John Cocking’s clients ran a mini competition before choosing his design for the revamp of their 50s property. His seductively simple concept is essentially a sleeve and over the back of the original house.
A SIMPLE FORM - A BOX - IS THE BASIS of this striking renovation in one of Sydney’s beach-side suburbs. Placed as a ’sleeve’, which has been slipped over the rear of the existing house, the box has been used to define the new space, frame the views across Manly Beach and frame out the neighbouring buildings. The box form is also evident in the way materials, textures and finishes have been used inside and outside the building.
The three-storey extension integrates well with the existing house and provides the accommodation necessary for a family with changing needs. Architect John Cockings spent a lot of time with his clients considering the internal arrangement of spaces, the inter-relationships between the family members and the needs of their growing children.
The design gives the parents their own private space on the upper level with the living areas and children’s bedrooms located on the street level. Below this, at the level of the garden, are a large playroom and guest accommodation.
A few steps mark the transition from the pre-existing part of the house to the new, while the new stairwell is the central spatial link which allows the differing floor and ceiling levels of the old and new to happily coexist.
The rear and centre sections are light and bright with walls of glazed panels to the south and slot glazing running across the north elevation at the top junction of the ’sleeve’. More light to the centre of the house also spills in from the stairwell.
The internal spaces are open plan with strong visual connections at each level as well as between levels. This has been aided by the thoughtful design and placement of fixed storage units on each level which define different usage areas without enclosing them.
Colours and textures play an important part in the execution of this project. Materials were chosen to reflect the beach-side location so they are easy care and practical yet with a warmth and softness appropriate to the nurturing environment of the family home. The choice of flooring and treads to the stair, for example, combine the natural warmth of timber with the texture of sisal, while the perforated stainless steel balustrade to the stairs is another textural experience — visually interesting, it softens divisions and links adjoining spaces.
The colour palette was also carefully chosen. It is practical yet playful, with warm earthy colours used for internal feature walls, repeated in the furnishings and again in the colourful panels of the rear elevation.
While this extension is based on a humble box, there is certainly nothing humble about the design of this project or the family’s ongoing enjoyment of their new home.

A group of friends commissioned perth architect stephen hoffman to design the perfect antidote to hectic city living. The result is a series of linked pavilions that meander among the treetops taking in glorious coastal views. It’s a tonic for body and soul.
AS A SITE FOR A COUNTRY RETREAT it had all the essential elements: a canopy of banksia and peppermint trees, a sweeping 270 degree view of the coast, proximity to Perth, and all the seclusion a laded city dweller could desire.
The clients, a trio of executives looking for a place to share, asked architect Stephen Hoffman for a dwelling that would sit lightly on the natural terrain and relate sensitively with the surrounding vegetation, while making the most of the north easterly views. They required separate sleeping quarters and an accommodating, flexible living space where they could socialise.
Stephen has arranged the house as a series of three separate pavilions, or “pods”, linked via elevated bridges and walkways. “These open bridges, stairs and walkways are to give the owners a chance to interact with the natural bushland, feel the breezes, and occasionally get wet!” says Stephen. “It is good for the soul, an opportunity to break from the artificial environment of the city.”
The curved driveway leads directly to the middle pavilion, comprising the garage with shared living/dining and kitchen space upstairs. Out from the living area, a curved balcony hovers out among the tree canopy and enjoys views of the coast. Off to one side, a walkway rakes one for an amble among the treetops to one of the sleeping pods - two bedrooms (one up, one down) and a store underneath. From the garage, a walkway leads to the other sleeping pod, where two bedrooms (both with sitting areas) are linked via a deck and shared bathroom.
Externally, random rubble limestone walls with timber cladding and Colorbond roofing are the perfect combination for a project that needed to be sensitively related to its environment. The construction method — a steel frame connected to limestone walls and brickwork boxes — enabled Stephen to get the best of the views, and to ensure that the tall, narrow pods were braced against windloads. Tiny windows facing west give the stone exterior an impressive fortress or lighthouse quality, while banks of sun-protected louvres to the east and north provide cross ventilation.
The views are the main visual element in each room, switching focus from distant ocean vistas to close-up bushland scenes as one moves up and down stairs through the three pavilions. Generous room dimensions, especially in the bedrooms, combine with lofty raked or curved ceilings to create a soothingly spacious mood throughout.
In the sleeping quarters the colours are subtle and neutral, the furnishings are contemporary, and accessories are minimal. Tones are bolder and earthier in the living areas, where the dramatic corrugated ceiling, vibrant feature walls and paprika scatter cushions lend a sense of fun to this shared zone.
Affectionately known as the Tree House, this secluded abode has broken away from the restrictive parameters of the suburbs. Here adventurous journeys link a series of individual spaces.

