Window Seat

We recently purchased a vacation house with a beautiful view of a harbor -- at least from the living room. In the master bedroom, all we see is sky when sitting in chairs or lying in bed. That's because the windows, while average in size, were placed higher than usual on the wall so that a dresser could fit under them. A friend advised us to build a platform for the bed and seating area. But wouldn't that make the room look smaller and disjointed? Do you have other suggestions? Lots of people buy houses mainly on the basis of the views they offer.

With outposts in both Baltimore and Los Angeles and appearances all over the world, Duff Goldman has done his share of traveling. Recently the Ace of Cakes shared some of his favorite destinations and a few travel tips with Johnny Jet . He told the website that he travels four to six times a month, has been to more than 20 countries and five continents. Even so, he counts Baltimore as his favorite city.  Istanbul is his fave international city and Jerusalem's Western Wall his favorite global site.

Opera `Window Seat' at Goucher A Baltimore rowhouse is the setting for The Window Seat, an opera written and produced by Goucher College faculty and staff and performed by stu dents. Ghosts of former inhab itants of the house reveal 180 years of local history as they tell their interconnecting tales in this hourlong work at 8 tonight at Merrick Lecture Hall, Goucher College, 1021 Dula ney Valley Road. Tickets are $7. Call 410-337-6333.

Last Monday, I flew to the West Palm Beach airport to visit friends in Florida.  On the way down I sat in a window seat, and a blond woman sat in the aisle seat. The seat between us was empty.    We did not talk to each other until the plane was landing. I learned she was from New Hampshire and on her way to see her parents before Thanksgiving.    When I was boarding my flight to return to Baltimore on Thursday, there she was in line to board. Neither of us had known how long the other was staying.

With outposts in both Baltimore and Los Angeles and appearances all over the world, Duff Goldman has done his share of traveling. Recently the Ace of Cakes shared some of his favorite destinations and a few travel tips with Johnny Jet . He told the website that he travels four to six times a month, has been to more than 20 countries and five continents. Even so, he counts Baltimore as his favorite city.  Istanbul is his fave international city and Jerusalem's Western Wall his favorite global site.

Window Seat: Reading the Landscape from the Air, by Gregory Dicum. Chronicle Books. 175 pages. $14.95. Overriding current anxieties of commercial flying, Dicum celebrates the joys available by choosing the window seat. "The food might be utilitarian, the seat cramped, and your neighbor annoying," Dicum writes. "But the sheer pleasure of contemplating our planet from 35,000 feet (about 6.5 mi., or 10.7 km) in the air is worth any price. A century ago, nobody on Earth could have hoped to see this view."

Q: We are slowly restoring our Queen Anne Victorian house as we can afford it. The dining room walls have us puzzled. What we thought was just old embossed wallpaper turns out to be leather, tooled into intricate designs. I'm sure it was beautiful once, but now it's a mess. We've heard there's a new wallpaper that's embossed to look like leather. Do you know any more about it?A: I know that you're half right: Indeed, there are inexpensive embossed products that go up like wallpaper to create the look of intricately carved plaster, leather or wood.

Q: My house is small but very comfortable. It meets all my needs, with one exception: a lack of shelving for books and other objects. The problem is that the casually furnished living room has little available wall space due to various entries to other parts of the house. The longest wall also has a fireplace that's not centered in the room and a small window that's off-center too. Is there some way I can add shelving and at the same time make the wall look balanced?A: Since the room's architecture will prevent that wall from ever ,, looking symmetrical, let's try to make it more interesting.

Baltimore has inspired many a film and a hit Broadway musical, so why not an opera? The Window Seat, an hourlong work created and produced entirely within the Goucher College community, is set in a Baltimore rowhouse. The score is by Kendall Kennison, assistant professor of music at Goucher. The libretto is by James Sheehan, a playwright and occasional teacher of playwriting who works as a copy editor in the college's office of communications. "The idea of doing an opera originally came from Serafina DiGiacomo, who directs the Goucher Opera Workshop," Kennison says.

Q: Please help me find a design solution for a window alcove that's 8 feet long and only 24 inches wide. The problem isn't the window itself, which affords a terrific view. It's the oddly shaped space beneath the window that's got me stumped. What should I do to make the most of this space?A: The area you describe may not technically qualify as an alcove since it's so shallow. But while its shape is indeed a bit awkward, a feature like this is not all that unusual.The design strategy will, as always, depend on a specific set of needs as well as on personal tastes.

