Being bitten by the antiquing bug means bringing things home, one by one, year after year. You need moderation, an eye for mixing, and a knack for display to keep a home’s accumulation from looking like an overstuffed antiques shop. Patty and Bob Laufer have pulled it off. Though they’ve spent years of weekends and vacations rooting out country collectibles, they show off their much-loved quilts and other finds with restraint. "I’m very turned off by too much," says Patty, who avoids abundant displays of any one type. "I want my house to look like a house, not a museum." Enter the Laufers’ clapboardstyle home and learn to weave together a tasteful display-one thing at a time. atty, an educational consultant, and Bob, a lawyer, bought their quirky home nine years ago. Like the Laufers’ style, the home’s structure is a delightful patchwork of individual pieces. It began as two 19th century barns on separate plots of land in Connecticut’s Fairfield County. In the 1930s, the barns were moved together and joined.

Bright sunlight floods through high windows in the barn’s former loft space, now used as the main living and dining room (right). In this great-room, cathedral ceilings and white walls provide an airy backdrop. When combined with subdued furniture, the background nudges colorful collectibles to center stage. To bring the spacious room into human scale, tall display shelves build a bridge between the high ceiling and the furnishings. At the sofa’s shoulder, a triple quilt stand makes the sitting area feel cozier.

The Laufers are down-to-earth collectors, which means they buy only what they love and know they will use. Textiles are a particular passion. And though this is a collectible that is often tucked away, even antique quilts and rugs see the light of day in the Laufer home.

On the dining side of the great-room, a hutch (left) with a true opendoor policy displays folded quilts. Elsewhere, says-Patty, "I have them hung, laid on beds, folded in cabinets, and I change them around a lot." For protection, the quilts are positioned away from direct sunlight. Patty also periodically refolds them so they don’t develop permanent fold marks.

The Laufers’ pieceby-piece home (above has topfloor bedrooms, a living space at ground level, a kitchen in the walkout basement, and o great location on Ihe Stuck River (top) Treasured photographs (left) of the original barns sho how they made their evolutionary journey to their present site.

Graphic quills and homey rugs help ground a tickingstripe sofa, a newly made wicker chair, and a Windsor-style chair. The classic, clean-lined furniture sets a simple stage where the real stars are whimsical folk art, baskets, and books.

Extra quilts are folded and stacked for display in hutches and on open

shelving. Patty pulls out seasonal quilts at Christmas or during summer and throws them over beds, the sofa, and even the dining table when it’s not in use.

Old rugs join the artful quilts to create a soft and colorful decorating basis for each room. To avoid visual clutter caused by too much pattern, large rugs, such as the one that anchors the dining table (right), are chosen for their simplicity and neutral color. Bright color is left to smaller rugs, which can be found scattered patchwork style on the floor or hung on the walls. Patty looks for clean wool rugs with intact or nicely bound edges. She’ll occasionally buy a flawed rug and have it fixed if the price is right. For care, she merely airs and sweeps them.

For a quiet scheme in the guest bedroom, Patty shows off only blue-and-white quilts, layering different textures on the same bed for interest. During forays to flea markets and antiques shows, the Laufers look for softly timeworn pastel-color quilts from the 1920s and ’30s that still have a lot of body. "A little rip or stain doesn’t bother me," says Patty, who pays an average of $250 for her finds, "as long as the quilt is in good condition and can be mended or folded to protect the flaw." Even when quilts around the house become worn from use, their patterns live on. Patty has the unblemished sections sewn into throw pillows, such as the pillows on the guest bed (left).

In the great-room’s dining area, mix-andmatch chairs surround an old pine drop-leaf table. The two chairs with "pillow-back" top rails (see the head of the table) are Hitchcock chairs. Other chairs are pointed black to mix in.

One challenge she faces is accommodating her changing tastes. When she first started collecting, Patty zeroed in on primary-color quilts. Instead of getting rid of the bolder quilts, she simply rotates them onto display shelves, reserving her now-preferred soft pastels for the living areas.

As the Laufers’ house and tastes evolve, the collecting continues but never overwhelms. "I have lots of focal points," says Patty. With their things always on the move, the Laufers’ patchwork style resists appearing staged and offers a fresh view wherever you look.

Caring for Quilts

Quilts are key to the Laufers’ style. These cleaning tips will extend the life and beauty of your fabric finds.

