BUSINESS
By Rita St. Clair and Rita St. Clair,Tribune Media Services | February 10, 2008
The entrance hall in my house is small to begin with, and a staircase takes up one-third of its square footage. Can you suggest how to add some visual spark to what's now a nondescript space? I prefer traditional design, but I've got no room for an important piece of furniture. The secret to designing entrance halls, large or small, is to think not so much in terms of furniture but about color, texture and light. In a space the size of your own, that means giving emphasis to floor coverings, wallpaper and artwork.
NEWS
By Stephanie Shapiro and Stephanie Shapiro,Sun Reporter | October 7, 2007
Take a space and fill it with your life. Once a void, the space acquires the essence of you. That's how the favorite rooms in four Baltimore-area homes have evolved. With color, paintings, textiles and artifacts resonant of other worlds and times, the homeowners have assembled a universe of self-affirmation, celebration and remembrance. Inspired perhaps by a distinguished designer, family memories, a passion, or simply the clean, expectant walls of an art gallery, these rooms merge wider cultural sensibilities with personal vision and, as a result, are as distinctive as those who inhabit them.
BUSINESS
By Marie Gullard and Marie Gullard,Special to The Sun | September 25, 2005
When Michael and Ingrid Woods moved into their custom-built home in Carroll County, they initially decided to keep all of the walls white for one year until they could formulate a decorating scheme. "That lasted two months," said Michael Woods, a 48-year-old supervisor at Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. "Now every room's a different color." His wife of seven years, Ingrid Woods, 45, a senior administrator at BGE, does not deny her love of warm colors and is proud of her ability to create an ambience for every room in their 3,500-square- foot home.
SPORTS
By Joe Gergen and Joe Gergen,NEWSDAY | August 1, 2005
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Standing in front of 49 fellow members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and before a sea of Chicago Cubs fans that made it seem "like a home game," the normally reserved Ryne Sandberg was emboldened to criticize current players for their emphasis on individual exploits over team play, their pursuit of home runs at the expense of offensive strategy and their reliance on something other than physical gifts to perform at the major...
BUSINESS
By Marie Gullard and Marie Gullard,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | January 16, 2005
For more than 20 years, Gus and Kathleen Strakes visualized a dream home that would accommodate their lifestyle, hobbies and love of cooking and entertaining. In September 2000, after a five-year search, they purchased a 7 3/4 -acre lot in the Monkton area. With ample input from the couple, Trinity Home Builders of Bel Air constructed a Georgian-style mansion on the property's highest ridge. The 7,000-square-foot, terra cotta brick home, together with the land, cost the couple $800,000.
BUSINESS
By Marie Gullard and Marie Gullard,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | December 12, 2004
Five years ago, Bob and Libby Younglove decided to sell what they called the "party house" - their large, Tudor-style home situated on two acres in Towson. Empty-nesters, they settled into Ruxton Crossing, a townhouse development nearby. They paid $220,000 for the brick and cedar-shake, end-of-group structure. It includes more than 3,000 square feet on three levels, a private deck and a two-car garage. Pleased with their purchase, they invested an additional $65,000 on designer fabrics, paint and demolition.