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Show Page 14 Home Expo, Provo. Utah, Wednesday, THE DAiLY HERALD. By BARBARA MAYER For AP Special Features "Never has one of my gifts met with such an enthusiastic response," Lyn Peterson said of the television set that she gave her family for the hol-- . idays. Peterson, an interior design-- . er and head of Motif Designs in New Rochelle, N.Y., didn't want the new set to stick out like a sore thumb yet it was far too large to be inconspicuous. This is a decorating concern more consumers are facing as TVs with outsize screens those measuring from 40 to about 80 inches gain popularity. More than 925,000 were shipped to dealers in 1997, compared to 465,000 in ; 55-in- ch i . ' 1993. March 25, 1998 New housing reflects '60s communes from her own experience. Treat the TV as the room's focal point, she says "anything that large is going to be a focal point in the room, anyway." If sofa and easy chairs are arranged in an Knight Ridder Newspapers forma- tion, it's best to place the set on an angle in the opposite corner for maximum visibility from every seat. Try not to place a TV directly across from a window since daylight will reflect onto the screen. Window coverings can help adjust light levels for daytime - '60s going on '90s: If you missed the chance to live in a commune in the '60s, if '"!! . - I x .; you can do so now. Reflecting a yearning for closer-kni- t ' "" neighborhoods, cohousing communities ; 13 are "The formed. cohousing being phenomenon is still in a very embryonic stage," says Don Lindemann, editor of the in Journal Cohousing Berkeley, Calif. "It started as a trickle, gradually adding numbers, and by the end of next year, there will be at least 50 completed." ''HJSUSJ.s I ; . "71" i I I ! -- ' f I I iJ J again: Speaking of California, the state had a 19 percent increase in the number of households moving in last Li.. u ...... y e large-scree- n 48-inc- h dreamin' California ..jJr..v-i-j" ft rear-projecti- on-sit- that emphasize interaction Peterson prefers viewing. Venetian blinds or slatted shutters rather than opaque coverings like heavy curtains: these let the room be dimmed, without totally eliminating daylight and creating a tomblike atmos- These days, 12 percent of phere. Most of the reflections cast American households own a on the screen at night come front- - or TV from lamps and lighting fixthe types of set with screens 40 tures. Dark lampshades will cut inches or bigger according to the glare and avoid such reflecthe Consumer Electronics tions, Peterson says. Manufacturers Association in Light sources should preferArlington, Va. In 1984, the fig- ably be located behind the viewure was one percent. er. A rule of thumb is that no Peterson solved her decoratlight source should be brighter ing problem with a custom-mad- e than the screen when the set is corner cabinet. The open on. Three-wabulbs or dimtop houses the TV and a VCR. mers provide flexibility for Closed storage below holds lighting fixtures. tapes and video games. The most important factor The cabinet, built by with TVs is to key a carpenter for about $500, the size of the set to the she of masks the bulk of the televithe room. "A rule of thumb is to allow sion, takes advantage of otherwise wasted space below to a minimum distance of three times the screen size for all keep clutter at bay, and provides a more finished look to TVs," said Ed Korenman, the room, Peterson said. spokesman for the Consumer The corner location and ele- Electronics Manufacturers vating the set 42 inches above Association. This means that the floor make the screen visi- viewers should be about 12 ble in all parts of the room. feet away from a Peterson says she learned a screen. A big screen TV is often lot about how to decorate a room around a very large TV installed in a home theater set- - '...- i ' The Associated TV corner: better visibility. A Press corner cabinet in Lyn Peterson's family room raises the TV up high for black lampshade minimizes the reflection of light onto the screen at night. A custom-buil- t ting, with extra speakers placed strategically around the room the better to appreciate those startling sound effects in action films. Too many hard surfaces in the room can result in sound distortion. Carpeting or a large area rug and wood furniture will absorb some sound and create a better listening environment than a bare floor and metal furniture. Since the room is sure to get 55-inc- h a great deal of wear, to say nothing of spills and stains from snacks, washable or slipcovers and pate terned carpets that don't show dirt are excellent year, according to Atlas Van Lines' annual tally. Atlas said 1997 was the second year in a row that California had more people arriving than leaving. The Golden State had trailed the rest of the nation in recovering from the 1990-9- 1 recession. "Create a muted background in the TV room and try to store stereo components behind closed doors where the blinking lights of electronic equipment will not be distracting." choices. As with any closed cabinetry The television room is not for electronic equipment, the the place for a busy floral wall- back of the cabinet should provide access to components and paper or lots of knickknacks. "Clutter makes it hard to permit venting of any built-ufocus on the picture screen," heat generated by the equipment. Peterson said. low-pil- p cleaner sweep: A the vacuum cleaner bag Is ? or Whatever your point of view, a can subbag that's half-fustantially reduce the vacuum's suction power, Good Housekeeping