An intriguing passageway leads from one former barn into what is now the guest bedroom of the other. When the barns were joined, most of Ihe original rustic plank doors were kept. Some were stripped and refinished; others were painted.

Pieces of dishware are within easy reach, especially in the breakfast room (above) and the kitchen. A treasured collection of ironstone-a white semipporcelain-is used daily.

The Laufers’ approachable philosophy means leaving cupboard doors wide open or off (left) to display their things.

Remove dust from quilts by gently shaking them or dusting them with a vacuum set on light suction. For extra protection, put a nylon stocking over the attachment.

Launder only when absolutely necessary. For most cotton quilts made after 1910, clean in a washing machine set on the gentle cycle using a mild detergent and tepid water. Rinse the quilt a few times.

Handwash older cotton and linen quilts. To wash, place the quilt in 3 to 4 inches of tepid water in a clean bathtub. Use a mild cold-water detergent, a mild dishwashing detergent, or a laundry product formulated for quilts. Gently knead the quilt in water for a few minutes, being careful not to pull or wring it Rinse until the water runs clear.

Dry wet quilts by laying them flat on the floor or outside (wrong side up) on clean mattress pads or towels. A wet quilt is very heavy, so don’t hang it or lift it in a way that puts stress on the fabric or stitching.

Professionally clean antique quilts at cleaners that specialize in them. However, a valuable quilt that is in poor condition should not be cleaned at all.

Custom crown moldings were added to the cabinetry to create a formal look. A pair of storage towers (left) flanks the toiler and is bridged by a large cabinet and an open display shelf.

Them’s room for everyone when The grandchildren and their parents visit. Kids get a vanity all to themseves while slill being able to keep an eye on the adults.

Hinged doors would have been clumsy in this cad bath, so pocket doors were used instead.

If you like the idea behind Jack-and-Jill bath layouts but can’t quite figure out how you’ll make one work in your home, take a look at these floor plans. You may be able to modify one of them to fit your needs.

Elbow

When a bathroom needs to fit in a corner or has to bend around a closet tl, an elbow plan will often work best. The jog in the elbow configuration can also be used to skirt low ceilings when you’re building a Jack-and-Jill bath in a second story and want to avoid the dead space under the eave (right.

Rectangular

Rectangular layouts are ideal for installing Jack-and-Jill baths in a small space. Use these layouts when you want to put a bathroom between two bedrooms located on the some side of a hallway (left, or when you have a pair of bedrooms in a lofted space, such as a half story or finished attic (right).

Square

Square Jack-and-Jill configurations are particularly versatile. They can be built in corners like elbow plans (left), or between two bedrooms (right). Square plans often offer a little more space, so it’s easier to add a separate tub and shower, or a separate compartment for the toilet.

Wipe away those nothing-to-do blues. Display boards and drawing areas give kids’ rooms big style while encouraging little ones to be creative. But don’t stop there-even adult spaces will benefit from these great-looking, hardworking hangings.

To miter he corners, fold the felt corner point in toward the board. Staple it in place along the edges of the board, then trim away the point (top). Fold down the "ears" thaat remain and staple them in place to finish the miter (middle). Hot-glue buttons and bows to the corners of each felt board to cover the anchors that attach the board to the wall (bottom).

Heartfelt Play

Cheery felt-covered boards hung at toddler-height (above) sport oversized letters, numbers, and shapes. The fun felt cutouts beg little ones to put together a word or two. There’s nothing magical here. Friction holds the shapes to the board, just like it did in kindergarten class.

Begin with three 24×36-inch pieces of homasote board (available at home improvement stores). Then cut three 30×42-inch pieces of felt, using different colors for variety.

Center the board on the felt. Wrap the felt to the back and staple at the center of each side. Make sure the felt is even and tight. Continue stapling, working to within 6 inches of the corners. Miter the corners as instructed in the caption (left). Fasten the boards to the wall with wall anchors. Cut letters, numbers, and shapes from contrasting felt using stencils or computergenerated figures for patterns.

Draw on Creativity

It’s a childhood dream come truedraw on the walls with mom’s permission. Create this easy-clean border, or make a wall-size canvas for kids who do art in a big way. The key is to use a paint that is guaranteed washable with just a soft cloth and mild household cleaner.