Situated below the ridge line of a massive dune on stradbroke Island, This house enjoys a rara and beautiful panorama. Architect Stephen Coffey angled the walls and fanned out the rooms to embrace the ocean, the nearby reef and moreton Island.

WITH A GRADIENT OF ONE IN FOUR and a glorious oceanfacing northeasterly aspect, the site really demanded a dwelling that would double as a lookout. And with such a dramatic incline, a raised split level double storey structure — with decks and glass doors along the entire facade — was the most effective solution.

Architect Stephen Coffey conceived the dwelling as two fan shaped towers linked together, where the front tower is embedded in the rear tower and is vertically separated from it by half a level. Stephen used the symmetrical layout to define the private and shared living zones: the sleeping quarters are in the rear tower, and the living spaces are at the front. In their brief, the clients requested the separation of these zones and the provision of demarcated living zones for themselves and adult guests, and their young children and friends. It was also important that the children’s bedrooms be close to the main bedroom.
To achieve this, Stephen used the back tower to arrange the bedrooms in a two-up two-down formation, each room with its own deck facing the ocean. For privacy the building is rotated 10 degrees towards the north, subtly but effectively obscuring the decks from the neighbours’ outlook. The bathrooms and utility spaces form a service core in the centre of the tower.
The front tower is an elevated open plan two storey structure with the children’s space below and the adults’ area above. The glazed front wall of this tower features a track system that allows the glazed doors to be stacked at the sides for maximum views and ventilation. This wall has no structural function in terms of the rigidity of the building: it simply hangs from the portal frame like a curtain. When the wall is pushed aside, the fan shaped decks on each level can be read as an integral part of the living space. On the upper level, an outdoor dining setting becomes an extension of the lounge area — and its proximity to the kitchen ensures the deck works as a convenient outdoor room.
Viewed from the street, the arrangement of towers and staggered levels creates a series of planes that help break down the visual mass of the building. The poles supporting the decks and overhangs form the vertical elements in a grid where the slightly-curved roofs and balustrades comprise the horizontal lines. The exterior colours have been selected in response to the natural surrounds — grey green and subdued blue treated timber — and a cluster of tall gums creates a leafy backdrop that further softens the visual impact of the building itself.
Internally, the wall colours and upholstery are much bolder, recalling the vibrant tones of the tropics. A special feature is the kitchen bench: formed glass on top of a layer of polished coloured glass chips embedded in a highly durable resin compound.
While the obvious point of focus here is the inspirational view, the house itself is an object that invites the gaze. Down at street level there are the converging horizontal and vertical lines of the facade to admire, while from the decks one looks back into an interior that glows with fresh, vital colours. And the clever, versatile layout of rooms — on a steep, difficult site — has ensured the house not only looks the part, but does the job it was designed to do.

The Victorian love of gadgets and bibelots coupled with a passion for all things Scottish fueled the development of tartanware. Made in Scotland, the souvenirs were decorated with Scottish plaids, or clan tartans. These charming 19th-century souvenirs–which range from snuff, boxes to thread winders–are prized by collectors in the United Kingdom and the United States. According to Sir Alasdair T. Munro, a Vermont-based collector and dealer of tartanware, aficionados are drawn to tartanware both for the delightful plaids–more than 60 patterns were used–as well as for the intriguing objects decorated with tartan.

