Slacker-chic tips for decorating your home in a hurry

Whether it's an actual holiday or just the impending arrival of company that prompts me, I turn to my stash of go-to, never-fail decorations. These décor mainstays can change like chameleons depending on the circumstance.

Sometimes you need two agents: one to sell and one to lease

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Sometimes you need two agents: one to sell and one to lease

A month ago - and halfway through his two-year lease - the tenant who rents my house in Colorado told me he'd bought a house.

Know when aging parents need to change living arrangements

Adult children of aging parents may need to step in and help their parents find living arrangements with more assistance.

Know when aging parents need to change living arrangements

My brother and I had a plan for our aging parents. The plan was they would not age. They would never need to move from the house where they have lived for 45 years.

'Domino' helps those in home-improvement bind

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'Domino' helps those in home-improvement bind

Those snobs who say there's no reason not to have a good-looking, pulled-together home are just plain wrong - and irritating. I know plenty of reasons.

Web can bring world's décor into your home

Vallerie Drorbaugh blended French influences with subtle Moroccan accents in her living room.

Web can bring world's décor into your home

This summer will bring another staycation for me. No Italy or Istanbul. No Tibet or Taiwan. No Egypt or England. If I want an escape, I'll have to rely on my fantasies - and the World Wide Web.

Tiles blur line between what's real and what's not

Is this pool decking made of rustic, reclaimed wood, or is it a high-tech porcelain tile? If you said "porcelain," you go to the head of the class. Computers take a photograph plus a mold of the real thing, then replicate it.

Tiles blur line between what's real and what's not

New technology paired with fine craftsmanship make possible this tile, which appears woven.

Tiles blur line between what's real and what's not

I do not know what's real anymore. I used to be able to rely on my own five senses and a dollop of intuition when judging people and products, but lately my senses have been letting me down.