To assemble a ledge (right), use 3/4-inch-wide cove molding, 3-inch-wide fluted molding, and 2-inchwide crown molding. Nail the cove to the wall along the border’s bottom edge. Nail the fluted molding to the cove molding. To install the crown, put wood glue along its upper edge. Hold piece in place and nail through pre-drilled pilot holes in the crown so nails go through the cove molding and into the wall.

Using a hard-lead pencil, level, and yardstick, mark a 12-inch-wide border at a comfortable height for your child. Tape off the border with painter’s tape. Paint the border with two or more coats of the washable paint following the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure to let the paint cure at least two days before drawing on it or the markings will not erase. Remove the tape.

Cut strips of molding to fit the wall width, then paint the molding. The top of the painted border is edged with 3/4-inch-wide triple-bead molding. Nail in place. The bottom of the border is edged with a ledge made from cove, crown, and fluted moldings. Assemble the ledge as instructed in the caption (below). Fill nail holes, and touch up the paint.

Kids’ original artworks made with water-based markers can be cleaned with baby wipes.

Put a Cork on It

Ringing a room with corkboards is a perfect way to show off a student’s favorite things. Making this colorful border (above) is easy when you use pre-routed picture-frame molding, 12-inch-square corkboards, and a little paint (all available at home improvement stores). Buy the thickest corkboards you can; our cork measures 3/8 inch thick, so pushpins hold securely in place.

Cut strips of 1 2-inch-wide picture-frame molding to fit the wall width. Paint the molding and corkboards with two or more coats of latex paint. Paint both sides of the cork to prevent warping.

Using a hard-lead pencil, yardstick, and level, mark the bottom of the border at a comfortable height for your child (ours starts at 30 inches high). Nail the bottom molding to the wall along this line so the routed edge faces up to hold the corkboards. Set the cork in place on the molding. Nail the top molding in place with the routed edge facing down. If necessary, use additional nails or double-face tape to hold the cork in place while installing the top molding. Fill the nail holes with wood filler, and touch up the paint.

All-Points Bulletin

Let a series of framed bulletin boards play host to a teen’s treasures. Cork sheeting from a home improvement center or office supply store lets these boards reach giant proportions without subjecting the walls underneath to holes and mars.

Picture-frame molding that is pre-routed to hold glass can also hold corkboards. You simply set the cork in the lip of the molding pieces instead of adhering it to the walls, so your surfaces are saved from major damage.

Cork sheeting comes on a roll in a 24-inch standard width. Cut sheeting to desired length, then cut foam-core board to match. (Our sheeting measures 24×40 inches.) Use the thickest cork you can buy so that pushpins go all the way in; our cork is Sz inch thick. Bond cork sheeting to foam-core boards (available at crafts and art stores) using nonflammable contact cement (available at home improvement stores). Paint the front side of the cork sheeting with two coats of latex paint.

To make the frames, cut prerouted, 2-inch-wide picture-frame molding to fit around the cork, mitering the corners. Secure the mitered corners with wood glue, then clamp with corner clamps. Nail with brads from the outside (two per corner). Paint the frames. Assemble the bulletin board as instructed in the caption (below). Oh

The precut lip of pie frame molding holds cork sheeting and foam-core board in p-ace lt. Lay the bonded cork and f,-come board inside the from.. Cut cardboard The precut lip of picture frame molding holds cork sheeting and foam-core board in place (left). Lay the bonded cork and foam-core board inside the frame. Cut cardboard slightly larger than the foam-core size. Lay it over the foam-core and staple to the back of the frame.

Mount two sawtooth picture hangers on the frame. Use a level to hang frames evenly.

As an alternative, use ready-made frames. Just cut cork and foam-core to fit. Make sure the cork and foam-core layers are thick enough to lay flush with the back of the frame.

Like the best new cooking, the freshest decorating this season blends a variety of tastes and cultural influences-some exotic, some comfortably familiar. We’ve picked four distinctive looks and broken them down into simple design "recipes." Find one that suits your palate, or sample from a variety of styles-and stylish details-to create your own decorating menu.

Comfort Food

Casual decorating should be soothing to the body and soul. But too often it’s like a bland meat-and-potatoes meal, satisfying our hunger for comfort and function but leaving us craving style. The best new casual looks combine down-home ease with big-city sophistication. Here are the key ingredients:

Wicker adds ease to any room. But for a less porchy appearance, look for pieces that mimic upholsery shapes. The "club chairS (right) echoes sleek designs from the 1920s and 1930s.

