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Do you realize there’s a whole industry focused on “surfaces” for the home? Until I got a gig doing PR for a tile company 12 years ago, I’d been a humble consumer who never pondered the fact that countless companies exist to create the stuff we use to make or affix to the level planes in our homes. Think about it: we’re quite literally surrounded by surfaces that need to be constructed and covered.

The theme for this month’s Her — “I Do” — inspired me to go back to basics, to write a kind of primer on bed dressing. After all, the soon-to-be-wedded will presumably register for new bedding; better put in for primo stuff while the getting’s good.
Yet the content herein is relevant for all; whether sleeping single or doubling up, everyone deserves fine linens and pillows on which to rest their weary bones. Here are tips for selecting and caring for linens.

Count on Thread Counts

One of the great mysteries in the history of home décor may be the “Wallpaper Caper.” What really caused the demise of the formerly beloved patterned, pasted wall adornment? Did the paint marketers do an exceptional job? Did society tire of all the scraping and seams? Was paper too closely aligned with the now nearly extinct wood panel?

Apparently my friend Laura’s panache for fashion could be contained ... in a jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring custom closet-slash-dressing room.

“I went on an amazing vacation, and all I got was this hand-crafted, tabletop nativity set.”

“The house with the gold door.” My friend Kirsten loves to hear neighbors refer to her home in this way. It’s a far cry from “where the Cholkas lived” or “that blue one near the entrance,” the drab phrases folks in the subdivision formerly used to identify the house. She’d dreamed of a new exterior color scheme and a new image for the home since the day she and husband Brett moved in. “That blue” the house had been known for — tired and traditional — had to go.

Above my desk, there’s a makeshift shelf comprised of two brackets supporting a piece of carved wood. I keep 8 of my favorite old books on that shelf, alongside a framed photo of my dad and three artfully arranged knick-knacks. I can avert my eyes upward from the computer monitor at any given time to peer at these cherished items; likewise I can reach my copy of Elements of Style as needed with ease.

Therein lies the purpose of a good shelf: to store and to display.

“This is the nursery? … But it’s so … cool!”

Fittingly, I was attending a baby shower when I discovered this hip space. I’d joined in the tour of the hostess’s home between cupcake eating and gift opening, lured by murmurs that the baby’s room was something worth seeing. The nursery not only lived up to its buzz, but it also lived up to the sleek style of the rest of the house.

When it comes to new products in the home and construction industries, think “green” and “screen.” It seems homes of the not-so-distant future will not only outsmart us with technology (thus all the screens) but also show us up in terms of environmental responsibility (hence the “green”). A thoughtfully designed, high-tech house that’s kind to the environment? I suppose I can live in that!

It’s time to make the best of the nest. The lagging economy has encouraged ... OK, demanded ... many of us stay put rather than move up. Depending on your situation, you may not only be staying in the same house longer term, but you may be staying in more frequently. My husband and I are certainly opting for Netflix and Orville Redenbacher in the comfort of our home cheap home quite often these days.