The Post-Crescent from Appleton, Wisconsin • 32

Your Family Decorator Wood floors can be beautiful with right care i BY CARLETON VARNEY Now that summer is in full swing, I know many folks who have uncovered A I -A itti I To Us- i 1 fA: i. ft Visual impact floral designs for visual impact. They stand out in dramatic contrast against painted wood floors. Two patterns of Miliken's "American Traditional" collection area rugs juxtapose lattice work and their wood floors. And how beautiful those bare wood floors can be, especially when properly cared for.

If you've taken up your rugs and are facing a wood floor that looks less than super, here are some tips from the Oak Flooring Institute on what to do. Cleaning a wood floor is a snap. A good rule is to vacuum or dust mop each week. Waxing should be done twice a year, us ing a liquid or paste wax. wax snouia never contain water (check the label to make sure).

Buff after waxing with a rented 12-inch machine type buffer. Special care is required periodically to maintain a wood floor's lustre. This usually involves hand or machine buffing (without rewaxing) whenever the floor looks dull. Finishing a floor can be done with either a penetrating seal, which soaks into the wood or a surface finish such as poly-urethane, varnish, shellac or lacquer. I love beautiful bare wood floors with contemporary or traditional furniture.

But whatever the look, I insist that a room with bare wood floors should be furnished with lots of soft, upholstered and skirted pieces. Too much wood in a wood floored room always looks cold to me. For today's newest look, try a white-stained wood floor with pastels and earth tones: pale terracotta walls with white trim, white slipcovers, and pillows and accessories of softest mauve, apricot, celery, sand beige and lemon yellow. Dear Family Decorator: Please advise me on furnishing the den of my new home. Paneling is dark, fine-quality wood.

There are two small windows. I'm thinking of reusing the living room carpeting of royal blue plush and a heavy, dark wood early American rocker that I already own. How can I use these elements and still end up with a room that's light and airy? Mrs. S.W. Dear Mrs.

S.W. With all that dark wood and the dark blue carpeting, a light airy look will be difficult to achieve. If you insist on the blue carpeting, use it with a tuxedo-style sofa upholstered or slipcovered in an off-whfte hasketweave cotton, accented with royal blue and royal blue-and-white checked Pillows. Cover a wing chair and club chair in the same medium-scale country check of royal blue and white. Brighten your paneled walls with large paintings and posters illuminated with ceiling-mounted spotlights.

Tables for two may be romantic, but game tables for four are more practical in family rooms. The table for four can be the standard dining table height of 29 or 30 inches, or the very popular 27-inch height. With the latter, however, remember the standard dining room chairs will not work. There should be a 9- to 10-inch variance between the chair seat height and the table, so seats of chairs used with the 27-inch table should, as a rule of thumb, be 17 inches high. Some game tables have flip tops that open to seat six persons when the occasion arises.

When selecting a gamesnack table for the family room, think practicality. Easy-care, that's the key. Make sure the table can be wiped clean with a MOVING? Call horthuhM MOVING GLOBAL VAN LINES I.C.C.M.C. 41098 damp cloth. Laminated tables are a good bet for 1-2-3 cleanup.

Game tables are also great for family rooms. There is hardly a day when I don't have a call from a friend or a client asking where to get a coffee table or a game table with a checkerboard or backgammon top set into it. Fortunately there are some mighty attractive ones on the market. If you and your family are bridge enthusiasts, you might consider getting a card table that has a drawer to store cards and score sheets. And don't relegate these tables to family rooms only.

I know people who use game tables in living rooms and bedrooms and I have one client who insists on playing bridge in her large country kitchen. And a game table needn't be square, you know. I have used rectangular parsons tables as game tables in children's rooms and I have used round Americana tables too. For the trimlined, clean look you might favor a glass toppedlucite based table. It would look super in the family room replete with black leather upholstery on the sofa and lipstick red suede club chairs.

Dear Family Decorator: Our kitchen is very large and we are considering turning it into a kitchenden combination. I would like to panel the den area but my family thinks the wall space should be uniform throughout. What do you think? G.D. Dear Mrs. G.D.: I don't see why you can't panel the den area of your kitchen den combination.

You will have to be sure that there's some division hetween the two spaces to warrant such a change of decor. For Instance, an L-shaped counter might be the dividing factor, and perhaps you'll choose to have different ceiling heights in the two spaces. The kitchen could be standard ceiling height and the den area might have a cathedral ceiling if there is no second floor above It Dear Family Decorator: My living room is all yellow and white. The wails are white and the ceiling is sunshine yellow. My oak floors have been bleached white and on top is a yellow-and-white needlepoint rug with some accents of peach.

All upholstery is yellow with the exception of an antique recamier which is upholstered in a yellow and white taffeta check. My question has to do with the window treatment. I wanted to have simple white Ro- man shades. Do you think that too stark with all those white walls? What options are available? S.A. Dear Mrs.

S.A.: Your room sounds charming. I think the Roman shades would be fine. However, if you would like options here they are: 1. You might choose to have bright yellow moire drapery lined in shimmering white chintz. 2.

White balloon shades with bright yellow insets is a handsome idea. 3. White silk side panels trimmed in peach and yellow braid would also be in keeping with the surroundings. Mr. Varney welcomes mail from readers but cannot give a personal reply.

He will use the most interesting questions Shutters indoors Interior wood shutters with movable louvers are one way to control a room's light and views and still assure privacy. Whether stained to bring out the natural beauty of the wood or painted to complement room colors, interior wood shutters enhance any room's decor. The lilacs Flowering shrubs like these lilacs got a slow start this year because of the poor weather but once those flowers do open, their delightful fragrances and colors make the wait worthwhile. This photo was taken just about 10 days ago near Lutz Park in Appleton. (Post-Crescent photo by Ralph Acker) Books WEEDS (The Unbidden Guests in Our Gardens), by Mea Allan; The Viking Press, 625 Madison New York 10022; 191 pages; $14.95 Mea Allan, author and gardener, has had a lovehate relationship with weeds for the past 30 years.

In WEEDS, she describes their history and explains how to identify them, how to control them or, if they are worth keeping, how to use them. The result is a charming and practical guide for gardeners. Illustrations for this book are excellent drawings that help identify the weed that may be puzzling you, in its various stages from seed to flower. The novice as well as the seasoned gardener will be able to find out about any given weed from observing its appearance and then looking it up in the book. Leisure HomeJune 6, 1981 The Post-Crescent .14.