Elegant

Tablescape. Is there a more perfect word to describe the collection of fruits, flowers and found objects that have taken the place of a conversation-stopping vase of posies in the middle of the holiday dining table? What your mother called her "centerpiece" has been replaced by an eye-catching profusion that runs the length of the table, charming guests with sparkle or whimsy. "I like to call it opulent simplicity," said Sascha Wolhandler of Sascha's 527 Cafe on Charles Street.

Designed by the influential Baltimore architects Edward L. Palmer and William D. Lamdin in 1925 and built in 1928, the home at 101 Witherspoon Road is one of the premier properties in Homeland. This North Baltimore home is built of local stone with a Vermont slate roof, and it has over 7,000 square feet of living space. The property is being offered by Hill & Co. Realtors for $1.25 million. "It's a unique property with one of the largest lots in Homeland," said Mary Lynne Mullican, the listing agent for Hill & Co. "The wrought-iron work on the back loggia is beautiful.

This elegant interpretation of a style known as French country dispels the image many people expect -- that of rustic furnishings in rough finishes covered with quaint prints.For the owners of this French country-style home in Potomac, formal entertaining is a top priority. So they asked Rehoboth Beach designer Diane Gordy to update the home's interior to a sophisticated look in keeping with the architecture.To infuse the living room with a light, airy quality, the walls were painted a pale yellow, then the floors were pickled, a process that consists of staining the floors white, rubbing the stain off with a rag, then sealing.

One might assume that even the most discriminating big sedan buyer could find satisfaction from one of the nine versions of BMW's flagship 7-series. One would be incorrect. For that ultra-discerning person, there's the BMW Alpina B7: more power, more athletic handling, more exterior styling, more cabin cosseting and, with only 2,000 produced per year, more exclusivity.  Alpina, a limited vehicle production company in its own right, has been partnering with BMW for 40 years to make already exceptional vehicles even better.

Despite what many people may think, "elegant" and `f "expensive" need not be synonymous. I've long noticed, in fact, that it doesn't take a bundle of money to make an interior shimmer with elegance. So how, then, should "elegant" be defined?While not nearly as subjective a term as "good taste," this is another of those instances when two people might attach different meanings to the same word. I think, though, that nearly everyone will agree that "elegant" carries connotations of correctness and refinement of style.

Everyman Theatre has mounted the most elaborate, elegant production in its short history -- in support of a play about mediocrity.The play is Peter Shaffer's "Amadeus," and the staging is perfectly appropriate since Shaffer tells his story through contrasts.The central contrast concerns Antonio Salieri. At one time the most celebrated composer in Europe, Salieri has the inescapable truth of his own mediocrity forced upon him when confronted by the bona fide genius of that obnoxious prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Those of you who follow design trends are probably aware that "elegant eclecticism" has been deemed the defining look of the '90s.That does not mean "anything goes." Instead, the idea is to achieve a sophisticated, pared-down look by assembling a combination of complementary styles.Not surprisingly, references to historical designs are very much a part of this vogue. But it's not a matter of simply filling a room with copies of the wonderful 18th century furniture produced in England, France and in the Colonies.

Teriko Goodwyn wants her clothes to express who she is. That means she may dress "quietly sassy" one day and "casually elegant" the next.The common thread? The owner of "Expressions of You," a Northwest Baltimore interior design business, is true to her style."Some people let clothes wear them," says Ms. Goodwyn, 38, who has a 3-year-old daughter. "Others wear their clothes, and I'm one of them."Friends say you always look put together. How do you accomplish that?I see my clothing as an expression of me. It's much like when I decorate.

Drastic cuts in state funding forced the Peabody Conservatory to stage Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" without sets, save for a few simple doorways and furniture.But make no mistake. In every other way, this is a spirited, professional production which well serves the reputation of the nationally known music school.Much of the credit for that success, surely, must rest with Roger Brunyate, who has made Mozart a staple of Peabody's opera program since becoming its artistic director in 1980. This "Figaro" is functional but elegant -- and after seeing the "hip" vagaries of Peter Sellars' Mozart operas, Mr. Brunyate's vision is infinitely more attractive.

Q: I have inherited some dining-room furniture that is a high-quality reproduction of both Hepplewhite and Sheraton styles. Now I'm puzzled about how to treat the dining room itself. It's a fairly large space with a 9-foot ceiling and two narrow but not-so-tall windows.Any suggestions?A: I assume that you want the room to look elegant and relatively formal.That shouldn't be too difficult to achieve, though you will have to sort through a number of choices relating to your taste, budget and the availability of certain items.