Softly tailored upholstery. Some of the sloppy slipcovers of years past were as flattering as baggy sweat suits. Current upholstery styles borrow elements from our weekend wardrobe-brushed denims, bomber-jacket leathers, fuzzy chenillesbut give furniture a tucked-in, casual-Friday polish.

Mixed media. Now that consumers are more comfortable blending furniture styles and finishes within a room, manufacturers are mixing it up on a single piece. The armoire and end table (right) pair cherry and pine woods; the round table and coffee table blend wood and leather with metal. Clutter control. Put overstuffed rooms on a diet with clever storage pieces, such as the luggage-style coffee table and six-drawer end table (right).

Caribbean Salsa

If you’ve tangoed down the produce aisle lately, you’ve probably noticed the tropical influence. Mango, papaya, kiwi, plantain-the colors are straight off a Carmen Miranda costume. The same vivid palette is influencing home furnishings, with hues ranging from citrusy Euro-brights to pumpedup pastels. You decide how spicy to make it But here are some tips to keep in mind:

Start small. Unless you want to live in a state of constant visual stimulation, slip in small amounts of color by focusing on accents, such as pillows, artwork, and rugs. Keep the color quieter on larger spaces, such as the walls and big upholstery.

Take your room’s temperature. A cool combination of blues, greens, and violets (left) can give a space a calm, restful feeling; oranges, yellow$, and reds raise the energy level considerably.

White’s always right. Large doses of white (like the sofa, left) give the eye a place to rest and provide contrast, making bright colors appear crisper.

Catch of the Day

Fax machines, car pools, call waiting. It’s no wonder we’re having a collective escape fantasy. Even if you can’t run off to your own deserted island, you can bring that no-worry attitude home with you. The essential ingredients include furnishings and fabrics with a breezy, sunblushed quality-the kind of stuff you’d expect to see at a beachy inn. Here’s how to pull it together:

Travel light. Don’t burden your rooms with excess baggage. Bring only the essentials on this decorating getaway: a cozy bed, an armoire or chest to stow clothing and clutter, a convenient bedside table to hold personal treasures, and a pile of books. Wear it down. Look for furniture-old or newwith an aged appearance. Whitewashed wood, even obvious brush strokes on painted pieces, make a room look assembled over time.

Loosen up. Banish stiff "wallflower" arrangements by easing furniture away from the walls or placing it on the diagonal, such as-the-armoire (right). What have you got to lose? You can always move it back later.

Far East Fusion

Check out the latest restaurant listings. Chances are you’ll find a few that mix Asian-style cooking with something else, say, Cuban or Tex-Mex. The same thing is happening in home decor, largely in response to our desire for simplicity and serenity in our homes. In the dining room (right), blue-and-white porcelain, a stenciled fretwork border, and a sisal rug give French-influenced furniture an Eastern accent

Here are some ideas for updating tradition with a touch of the Far East:

Not ready for a full-sie color commitment For a quick, inexpensive fix, pile citrus fruits in a glass bowl or pick a bunch of colorful gerbera daisies .

Sheer curtains are another way to create a light-and-breezy look. To give panels substance and to tie them in with your decor, buy an extra twin sheet and use it to band the bottoms of curtains.

Simplify. Highlight one or two collections instead of many; display only what is meaningful and beautiful. Keep patterns to a minimum as well.

Go natural. Think of the surfaces and textures found in a Japanese garden-bamboo, stone, wood, straw-and try to weave these into your decor.

Be serene. A cluster of flickering candles or a fresh orchid floating in a bowl of water can bring a sense of harmony and calm to a room.

Side Dishes

You don’t have to redo a whole room to bring some fresh ideas into your decorating. Here are a few of the details that give the four looks on the previous pages their special appeal. Try adapting any of these ideas to create your own personal style.

Clean lines and minimal ornamentation give the French-style dining chair (below leff a Zen-like grace. Order is evident even in the simple tea setting (below right).

An old postcard wedged between layers of glass is both modem and nostalgic. Buy readymade frames with glass backing. Or, adapt existing frames by replacing the solid backing with a second piece of glass.

Shutters are essential to beach-house style. To get the look without redoing your windows, hinge together odd-sized shutters to make a folding screen. These came prepainted. To instantly "weather" them, sand off the paint in spots.