We recently purchased a vacation house with a beautiful view of a harbor -- at least from the living room. In the master bedroom, all we see is sky when sitting in chairs or lying in bed. That's because the windows, while average in size, were placed higher than usual on the wall so that a dresser could fit under them. A friend advised us to build a platform for the bed and seating area. But wouldn't that make the room look smaller and disjointed? Do you have other suggestions? Lots of people buy houses mainly on the basis of the views they offer.

NEW YORK What's being billed as the first major exhibit in New York City of Dale Chihuly's colorful glass sculptures is on view at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. THE RUBY SLIPPERS, MADONNA'S BRA, AND EINSTEIN'S BRAIN: THE LOCATIONS OF AMERICA'S POP CULTURE ARTIFACTS Santa Monica Press / $16.95 Some people are just suckers for the kind of material that fills the pages of this quirky and entertaining guide. It is full of curiosities of the historical, criminal, musical, sporty and other kind.

Baltimore has inspired many a film and a hit Broadway musical, so why not an opera? The Window Seat, an hourlong work created and produced entirely within the Goucher College community, is set in a Baltimore rowhouse. The score is by Kendall Kennison, assistant professor of music at Goucher. The libretto is by James Sheehan, a playwright and occasional teacher of playwriting who works as a copy editor in the college's office of communications. "The idea of doing an opera originally came from Serafina DiGiacomo, who directs the Goucher Opera Workshop," Kennison says.

Opera `Window Seat' at Goucher A Baltimore rowhouse is the setting for The Window Seat, an opera written and produced by Goucher College faculty and staff and performed by stu dents. Ghosts of former inhab itants of the house reveal 180 years of local history as they tell their interconnecting tales in this hourlong work at 8 tonight at Merrick Lecture Hall, Goucher College, 1021 Dula ney Valley Road. Tickets are $7. Call 410-337-6333.

Window Seat: Reading the Landscape from the Air, by Gregory Dicum. Chronicle Books. 175 pages. $14.95. Overriding current anxieties of commercial flying, Dicum celebrates the joys available by choosing the window seat. "The food might be utilitarian, the seat cramped, and your neighbor annoying," Dicum writes. "But the sheer pleasure of contemplating our planet from 35,000 feet (about 6.5 mi., or 10.7 km) in the air is worth any price. A century ago, nobody on Earth could have hoped to see this view."

My Best Shot Liz Curtin, Westminster After the rainstorm This photo was taken in Dunfanaghy, County Donegal, in northwestern Ireland at a bed and breakfast called Corcreggan Mill. I was able to capture this magnificent image of the Mill Cottage, built in 1937, just after a rainstorm had passed. A Memorable Place By SuzAnne C. Cole In Russia, no visa means no visit After a business trip to London, my husband and I are headed for a reunion in Russia with our son Wes and his Russian wife, Iulia, whom we haven't seen in almost a year.

Q: I happen to love the English country house look but live in a modern apartment with wall-to-wall carpeting (left by the previous tenants) and totally plain walls. There aren't even any moldings around the windows.We don't own the apartment, so I can't think about built-ins. What else can I do?A: Invest in furnishings you can take with you: bookcases that look like built-ins but aren't, for one example. Another: Large case pieces like armoires and secretaries, pieces with real visual "heft," are hallmarks of the English country look, which draws much of its charm from warm woods and a melange of patterns and textures.

NEW YORK What's being billed as the first major exhibit in New York City of Dale Chihuly's colorful glass sculptures is on view at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. THE RUBY SLIPPERS, MADONNA'S BRA, AND EINSTEIN'S BRAIN: THE LOCATIONS OF AMERICA'S POP CULTURE ARTIFACTS Santa Monica Press / $16.95 Some people are just suckers for the kind of material that fills the pages of this quirky and entertaining guide. It is full of curiosities of the historical, criminal, musical, sporty and other kind.

When you're looking for a cozy, quiet place to call your own, don't rule out any room in the house. Page through design magazines and you'll see that photographers can play up patches of warmth in nearly every room.Check out the camera angles. Photos are purposely shot at eye level, and tight slices of a room are favored over sweeping whole shots. There's a good reason: Such "vignettes" make you feel as if you're right there.The details draw you in: fresh flowers, bowls of fruit, throws, books and magazines, candles, food -- elements that lend a sense that the room is lived in.Paying close attention to cues that add warmth is one of the most powerful design tools you have.

Q: My house is small but very comfortable. It meets all my needs, with one exception: a lack of shelving for books and other objects. The problem is that the casually furnished living room has little available wall space due to various entries to other parts of the house. The longest wall also has a fireplace that's not centered in the room and a small window that's off-center too. Is there some way I can add shelving and at the same time make the wall look balanced?A: Since the room's architecture will prevent that wall from ever ,, looking symmetrical, let's try to make it more interesting.