Women's lacrosse has been warning its people for years: Dial it back, or they will make us wear helmets. Coaches, players and referees knew that if their elegant game got rough, the powers that be would impose helmets. Goggles were required in 2005, and that was just the warning shot. Thanks to the National Football League and the National Hockey League, concussions are no longer the accident that sometimes happens to someone else's kid while playing sports. Brain injuries caused by repeated blows to the head are causing dementia - or worse, suicide - among yesterday's heroes in professional sports.

When Maureen Neunan's only child headed off to college halfway across the country, the four-bedroom, four-bathroom Ellicott City house where the two lived suddenly seemed enormous to the 56-year-old divorcee. "I decided this was not where I wanted to be," she said. "I didn't need big or grand anymore. " And so she and her friend, real estate agentr Carol Walters of Long & Foster's Columbia office, paid a visit to the Ritz-Carlton Residences at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Neunan recalled visiting the unit she bought at first sight.

James Haddow "Reds" Orpin, a retired salesman and former Overlea resident, died Monday of a heart attack at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Fla. He was 70. Mr. Orpin was born in Newark, N.J., and moved with his family at an early age to Meise Drive in Northeast Baltimore. He was a graduate of Parkville High School and served in the Army in Alaska from 1964 to 1966, when he was discharged with the rank of private. A musician who played guitar and bass, Mr. Orpin was a founder in the early 1960s of Danny and the Elegants, which for a time was the house band at Hollywood Park in Essex.

Baltimore has its own beloved Afghan restaurant, The Helmand, which opened in Mount Vernon in 1989 and from the start charmed diners with its refined version of Afghan cuisine in a candlelit urban setting. Howard County has Maiwand Kabob, which is equally beloved. Naseem and Roxanna Rafiq opened the first Maiwand Kabob in 1991 in the Harpers Choice Village Center. Two more locations followed, in Linthicum Heights and Hanover. In June, the Rafiqs, with their daughter, Nina, opened a new location in Columbia Crossing.

"Flow" iOS Free/$.99 ad-free version Big Duck Games Rating: 4 out of 4 When you first open "Flow," you are not treated to the typical one- or two-screen tutorial that seems to be standard with iOS games. Instead, it's a bit like the film "Inception. " You see a field of 25 squares and eight colored dots. You can almost hear Leo DiCaprio asking you to draw him a maze in one minute that takes two minutes to solve. "Flow" challenges the visual and problem solving side of the brain in a way that is intruiging but beautifully simple.

The Producers of "House of Cards,"  the $100 million series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, are going to hold an open casting call Sunday in Bel Air. The call, which will be held at the Bel Air Armory from 3 to 8 p.m, is aimed at finding union and non-union extras who "may also be considered for recurring or featured roles. " The address of the armory is 41 North Main Street in Bel Air. The series, which has a guarantee of 26 episodes, is shooting on main soundstages in Harford County, as well as a soundstage at the Baltimore Sun, and various area locations.

George's, situated in the gorgeous Peabody Court Hotel, has one of Baltimore's best addresses, in Mount Vernon Square and within walking distance of the city's best-known cultural attractions. The historic hotel does justice to the location, practically purring with old-world charm, from its wood floors to its royal-purple walls and the stunning chandelier in the lobby. "Quiet elegance" are the key words of the hotel and its restaurant. The restaurant staff is attentive, but practically tiptoes across the floors, and leans in to take your order, speaking in close to a whisper in an apparent attempt to keep the room's ambient noise level as low as possible.

How can I make an ordinary powder room look more luxurious? I don't have any particular style in mind.It's actually good that you don't state a stylistic preference, since "luxurious" doesn't qualify as a style in itself. Luxury depends on one's personal standards and is, in any event, difficult to achieve in small spaces."Elegance" might be a better term to describe the look you're seeking, and it is indeed possible to make a small powder room elegant.The possibilities are limited only by the kinds of styles you don't like.

We'll always have the Milton Inn. The northern Baltimore County classic still delivers all of the tradition and perks diners want from a fine-dining, special-occasion restaurant. On any given night, the Milton Inn experience unfolds in six dining rooms within a meticulously kept 271-year-old fieldstone mansion. Regulars ask for the room known as The Hearth, the only one with a wood-burning fireplace. All but one of the other rooms have gas fireplaces. The Main Dining Room, where we were seated, is just off the entrance, to the right.

Now that Baltimore's debut Grand Prix is just days away, the trash talk is revving up by the hour. And that's not counting the race car drivers. Nope, the motormouths trading good-natured insults are the fans who will watch the races up close and personal in the grandstands, and the fans who will view the proceedings from the air-conditioned comfort of a luxury penthouse suite. "You can tell the people in the penthouses that we'll wave up at them from the pits," says Lori Moore, 39, of Parkville.