Tartanware first appeared in the early 1800s as a decoration for wooden boxes used to hold snuff, or powdered tobacco. The Scots were particularly adept at creating boxes out of sycamore wood that would keep the snuff dry. One of the finest makers was the firm of John and James Smith, founded in 1810 in Mauchline, near Ayrshire. Over the next century, the Smith brothers came to be the dominant name in tartanware. (Tartanware falls under the umbrella name of Mauchlineware, which includes other small wooden objects decorated in different fashions.)

Like all good marketers, the Smiths wanted to make their product distinctive. Tartans, so classically Scottish, seemed the obvious choice. The first snuff boxes were ornamented with hand-painted tartan. To speed the process, the Smith brothers invented an ingenious machine of multiple inking pens that created tartan patterns on paper. The paper was glued to the wooden object. To hide the inevitable folds (or joins) in the papers, especially when they covered curves, artists would paint over the joins with gold wavy lines. The entire object was then coated with as many as 36 coats of varnish by teams of young boys. Just as the habit of taking snuff began to die out, Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, turned Scotland into a popular English holiday destination. In 1850, the couple bought Balmoral Castle and transformed tartans into a fashion statement. Where the royals led, the rest of English society followed.

The Smiths and other firms responded by making tartanware souvenirs for vacationers to bring home. Tartanware branched out to include clever sewing items–spool holders, needle cases, thimble boxes, and thread winders. "Go-to-beds"–match safes that would hold a single match to light the way to bed–also were common.

Many collectors seek out categories such as sewing objects, books, and games. Others search for particular shapes, such as whiskey bottles or eggs; some amass articles related to an activity such as writing, and search for blotters, pens, pen trays, and inkwells. Yet others collect specific tartans, a task made easier by makers who labeled the tartan name on each object. "Many people make a special effort to look for their family tartan," explains Alasdair Munro. Twenty percent of all Americans have Scottish ancestry. Although tartanware objects are generally small and only cost a few shillings when sold in the 1800s, they are no longer inexpensive.

Prices are determined by rarity as well as condition. Some objects are especially unusual, as are some tartans. Napkin rings are probably the most readily found. Patricia Funt, owner of Patricia Funt Antiques in New Canaan, Connecticut, sells tartanware napkin rings for $75; 10 years ago she sold them for $30. "There’s not much tartanware for under $100," she says.

"Needle cases and thimble holders– the next most common tartanware articles–cost between $200 and $400," says Munro. The most unusual tartanware objects claim prices in the thousands of dollars. Funt has a tartanware box filled with many smaller snuff boxes, each covered in a different tartan. "That would cost around $5,000," she says.

With prices like these, fakes are inevitable. True tartanware is hardy and well made. If you detect folds in the tartan paper over the object, it is probably not genuine tartanware. Many fakes are not finished with gold wavy lines. Look also for the toughness and patina that comes from countless coats of varnish.

"Most pieces were so well made and so well finished with varnish, they look new," says Munro. He once found a small, rectangular box with a hinged lid that had 116 tartan game counters (poker chips). "They had been used so much that it took me all day to clean off the finger grease," he recalls. "But not one of them was chipped."

There is no way of knowing the limit and kinds of the tartanware made. A devastating fire in 1933 destroyed the Smiths’ factory and all their records. "With most areas of collecting, there are documents that show exactly how many pieces were made and the different types," says Munro. "Not with tartan. No one knows how much is out there and what it all looks like." For many collectors, it’s a mystery worth pursuing.

Reference books about tartanware include: Tunbridge and Scottish Souvenir Woodware by Edward H. Pinto; London: G. Bell & Sons, 1970; and a softcover publication, Mauchline Ware by John Baker, Princess Risborough, England: Shire Publications, 1985. Both are out-of-print, but copies may be sought through art or hard-to-find book dealers, or through Internet bookfinders such as amazon.com, or alibris.com.

