changing rugs, bringing in warmer colors and thicker‑ply fibers for accent rugs,” she said.

·                      “Then there is the appeal to the olfactory senses, with candles and room diffusers. They can provide a subtle scent of the season, bring in the outdoors with suggestions of pine, spices and pumpkin.”

·                      Bringing in the outdoors can be done literally, too. “Snip branches, with berries or changing leaves, and put them indoors in vases, perhaps an art‑glass vase, to use as focal points, again perhaps in your entryway,” Arvedon suggested.

·                      Finally, wreaths. “We’re seeing a lot of oversized wreaths this year, with the harvest feel of changing colors, gourds and mini‑pumpkins.

“They are upscale‑looking but very affordable–and that’s something we all love.”