Painting a piece of flea-market or unfinished furniture is a relatively inexpensive way to give a room a bold shot of color. Pull the color scheme from your room’s fabrics. And don’t be shy. You can always repaint it later.

A sisal rug’s absorbent surface is perfect for stenciling. Use readymade stencils or make your own by tracing and enlarging designs in art and decorating books. This pattem was inspired by Chinese fretwork.

It doesn’t take a year’s budget to refresh your home with the changing seasons. Reversible designs in coordinated fabrics provide at least two distinct looks-at one basic price.

With one side covered in a warm hue (peach) and the other dressed in a cool color (green), decorative elements such as draperies, throw pillows, and chair cushions can be turned on their flip side for a new look that matches, or is opposite, the climate outdoors.

Find compatible colors and coordinated or same-print patterns for decorating elements that can be easily reversed. It’s your choice: Display a cooler or warmer palette on chair cushions, throw pillows, curtains, and table dressings. Limit the trims and cordings, which are visible on both sides, to a neutral tone.

Select warm and cool colors of the same intensity (brightness or dullness, depending upon the amount of gray in the hue), like the peach and green used here. An intense orange on the flip side of the subtle sage would not have worked, nor would a brilliant kelly green with pale peach.

Build a foundation for seasonal change by starting with a neutral wall color. Play off a common color, which is found in both seasonal fabrics, or choose a neutral color (such as this tawny background, white, or gray) that will work with both a cool and warm color scheme for the walls, floors, and other areas that are not so easily changed.

As a bridge between two seasons’ color schemes, introduce one fabric, such as the plaid on the front of the chair cushion, that coordinates with both palettes.

Sew a pretty pocket pillow in no time using three cloth napkins and prebasted ruffling ribbon.

For this project, you’ll need three coordinating naplans, a pillow form with sides 4 inches shorter than the napkins, fabric ribbon with gathering cords (enough to edge one napkin on all sides), and a button or other trim.

Cut one napkin in half diagonally to form the flap. Lay that triangular flap over another napkin, adjusting its position until the widths align. Trim the leftover strip so the flap’s top edge is even with the napkin’s. Sew the flap to the napkin, right sides together. This is the pillow back.

Narrowly hem one end of the ribbon, sewing over the gathering threads to anchor them. Pin the ribbon to the underside of the flap’s upper edge, gathering to fit by pulling the threads’ free ends. Turn under and narrowly hem the other end. Sew ribbon in place. Make a buttonhole in the point of the flap.

Lay the remaining napkin over the pillow back, wrong sides together. Topstitch around the side and bottom edges 2 inches in from the hems. Slip the pillow form into the pocket of the cover. Fold the flap over the opening and mark the placement of the button. Sew the button in place. For fun and to mimic the design in the ribbon, we used a small bunch of plastic fruit rather than a button

Live music lends vitality to any room, but finding the right spot for a baby grand can pose a design dilemma that even the masters find challenging.

At the Cedar Rock house in Quasqueton, Iowa, architect Frank Lloyd Wright went so far as to ask the Steinway Company to customize one of its pianos so it wouldn’t overpower the room. You may not need to take such bold measures if you follow these tips for maintaining a sense of harmony between the instrument and your home.

Stay in tune

When assessing a likely spot, take a look at environmental factors that will affect the instrument’s performance. Remember, pianos are made mostly of wood and have as many as 4,500 moving parts, so before placing the piano, pay close attention to fireplaces, doors to the outside, and even heating and air-conditioning vents. Changing temperatures may cause a piano to slip out of tune, but the real enemy is a fluctuating level of humidity. Ideally, the room’s relative humidity should be between 40 and 50 percent. If the humidity of your local climate varies widely, ask a piano dealer about high-tech humidity controls that can be installed inside the piano.

Direct sunlight can also cause problems. In addition to slight expansion and contraction of the wood caused by the sun’s heat, too much exposure to ultraviolet rays can cause a piano’s finish to fade.

Sound advice

How a piano sounds depends both on how it is tuned and on the acoustics of the room in which it is played. Too many hard surfaces can make a piano sound "bright," as the higher frequencies bounce from surface to surface. Dampening some of the sound with carpeting will make the instrument seem quieter and take the edge off the upper octaves. If you have hardwood floors, simply put an area rug under the piano. Draperies and wallpaper also offer modest sound-dampening qualities.