If a Colonial potter walked into my shop, the only substantive differences he’d find would be electricity and the wage scale," says Joel Huntley, co-founder of Wisconsin Pottery, a Columbus, Wisconsin-based studio that produces traditional, aged redware inspired by 17th- and 18th-century designs. "The materials, hand tools, and decorative techniques have pretty much remained unchanged for the past 200 years or so.

For the past 16 years, Joel, and his wife, Debra, have been making and marketing traditional earthenware plates, bowls, and jugs-former staples of Colonial kitchens and taverns. "Redware was basically the crockery of the common man," he says, explaining that the durable glazed pottery derives its name from the reddish hue produced by the mineral-rich clay after it has been fired. "It was the stuff they used every day. The red iron oxide in the clay gives it its distinctive Color." Originally intended for everything from storing spices to serving food, the utilitarian pieces often were decorated with designs in black or yellow slip–a creamy blend of clay and water that was applied before firing.

Joel’s appreciation for the humble earthenware began in 1975, when he enrolled at the Chicago Art Institute to study pottery and art history. After two years, he headed for England and was offered an apprenticeship in a small country pottery that produced simple domestic crockery. "I started out throwing small pots and doing all the grunt jobs, for roughly $80 dollars a week," he says. "But I was finally a potter and working with my hands."

Two years later, he returned to the Chicago area and married Debra, a drama teacher, who encouraged him to pursue his calling full time. Shortly afterward, the couple moved to Wisconsin where Joel worked as a housepainter but continued to throw pots "when I wasn’t painting, mostly at night in a garage," he recalls. The couple launched Wisconsin Pottery in 1984, after learning that an abandoned elementary school located eight miles out of town was for rent. "Like most artisans, I always dreamed of having my own business," he says.

While Debra managed the business and juggled a full-time teaching career, Joel threw pots–primarily simple slip plates and trays and traditional blue-and-gray salt-glazed stoneware. When the market for the salt-glazed pottery "went sour" in the mid-1990s, he expanded the line to include fancy slip-decorated wares and elaborate sgraffito, or "scratched," designs. Inspired by the works of David Spinner (1758-1811), a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, potter renowned for his elaborately decorated and inscribed wares, Joel began experimenting with traditional Pennsylvania German motifs–mounted horsemen, leaping stags, and fruit and flower designs. "I studied photographs and museum pieces, then basically added my two cents worth," he says.

Two potters work full-time with Joel, producing an extensive selection of lead-free, slip-decorated wares as well as signature sgraffito pieces. "Each piece is unique," he says, noting that all pots are dated, stamped, and signed, so as not to confuse them with actual antique redware. "No two pieces are ever identical. We’re a studio, not a factory."

Take a break from winter’s chill: this month’s 110-mile Historic Highways route runs from north to south along Florida’s east coast. We begin in the resort community of Palm Beach, then visit Delray Beach, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale, once a haven for college students on spring break, and now a yachting center. We continue to Miami Beach, Miami, Key Biscayne, and end in Coral Gables. Dubbed the "Gold Coast," this region was established as a winter playground in the 1920s. Today, the Florida cities attract sun-worshippers from all over the world, as well as those drawn to the vibrant cultural life and restored historical areas. Southern Florida offers the active traveler abundant white sand beaches and water sports, golf, tennis, and natural habitats for bird-watching and canoeing.

PALM BEACH

Palm Beach was named for its palm trees, planted in 1878 when a Spanish cargo ship carrying them ran aground on the beach. The American architect Addison Mizner arrived in 1918. He designed many of the Spanish-Moorish homes along Ocean Boulevard, including Mar-A-Lago, built in 1923 for cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. The Norton Museum of Art has extensive holdings of European, American, and Chinese pieces. Take Route 1 south 18 miles to Delray Beach.

