Dining Room

Howard Magazine is getting into the holiday spirit. We asked three Howard County interior designers to offer inspiration and tips for dining room decor. What resulted is a feast for the eyes. Better yet, these Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas looks are easy to recreate. See the accompanying photo gallery for pictures of each holiday design. THANKSGIVING Jill Valeri, owner of The Welcome Home: Interior Design Solutions, capitalized on warm autumnal tones to create a friendly Thanksgiving table.

After living in the same home for 43 years, John and Pat Kasuda found that downsizing was a cinch. "The downsizing was actually getting rid of all the things we no longer needed and realizing that all of it was just stuff," said Pat Kasuda. But when they moved to the Charlestown Retirement Community in Catonsville, they did not have to sacrifice a lot of room for their stuff. Hardly a cracker box, the spacious 2,000-square-foot unit was especially designed and constructed for the couple by combining two smaller apartments into one large dream home.

First, don't mistake the new Players Bar & Grill for what used to be Mangia's in Waverly Woods Shopping Center. The new upscale bar and grill may occupy the same spot in the strip, but owner Simon Sadoun, general manager Sean Brown and executive chef Doug Jones have transformed the space and menu into a classy sports-themed restaurant with an eclectic variety of dishes, from stuffed avocado appetizers to seafood jambalaya and gourmet desserts almost...

The best way to view Peck and Patti Miller's home on Assawoman Bay is from the stern of their 22-foot runabout — to slice the water across the little cove and to see the gables of their cottage in Ocean City come closer and closer as people wave from the pier. "Now this is how to experience it," said Peck Miller, a 55-year-old transplant from Towson who came to work "downy ocean" in 1973 when he was a teen and happened to stay. " Ocean City can be a noisy place. This area is called 'Little Salisbury' [because]

Waterstone Bar and Grille has been serving Mediterranean fare for more than a year and a half in the spot that formerly housed Coconuts Cafe. That has, you'd think, given the management plenty of time to work out the kinks. But on two recent visits, a combination of mixed service, up-and-down food and odd decoration choices all prove that Waterstone has a ways to go. After we were seated in the middle of the handsome dining room, the noise was the first thing we noticed. It was louder than we expected, given that the restaurant was barely half-full.

What are the rules for how long I am allowed to camp out at the table after paying? That's a question posted on the Chowhound boards. The question specifically concerned a single diner in an uncrowded restaurant. "It depends," the responses, which you can read here , say. ( Eater/Board Wrap ) And, of course, it does. But I had just been thinking about this, because a friend who works in a high-end restaurant had recently told me about an egregious case of table squatting From the point when the table had been completely cleared, except for water glasses, and the bill had been paid, the six diners stayed for...2 hours.

Always, there were those lovely old country estates and gracious manor taverns with roaring fireplaces, but in the old days fine dining was associated with the city. Not so anymore. Now, there are more compelling reasons than ever for diners to cross county lines for a good meal. The 50 best county restaurants in Howard County, Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County is a mix of the old and the new, destinations for special occasions and joints for Monday night suppers, the chef-driven and crowd-pleasing.

When Baltimoreans turn on the TV and see Donna Hamilton, they see a comfortable, familiar face — someone they probably think they know, someone they might want to sit down with for a cup of tea. Her home, it turns out, has the same feel. The longtime anchor for WBAL-TV has spent years working to create a home that feels effortless. Lived in for 30 years now, the Baltimore house, a cottage really, is the sort of place with a cozy, lived-in aesthetic. Altogether underdesigned — by design.

In 2003, Mike Dufton purchased a 2,200-square-foot townhome on tranquil Back Creek just outside Annapolis in the community of King James Landing. The end-of-group design featuring a side entrance, along with views of the water just beyond the front yard, were both major attractions of the multi-level brick home constructed in 1985. A great room with a soaring ceiling and a wall of glass with sliders opening onto a spacious balcony were equally tempting. Dufton, 58, was more than satisfied with what he saw, paying $450,000 for his waterfront dream.

The story of Fred and Jan Hallahan's dream home is one of a near miss. The couple, seeking to downsize from their Ruxton home and looking for total first-floor living, visited a custom-designed house in Lutherville that offered a first-floor master suite. The home, designed by architect Donald Ratcliffe in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, featured a sleek, low-slung exterior profile. It was constructed in 1985 as the private residence of a local builder. "It was love at first sight," said Jan Hallahan, the 65-year-old former owner of Trillium women's fashions in Green Spring Station.