In the Spotlight

Janice Randall Rohlf
Editor

Several months ago, I had an incident involving the plumbing in my upstairs bathroom that introduced me to the term “disaster relief.” I’ll spare you the details and just share that water gushing from that bathroom, down through the floor and into the kitchen below brings me to where I am today: gut renovating one and a half baths and the kitchen. Fortunately, the house is small, because all the floors, upstairs and down, need to be redone as well. And the whole house repainted. Such can be the ramifications of water damage.

In a roundabout way, my anecdote leads to the focus of this issue: kitchens and baths. I’ve gotten some inspiration while putting together the magazine, and I hope you will too. These two rooms have to stand up to considerable wear and tear because they’re used so often, and we also want them to be attractive, because we’re in them all the time. Start making a check list of renovation details and you’ll quickly find that there are a lot of choices to make — cabinetry, countertops, tile, hardware, paint and maybe wallpaper, window treatments, appliances and more. I highly recommend consulting a professional designer to help you wade through this ocean
of options without drowning.

The six professionally designed projects in our Kitchen & Bath Showcase exemplify how to marry form and function. Yes, these rooms can be both efficient and easy on the eye, whether your style is traditional, transitional or modern. We hope you like what you see.

Another good way to glean tips from others’ living quarters is to participate in a home tour such as the annual Lakes Region Parade of Homes, a self-guided tour of several professionally designed new and renovated homes that takes place October 11 and 12. Starting on page 60, we feature a home on last year’s tour, which may pique your interest in seeing first-hand what it’s all about. It’s a fun way to spend the fall weekend.

Or, if you find yourself in Portsmouth, put Seavey’s Marketplace on your agenda, especially if you enjoy browsing midcentury modern furniture and accessories, both original and replica. I dare you to walk out empty-handed, but, at the very least, you’ll leave with ideas.

And if your inspiration comes from nature, check out Robin Sweetser’s story on Bruce and Carole Parsons’ five-acre property, which is chock-full of delights including 70 dahlias of 28 different varieties along with antiques and found objects. It’s really quite spectacular.

Let’s all enjoy autumn!