The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, (561) 655-2833. The Norton Museum of Art, (561) 832-5196. The Breakers, (561) 655-6611.

DELRAY BEACH

Settlers from Michigan and Japan established Defray Beach in the 1920s. George Morikami, a farmer and one of the earliest settlers, acquired 200 acres of land that he willed to the county to create the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. It includes a theater, galleries, tea house, nature trail, and bonsai garden. Military miniatures covering two thousand years of history are on view at the Cornell Museum of Art and History. The dates for the Delray Beach Community Center Antiques show are February 13 and 14. Continue on Route 1 south eight miles to Boca Raton.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, (561) 495-0233. Cornell Museum of Art and History, (561) 243-7922. Antique Show and Sale, (561) 243-2233.

BOCA RATON

Legend has it that this inlet of jagged rocks was named "mouth of the rat" by Spanish pirates. In 1925, Addison Mizner designed the city plan for Boca Raton. Two of his surviving 1920s buildings are the lavish pink Boca Raton Resort Hotel and Club and the city’s administration building. Historic houses open to the public include the 1920 Old Schoolhouse, the 1937 Pioneer House, and the 1923 Historic Butler House, built from plans from Woman’s Home Companion magazine. Visit the International Museum of Cartoon Art, started by Mort Walker, the creator of Beetle Bailey. The Old Floresta Historic District along Cardinal Avenue has many small Spanish Colonial-style homes. Spanish River Park and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center are two places to take in native plants and birds. Take Route 1 south 20 miles to Fort Lauderdale.

Boca Raton Resort Hotel and Club, (800) 327-0101. Old Schoolhouse and Pioneer House, (305) 427-1050. Historic Butler House, (305) 429-0378. International Museum of Cartoon Art, (561) 391-2200. Spanish River Park, (561) 393-7815. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, (561) 338-1473.

FORT LAUDERDALE

Named for several forts that protected settlers from Seminole attacks, Fort Lauderdale became a south Florida resort town in the 1920s. The Museum of Art features North and South American art and Dutch and Flemish paintings. The 1920 Bonnet House is the 35-acre estate of painter and art collector Frederick Clay Bartlett, whose furnishings, studio, and tropical plants are on view. The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society Museum has collections of local artifacts, Seminole and Colonial settlers’ clothing, toys, and a scale model of a fort. Stranahan House, built for trader Frank Stranahan in 1901, is a good example of Florida frontier design. The 1907 King-Cromartie House, a replica of an 1899 schoolhouse, and a Discovery museum complex are all housed in the 1905 New River Inn. Hugh Taylor Birch State Recreation Area is home to such endangered species as the gopher tortoise and golden leather fern. The Riverside Hotel, the oldest in Fort Lauderdale, has large guest rooms with Jacobean-style oak furnishings. Cont inue on Route 1 south to 195 east, about 30 miles to Miami Beach.

Museum of Art, (954) 525-5500. Bonnet House, (954) 563-5393. Fort Lauderdale Historical Society Museum, (954) 463-4431. Stranahan House, (954) 524-4736. King–Cromartie House, (954) 462-4116. Hugh Taylor Birch State Recreation Area, (954) 564-4521. Riverside Hotel, (954) 467-0671.

MIAMI BEACH

In 1920, 1,600 acres of mangrove swamp east of Miami were drained and developed into Miami Beach. During the 1980s, more than 800 pastel-hued structures in the Art Deco district, in the heart of South Beach, were restored and renovated, revitalizing the city. Today, the area boasts art galleries, clubs, and restaurants, along with the Miami City Ballet and the New World Symphony at the Lincoln Theater. The Wolfsonian–FLU Foundation Gallery offers rotating exhibits of American and European art produced between 1885 and 1945. The Holocaust Memorial has five main areas of sculptures and captioned photographs. Simply named The Hotel, a recently restored 1939 structure with 52 rooms, has been decorated by fashion designer Todd Oldbam with inlaid terrazzo floors, lush fabrics, and playful lighting fixtures. Adventurous divers might try the underwater Wreck Trek site in north Miami Beach, with two shipwrecks, the Patricia and Miss Karline.