A lesson in scale

Because they are large, pianos tend to be the focus of the room. But a big dark piano doesn’t have to steal the show. To add balance, consider another hefty piece of furniture on an opposite wall. Bookshelves, an armoire, or even large paintings can round out the ensemble and add balance to the room by filling vertical space. Since pianos are typically dark in color, you’ll want to keep the room’s colors fairly light to prevent it from feeling cramped.

A well-designed garage does lots more than just bring cars in from the sun or snow. It can provide space for storage, plus maybe a shop, a studio, or other hobby area.

Architecturally, the best garage also brings a sense of "belonging"-serving as a visual companion to the house and looking as if it’s always been there.

This charming brick carriage house is our first case in point Several years ago, owners Laurie and David Davis converted their original attached two-car garage into a family room. To replace it, they built a detached garage that mimics their 1957 ranch in its arched openings, brickwork, and roof pitch.

Two decades ago, architectural designer Gary Salter started planning a Colonial-style house for his family. He created an authentic period design that fits nicely into historic Norwell, Massachusetts.

Green paneled doors and red brick siding (top) help the new garage blend into the neighborhood (above). The entry to the garage and its upper level (right) matches the home’s detailing.

When he drew up plans for the original house, there was no way to attach a garage because of the septic system’s location. So, for 20 years, the family got along without a garage.

"Finally we decided to do something," says Judy, Gary’s wife. Judy acted as the client, citing her needs and preferences, while Gary supplied the design know-how.

Their solution-the half Cape Cod "house" shown here-won an award in Better Homes and Gardens magazine’s 1996 Home Improvement Contest. Janis and Gary Hostetler’s new garage solves several problems at their stately Indianapolis home. It gets their cars off the street and makes room for the workshop Gary has always wanted. Best of all, the garage accommodates secluded outdoor living in a bustling downtown setting.

Architect Terry Bradbury strove to ensure the new structure’s proportions, hip roof, and trim echoed the classic Italianate detailing of Janis and Gary’s 120year-old home. A patio, topped with a classy pergola, links the house and garage.

From its arched doors to the cupola and weather vane up top, the new garage (right) mimics an 18thcentury relic.

For security reasons, the windows on the garage’s side (above) aren’t windows at all. They’re an ornamental arrangement of shutters and trim pointed to match the house.

From the front, the garage (below right) looks like a neighboring home. Both house and garage are set back from the road and blend into the wooded landscaping.

"I don’t feel like I’m downtown when I’m sitting out here," Janis says. "I feel like I’m in an outdoor living room."

The garage features a bonus room upstairs that could someday provide more living space. "We toyed with the idea of an apartment up there," Janis says, "but decided we didn’t want people living in our backyard."

This new garage belongs to a house with history-a cottage that was built in the mid-19th century and later moved to a wooded hillside site in Zionsville, Indiana.

Automotive access to the garage (above) is from a back alley. The garage’s raised-panel siding doesn’t copy that on the three-story house, but similar proportions, materials, and color schemes tie the two together.

The garage’s rear entry (above) opens to a patio with world-of -itsown privacy. Stairs inside lead to a room above.

You hardly realize this is the back of a garage (left). The garage’s windows mimic those on the back of the house.

The homeowner would have preferred the convenience of an attached garage, but property boundaries, hilly terrain, and mature trees ruled that out. Instead, she built a rustic "barn" that looks as if it’s been on the property for more than a century.

On the ground level, the garage accommodates the owner’s 1952 British roadster, the minivan she uses for everyday wheels, and an extensive collection of garden tools and supplies. An exterior stairway climbs to a loft that stores garden furniture and other seasonal items.

Matching stain color and roofing help the garage and house righ harmonize without looking exactly alike.

Placing the stairway outside (above) doesn’t take away from storage space inside the garage.

Outdoor furniture and Christmas decorations go up and down these stairs several times a year.

A deep overhang at the front of the garage (right) serves as a porch, complete with a tilt-top picnic table.

Wrought iron hinges and latches give the overhead garage doors the look of swinging born doors.

When it comes to successful displays, the odds are with you. As a rule, odd numbers of items create more interest than even numbers. Likewise, a variety of shapes and sizes catches the eye.

