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Show ' More gain kitchens top peoples' wish lists Social-cente- interest in floor tile I'm probably Tile has come a long way since the day when your parents decorated the bathroom with those porcelain pastel squares. . Tile comes in a variety of patterns, colors, textures and styles, and is considered an important part of the floor decor in dining rooms, along patios and around fireplaces, among other areas. Kristin Childers, owner of Floor Deco in Mary Esther, Fla., says she has seen interest in tile especially ceramic tile grow in the two years since her business has been open. "People are beginning to realize the value of it, not only for their homes'resale value, but (they) also know they wont have to replace it in two or three years,' she says. They're also discovering that ceramic tile is good in bathrooms, where there's a lot of moisture, and in kitchens, where there's heavy foot traffic. While tile has been around for thousands of years, manufacturers are making the product more exotic and decorative than ever before. "It comes in many styles and colors now," she says. At the snazzy end of the design spectrum are exotic tiles, which are more textured and more nt than other versions. Some resemble hardwood floors and look especially nice in dining rooms, while others can resemble limestone. - Flagstone ceramic tile has threads of earth colors running throughout the squares, giving a Southwestern flavor. Others look rough but feel smooth. Larger tiles, sizes inches, or are hot sellers, Childers says. The larger tiles give the illusion of space. On the other hand, some customers prefer basic tile, which is used frequently in rental properties or laundry rooms and goes with a variety of decors, she says. Also, Spanish and Italian imports are big, says Childers, who sells those styles along with tile from Mexico. Rick Robinson, of Mary Esther, Fla., recently renovated his home with large-siz- e ceramic tile. "There's tile everywhere," he says. -- "I like vinyL but it's just as expensive as ceramic tile," he says. Unlike vinyl, however, tile is tough, will last forever and makes your home more marketable, he says. r By GARY KRINO Orange County Register By KAREN WOLF Northwest Florida Daily News "It really will outlast anything else," Robinson says. The only drawback, he says, is that the tile gets cold. In the winter, "if you walk on it in bare feet, it's like walking on cold concrete," he says. But the coolness will be a plus in the summer. '. When it comes to kitchen size, the survey reveals that Americans want the space to be not telling you bigger, bigger, bigger. the Furthermore, topping is list wish the remodeling kitchen. Among those polled, 44 percent chose the kitchen as the one room in the house they most wanted to remodel, outpacing the 15 percent who pointed to the bathroom and the 12 percent who picked the poor, maligned living room. The survey also asked respondents what they think is hot in kitchens and what they see as, well, not so hot The results show a preference for light and cool colors as opposed to darker colors in kitchen Most decorating. desired colors and materials are light or bleached wood (71 percent). The most "out" color is "mostly black." Other popular colors or materials are marble or granite (59 percent) and cool colors such as blues and grays (56 percent). "Mostly white" (53 percent) and stainless steel (53 percent) are also high on the scale of colors and materials the respondents like. anything you already don't know, but here goes. With the continuing strength of housing starts and remodeling projects, the kitchen is at the top of the list as the numero-un- o room in the house to be remodeled. That out of the way, here's the rather surprising part. According to a recent survey conducted by Jenn-Ai- r, the folks who make all those upscale kitchen appliances so many of us positively drool over, the kitchen has taken over as the social center of the household. Friday, September 20, 1996 THE DAILY HERALD, Home Magazine, . . Let's crunch the numbers. The Jenn-A- ir Homelife Trends Survey (a sample of 750 homeowners nationwide was contacted by random digit dialing and questioned about how they use their kitchens) shows that nearly half of those surveyed (45 percent) said their kitchens are routinely used as multipur-- . pose rooms for cooking, entertaining and relaxing. That figure outpaces "cooking and eating only" (33 percent) and "cooking only" (22 percent). There's more. Among those who describe their kitchens as "large," the kitchen now leads the living room as the space where important household activities take place. The kitchen is the room where chitchat with family and friends happens (41 percent), where people are most likely to gather (42 percent). Additionally, the kitchen (31 percent) now leads the living room (29 percent) as the room where the most time is Nifty multipurpose kitchens have become so trendy that what shape the kitchen is in can actually affect how often people entertain and whom they choose to entertain. "We found it interesting that when we asked respondents about entertaining celebrities, 52 percent said they would want to remodel their kitchen before they invited a celebrity over," says Mark Buss, Jenn-Air- 's vice president of Page 23 urKin survey Tinas job of killing bugs is everyone's job By NICK HARDER Orange County Register Who kills the bugs in your home? The man or woman of the house? Orkin Pest Control 'found that most men and women responding to its nationwide survey 60 perthink killing bugs is everycent d one's job. For of the men surveyed though, this is a man's job. Most of us are afraid of at least one type of bug. Bees and wasps were at the top of that list, especially for men. Spiders, feared most by women, followed, along with ticks and roaches, according to the survey. The most interesting insect? Butterflies. A few other highlights from the survey: Twenty percent of those surveyed, including more men than women, would rather release bugs to nature than kill them. Killing a bug at first sight is the most common reaction in the north central states but less likely in the West or Northeast. As for the most embarrassing bug a guest could find in their homes? Cockroaches. And the gross-oeffect? Women were twice as likely to report this reaction to those dreaded bugs.. are Respondents ages less likely to catch a bug and kill it than respondents older than 65. More men than women said they would rather visit than touch a bug. What the survey didn't address is our ongoing battle with ants. And it can involve more than the one-thir- ut 1 8-- in-la- pests invading your home. "Honey, you didn't clean your plate. You just put it on the counter for the ants, so you can clean up not only your plate, but the ants as well." "It's not my job in this house to clean plates or ants." Sound familiar? Life in your home doesn't have to turn into a battle. To help put a lid on the ant problem, keep plates, counters, sinks and pet eating areas extra clean. Don't leave dishes caked with food in the sink. If ants have been invading your dishwasher, rinse items before putting them into the dishwasher. Also, rinse juice and sugary soda from glasses. Dried juice on countertops is a prime ant attraction, and sometimes, you can't even see it. Lemonade is a prime culprit. To eliminate the problem, wash the counter with . a mild cleanser rather than wiping with water only. Ant traps can be useful, but make sure they're not in areas where pets might be attracted to them. Garbage also attracts ants, so consider taking out the garbage more frequently. Take a good look at where you store your garbage. Maybe the container needs a thorough cleaning. Remember that equal time on the battle line against invading insects can play into your relationship at home. Othenvise, as a consequence, you might have to visit your inlaws. spent Demo Buyoj's Gaido .94 Acre, most utilities, animal rights . . . . . .45 Acre, Elk Ridge, quiet St. . lots . . . . Above Gladstan Golf Course 2 . , Several view lots starting at . Elk acre 12 choice Ridge . North View, & water ; 5 acres, irrigation culinary animal rights several lots starting . . ..... ...... . . . . . in .44,900 .34,900 .39,000 ;38,900 .43,900 OREMiUXURY 2 bdrm, 2 M Hh oondo. 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