Continue on Route AlA to 41 to 95 south about seven miles to Miami.

Miami City Ballet, (305) 532-7713. New World Symphony, (305) 673-3331. Wolfsonian-FIU Foundation Gallery, (305) 531-1001. The Holocaust Memorial, (305) 538-1663. The Hotel, (305) 531-2222.

MIAMI

Miami was incorporated in 1896. Today, the city is a melting pot of cultures with ethnically mixed neighborhoods such as Lithe Havana, Little Haiti, and Coconut Grove. The Art Deco Historic District runs from Ocean Drive to Lenox Avenue in nearby Miami Beach. Rare antiquities and decorative arts are on view in more than 70 rooms at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The Historical Museum of Southern Florida, in the Metro-Dade Cultural Center, interprets 10,000 years of Florida’s history from prehistoric Indian artifacts to 1830s Audubon prints. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum collections include Henry Flagler’s locomotive, a circa 1950 California Zephyr, and a Pullman car. In a 1930 Art Deco building, the Bass Museum of Art exhibits European paintings, and sculpture and decorative arts. From March 3 to 12, Miami celebrates Carnaval in Little Havana with food, concerts, and dancing events. Take Route 95 south to Route 913 southeast ten miles to Key Biscayne.

Vizeaya Museuni and Gardens, (305) 579-2813. Historical Museum of Southern Florida, (305) 375-1492. Gold Coast Railroad Museum, (305) 253-0063. Bass Museum of Art, (305) 673-7530. Carnaval Miami, (305) 644-8888.

KEY BISCAYNE

Linked by the William Powell Bridge, Key Biscayne and Virginia Key are two islands where visitors can catch a great view of downtown Miami. The area is popular with bikers, skaters, and watersports enthusiasts. The Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area offers 494 acres to explore. Visitors may climb to the top of the 1845 brick Cape Florida Lighthouse. The 37-acre Miami Seaquarium is home to many rescued manatees, sharks, and sea lions. On the ocean, the Sonesta Beach Resort Key Biscayne offers 300 rooms. Backtrack about eight miles on Route 913 to Route 1 south to Coral Gables, a total of about 13 miles.

The Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area, (305) 361-5811. Miami Seaquarium, (305) 361-5705. Sonesta Beach Resort Key Biscayne, (305) 365-2340.

CORAL GABLES

Similar to Palm Beach and Boca Raton, Coral Gables is a planned community of residential and commercial buildings with a Mediterranean flavor. George Merrick established the city from his 3,000 acres of citrus and avocado groves. His boyhood home, Coral Gables Merrick House and Gardens, is open and has been restored with family furnishings and artwork. The Lowe Art Museum displays antiquities and European and American sculpture. Don’t miss the Venetian Pool, a large rock quarry turned into a springfed swimming pool, where Johnny Weismuller and Esther Williams both swam. The Fairchild Tropical Garden is an 83-acre botanical garden with a conservatory, rainforest, and sunken garden. Built in 1926, the historic 279-room Biltmore Hotel is a great place to end a Florida journey.

Coral Gables Merrick House and Gardens, (305) 460-5361. The Lowe Art Museum, (305) 284-3603. Venetian Pool, (305) 460-5356. City Hall, (305) 446-6800. The Fairchild Tropical Garden, (305) 667-1651. Biltmore Hotel, (800) 727-1926.

Soften your Crew of the world with a simple stenciled design that is sprayed directly on a window. With a little white latex spray paint, you’ll have the look of etched glass at a fraction of the cost. The stencil gives you a bit more privacy, but still lets in the light.

Choose a precut stencil pattern that fits your window, or cut apart a stencil and reconfigure it to fit. You can also design and cut your own from Mylar plastic, found at crafts stores. Select a simple motif from your wallpaper, and trace and cut it from the plastic. If the stencil will run both vertically and horizontally, make sure the design works in both directions.