1. As awkward as a lineup of new recruits, this shoulder to-shoulder arrangement of thin bottles is not pleasing to the eye. The even number of similarly sized bottles and even spacing between them make the grouping uninteresting. Keep in mind that even numbers look best when used in contemporary arrangements, such as two prints side by side or a set of four prints in a horizontal grouping.

2. Slide a few objets out, move another over, and this grouping starts to live a little. The two heavier bottles on the left side are visually balanced by the taller bottle on the right. Overlap the edges of two out of three of the items for more dimension and to ease the monotony of equal spacing. Liven the trio by adding some bleating space on the other side. As a rule, the space between the bottles should be less than the width of the bottle that stands alone.

3. For a bolder statement, odd more objects to the grouping. Keep an odd number, but wry their shapes, sizes, and spacing. The plate in the background, set slightly off-center, pulls your eye into the arrangement and bridges the gap between the bottles. The weight of the arrangement remains on the left with the tallest bottle. Balance is maintained with the thickness of the shorter bottle on the right.

Deep in the heart of central Texas is a land of rugged natural beauty and historical importance known as Hill Country. Sprawling across 25 counties, Hill Country is as much a state of mind as a place. Well-preserved 19th-century towns beckon city dwellers with a relaxed pace and an image of an America that has largely vanished. Springtime is the ideal season to visit Hill Country. It is when the state flower, the bluebonnet, and a multitude of other wildflowers bloom, spangling the rolling countryside with color. Fredericksburg, with its 350 bed-and-breakfasts and guesthouses, is the perfect base for exploring the area. Like several towns in the region, Fredericksburg originated as a German pioneer community in the 1840s, and the Teutonic flavor is still strong. German with a Texas twang can be heard at schutzenfests (shooting fests), sangerfests (singing fests), and wurstfests (sausage fests). This intermingling of European culture with frontier days, rodeos, and cowboy sensibility offers visitors a unique A merican experience.

The Pioneer Museum

One of the best ways to experience the special history of Texas Hill Country is to visit the Pioneer Museum Complex, located on Main Street in Fredericksburg. Scattered over a 3.5-acre site are some 10 structures, all illustrating different facets of late- 19th- and early 20th-century life in the area. Entry to the complex is through the Kammlah House, constructed in 1849 as a one-room fachwerk, or half-timbered, cabin. It is indigenous to the site.

Other structures include the Kammlah barn, the Fassel-Roeder House (both also original to the property), a one-room schoolhouse, an 1880s log cabin, a wagon shed, a smokehouse, and a fire-department museum. One of the highlights of the complex is the circa 1904 Weber Sunday House. This 16-foot by 20-foot structure represents a form of architecture unique to the Fredericksburg area. Between 1890 and 1920, local farmers built tiny houses to serve as places to eat and rest when they came to town on weekends to worship and socialize. Virtually all the Sunday houses have been either demolished or converted to full-time use, leaving only this example and one other in original condition.

The Comfortable Legacy

Located a half-hour’s drive south of Fredericksburg, Comfort is a quiet town that has one of Texas’s most intact 19th-century historic districts. There are about 100 turn-of-the-century buildings within walking distance of the town center. Among those, several are connected to the Ingenhuett family. Peter Joseph Ingenhuett was an enterprising German immigrant who arrived in Comfort in 1863 and established four businesses. Two of them, a livery stable and a saloon, are no longer in operation, but a hotel (now a bed-and-breakfast called Comfort Commons) and the Ingenhuett Store are still in business. Today the store is run by the family, continuing a 130-year legacy.

Peter Ingenhuett’s homestead still exists as well, although it is now owned by antique collectors Bill and Hellen Meyer. Their house–a circa 1888 Victorian–was actually the Ingenhuetts’ third home in Comfort, where the family and descendants lived for more than 80 years. The second Ingenhuett home–currently uninhabited–sits in the backyard: a 25-foot-square, 1880 cottage originally finished in fachwerk (half-timbered) style. Their first family home was a suite of rooms over the store.

Originally, the 1888 house had five rooms on one level with clapboard sides and a shingle roof, but it was altered by previous owners in the late 20th century. A sleeping porch was walled in to create a new kitchen and dining area, and the lofty attic was converted to include two bedrooms and a bath. Stucco siding and a metal roof replaced original materials. The furnishings in the house are a combination of family pieces and antiques.