From House to Home 6/25/07

Right At Home Daily: From House to Home
This week's tips:

• Have all your windows washed to let more sunlight filter into your home. You can do it yourself or hire a company.
• If your weather will permit it, consider creating an outdoor kitchen. Purchase a grill, small portable refrigerator, and sink and install them in a handsome stone counter. Consider building a permanent outdoor fireplace for cooler evenings.
• To hang pots or even flower baskets outside, try an interesting and attractive chain of oxidized bronze thorns, ranging up to four inches in length.
• Do something casual, free and unusual in the early evening as the days stay lighter longer. Take a walk every night after dinner in your area, go for a bike ride, eat dinner outdoors, or picnic at a free concert.
• June is a perfect time to repaint the outside wood trim of your home in an interesting color. Consider a buff color with green shutters to create a handsome look. If you have a red brick house, you might change the white wood trim to a color such as taupe.
• Buy a stack of inexpensive paperbacks and head for a comfortable hammock, beach chair or bench to enjoy the good weather.
• Head to a favorite nursery and buy some shrubs or flowers you've never had in your garden. Be sure to ask for help so you know what will and won't grow in your shady and sunny areas.