First, trim sides of plastic, if needed, so it fits within the window’s frame. Work out the design so it is centered on the window. Mark the beginning and ending points of each placement with tape. You may have to adjust spacing between repeats or use only a partial design at the ends.

Spray the underside of stencil with stencil adhesive. Press to inside of window. Tape edges with painter’s tape to catch straying paint. Spray latex paint over stencil using long, even strokes. Several light passes give a more even coat and avoid runs and drips. Let dry slightly, reposition stencil and repeat the process. When dry, clean up shaggy spots with a razor blade.

Your painted stencil will last several months if protected from scratches. To remove or change design, scrape away paint with a razor blade.

A basic lamp goes one shade better with the help of sponge-painting and wire ribbon. A self-adhesive shade and wire-edge ribbon are the keys to this easy project. Paper shades work best since fabric may fray at the cut lines. Choose ribbon that’s in proportion to the lampshade. We used 1-inch-wide ribbon for a shade that’s 9 inches tall. A 1-to-9 ratio is a good guideline.

Materials: self-adhesive shades (available at fabric and crafts stores) or paper shades, which will allow paint to adhere; rice paper to fit the adhesive shade; tacky crafts glue; wire-edge ribbon to fit the bottom of the shade plus 1 yard; acrylic paints to match the ribbon; natural sea sponge (available at crafts and paint stores); paper clips; crafts knife.

Instructions: Following the manufacturer’s directions for the adhesive shade, cut the rice paper to fit the lampshade pattern, then apply it to the lampshade. Sponge-paint the shade with one or more colors. Make sure the painting is even by turning the lamp on. However, do not work with lamp plugged in or turned on.

Measure the circumference of the bottom of the shade and find the halfway point opposite the back seam. Divide the space between the seam and halfway point into increments spaced 2 to 3 inches apart. Mark these increments with paper clips. Measure the width of your ribbon. At the point opposite the back seam and 1 inch up from the bottom edge, cut a vertical slit that measures 1/8 inch longer than the width of the ribbon. Cut parallel slits 1/4 inch from either side of the first slit. Continue around the shade, cutting two vertical slits at each paper clip.

Starting at the set of three slits, push the ribbon into the center slit, back out the next slit, and continue weaving it around the shade. Pull the end back out of the original slit. Tie the two ends in a bow and trim.

* Space-saving techniques, not visual tricks, make the most of the cottage s small rooms. By designing an efficient wall-to-wall desk and storage unit (left, Jeffrey carved a work area out of one corner of the living room. Storage cubbies fitted with wicker baskets stow everything from file folders to fabric swatches. Fabric-covered corkboards keep memos and design inspiration at eye level.

* Liberal doses of white keep the doses color scheme from becoming overwhelming. Painting formerly dark woodwork white provides crisp contrast provides unifying line from room to room (below). Upholstering larger furniture in white denim also quiets the scheme so that pattern can doses in pillows and accessories. The same while denim, this time with a richly handed top, drapes a doorway.

* With so little space to decorate, Jeffrey could indulge in the details. A folding screen (above) upholstered in a striped fabric creates a dramatic focal point without consuming much floor space. It also can be used for privacy. Some pillow fabrics were dyed with tea to give them a faded appearance. Furnishings–including wicker and painted pieces-are both antique and "aged" with point.

* If you spend much of your time in the kitchen, why not put the stereo there? This Craftsman-style base cabinet (below) also serves as a media center. Jeffrey painted it white and replaced wood panels in doors with glass to make the piece appear less bulky. Checked fabric behind the glass hides stereo equipment and enhances the cottagey look. Another option? Use fabric without the glass. Then you can tuck speakers behind closed doors.

* A full-size dining table would have swamped the small breakfast nook. But this 1940s bamboo table above) is a good fit, and it gives the nook the Feel of a real dining room. "Irs probably actually a buffet table," Jeffrey explains. "But its narrow dimensions work perfectly here." Other space-saving dining solutions might include a drop-leaf or console table, anything with a glass top (it consumes less visual space), even folding cafe or wooden chairs.