magazine reports. For better performance, change the bag more frequently. half-fu- half-empty- ll ll Hot off the grill: Are you a serious backyard a new to want product you might check out. It's the Ole Hickory Pit grill with convection fans and a power burner. The price tag: $12,000. barbecuer? There's New spring colors: white, lilac, nursery pink, sky blue ... gray? By JACKIE W HITE Knight Ridder If you go shopping for some fine spring duds one day soon, you'll run into a palatable r, d palette of as such colors, sky blue, nursery pink, lilac, white and, well, gray. Gray? It's not a traditional spring hue. It doesn't cheer the soul as ;readily as garden colors. It also has had bad press, often depicted ;as a mouse color that fades into the woodwork. And it can be a reminder of the string of gray, sunless days of winter. " Color consultant Leatrice Eiseman says word associations with gray yield implications such as "rock solid," and "there for you," on the positive side and "hiring" and "mousy" on the neg- utive. Not exactly a glamorous " ideal. In her 1980 book, "The Language of Clothes," (Random House), Alison Lurie writes that gray may indicate a "modest, retiring individual. ..." ' It also suggests "that one is light-hearte- warm-weathe- ; . mysterious, ambiguous, that gray puz-Izling- She observes ." often is worn by ghostly characters as in Noel Coward's play "Blithe Spirit." But never mind all that. For fashion folks the drab has turned to fab. It's now a fresh, must-hav- e neutral and a new option to (black). Gray was on the spring slate from the likes of Donna Karan, DKNVs D, Calvin Klein and Carolina Herrera in recent runway shows. It soaks Gucci's machete-tailore- d pantsuit. A gray dress was studded in silver down the sides at Versace. In accessories, it pops up in gray pearls, thongs and sunglasses. And Yeohlee Teng, a minimalist designer known for her quest for the modern and sleek, introduced gray flannel, a startling idea for spring but so far d. Teng says gray is considered a masculine color and in today's busy, competitive world, there is a movement toward genderless and seasonless dressing. "It is a very efficient way to dress," she says. Margaret Walch, associate director of the Color Association in New York, agrees in part. Gray is a unisex minimalist color, she echoes, and the similarities in the way men and women dress are expected to stay strong well into the next century. Unlike edgy black, gray, with its association of bankers and is conservative. pinstripes, "Going forward into the next millennium, I find that very comforting," she says. Another positive is that gray's neutrality fits well into the development of textured innovative textiles, a fashion focus of the moment. The "more neutral the color, the more spectacular the finish" can be, Walch notes. Also in its favor, gray is a mercurial color, easily adaptable for casual dressing and formal nights. "And that's the way we live," Walch notes. Gray already is selling well for spring and is expected to pick up momentum in the next few seasons, says David Wolfe, the creative director of Doneger Group, retail consultants. "People were tired of black and afraid of color," he says. "There is no question, we hnve a new generation of consumers who have no color confidence." All Vinyl Fencing fcflfl 225-969- 6 For spring and summer the gray often is interwoven with white and for fall it's shot with color for a darker tone. (Color analysts suggest that the darker the gray, the more powerful the psychological message; the lighter, the more innocent.) Gray is not getting raves in all circumstances. Cheryl Holland, the vice president of merchandising for women's wear for Kansas City, Mo., specialty store Halls, is cautious about spring grays because they could look like fall. She favors a gray softened with white, a gray with white pinstripes or a gray in soft, romantic styling. Meanwhile, Eiseman, an author and consultant with Pantone Institute, touts gray as a background because it doesn't interfere with any other color. But the psychological impact of gray, dressing can be a depressant, she maintains. It "cries out for another color," she says. And ditto at the JC Penney Co., where it is viewed mostly as an element mixed generously with other colors for spring. Toni fashion Turner, the Dallas-based specialist, says: "We know gray is happening. But we don't expect our customer to go head-to-to- e gray," she says. She prefers to promote other colors such as taupe, butterscotch yellow, the blues and sun colors. "We've just told our people to be on the lookout for gray," she says. In any event, hold on to your gray flannels. d, A household pole: Forget lawn statues. For something truly distinctive, how about a genuine red, white and blue barber pole? You can get one from the only commercial manufacturer of barber poles in Western left the Hemisphere: William Marvy Co. of St. Paul, Minn. Compiled by Marc Schogol of the Philadelphia Inquirer from wire reports and other sources. Write to him at the Philadelphia', PO. Box 8263 Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA 19101. Vfllin UfillPF HUE VUUrt nUUuE H mUEUr I ! fMUE I With The FINEST & SAFEST GARAGE DOOR You Can Buy! IS1 a 5 tffnniniiir x ins - . ?s Eiprr - 1 r I New Location - 273 Mountainland Drive, Orem 542 So. State, Orem m u,ljm" "1 Fences Gates Porches & & HOME'S IMAGE IS mr::"' pi """"",.,....)"" mi ii hi1 of Your To Turnaround Free Estimates 0 Decks Non Slip Decking Quickest "asc a. 4 &a t 1 ..... 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