* In the bedroom (right),, an upholstered headboard and matching pillows create a focal point but also are practical for reading in bed. The antique cover;et, with its Scottish thistle embroidered design, belonged to Jeffrey’s grandmother. On o bamboo side table are pieces of Mouchlinware, antique wooden boxes commemorating towns or castles. Jeffrey collected the souvenirs while traveling in Scotland. Simple cotton Roman shades (below) are left unlined to filter-but not block-the sunlight.

* To hide the kitchen s 25year-old slider windows, Jeffrey designed simple sheer curtains, banded with a contrasting floral fabric and strung on tension wire inset into the window frame (right. Metal grommets and marine hardware give the treatment a nautical look.

* Pointed effects add "ago" to newly pointed walls. In the study (, Jeffrey mixed oil- and water-based paint then brushed it onto the wall in uninterrupted top-to-bottom strokes to create a streaked look. In the bedroom (page 180), brushing on o "milk wash’ of watered-down white paint over a base color gives the walls a hazy effect. In addition to "aging" the surfaces, the techniques also help to tone down strong color.

* A simple while denim slipcover gets the star treatment with the help of contrast welling and an applique (b By stitching the applique on loosely, it can be removed easily before the slipcover is cleaned. Jeffrey uses remnants of more expensive fabrics judiciously on small throw pillows.

* Skirting the area under the kitchen sink hides ugly plumbing and creates co softness Ir/gh. Jeffrey used the same star appliques as the slipcover, this time in yellow, to embellish the bottom of the skirt. To make the floors checkerboard pattern, use a yardstick or template to mark off the squares. Then mask off each color with painter’s tape. Although a small roller is the quickest way to apply the paint evenly, Jeffrey used a brush and thinned oil paint to get this streaked effect.

Everyone knows that at the beach normal rules don’t apply. Especially when it comes to decorating. For this jewel-box beach cottage in Del Mar, California, interior designer Jeffrey Alan Marks happily brokeor at least bent-many of the rules, opting for high style without sacrificing fun or function. Want to make waves of your own? Read on.

A dreary color scheme clearly dated the 1925 cottage’s last redecorating when Jeffrey Marks took it over from his parents several years ago. "Everything was dark and much of it was faced in redwood with ’70s earth-tone touches," he says. He envisioned a breezy update with a lively attitude, a place where he and associate Robin Eisman could meet with clients or relax with friends. "I wanted it to look like an old ’40s beach towel," he says, "faded yet colorful."

The first law to go was Rule No. 1: Paint the walls white to make small rooms look bigger Jeffrey picked a warmer palette of saturated colors that energize and envelop rather than expand the pint-size spaces. While sacrificing a greater sense of spaciousness, he gained intimacy and a bit of drama. He even played up the house’s inherent coziness by making each room a different color, thereby breaking Rule No. 2: Stick to a single wall color to create visual flow.

Rule No. 3: Small rooms shouldn’t wear big checks. In the kitchen and dining nook, a 1970s-era remodel had left its curse in the form of really bad linoleum. Rather than replace it, Jeffrey painted right over it with a bold checkerboard design, turning the squares on the bias so the pattern actually makes the room look larger. He found that concrete paint-the kind used on garage floors-adhered best to the old flooring. The oil-based paint was thinned with mineral spirits so it would streak when applied. A coat of clear polyurethane makes the surface durable. On the kitchen walls, bright yellow paint gives the room a sunny disposition, even on cloudy days.

The house has a humble history: Formerly the manager’s quarters for a nearby hotel, the 900-square-foot cottage is smaller "than most of my clients’ entry halls," Jeffrey says. But he’s learned one important rule worth keeping: It’s not how much room you have but what you do with it. "Even though the house is small, all my friends gravitate here," he says. "It’s a very happy house."