As most Suburban Zen readers know, I have a love/hate relationship with my TV. I like to watch movies and Survivor with my family, I love the Food Channel, and whenever I come across a Mythbusters or What Not to Wear episode, I’ll watch it. I dislike having to talk over TV, having to compete with it for my family’s attention, and every time my children start arguing over what TV show to watch I hide all the remotes and declare a temporary electronic blackout.

Because of my dysfunctional relationship with my TV, I’m always looking for the perfect media storage solution that looks pretty, hides all our stuff, and has doors that close so I can hide the TV from my family when I want them to pay attention to me.

I’ve come across some pretty great solutions in my quest :

I'm always a fan of the armoire as a solution, because it looks pretty when it's closed and has lots of room inside for all the other stuff I want to hide. I prefer a vintage clothing armoire that's been converted to fit media components, rather than one that's been designed for media storage, as the attention is paid to the design of the face, finish and hardware that's sometimes sacrificed on a piece that's designed purely for function.

Many people are putting their TVs in wall alcoves and covering them with art, photos, mirrors, or a pair of vintage doors.

I've toyed with the idea of painting an unframed canvas and hanging it over my TV.

And if I must look at my TV, this is a pretty cute idea:

But honestly, I'd still rather look at this:

I think I feel a blackout coming on.

The Last Family on Earth Without DVR

We are indeed the last family on earth without DVR. Or On Demand. Aside from a few gadgets in my life, I'm not a huge fan of non-essential technology. It always seems to create as many problems as it solves.

However, I'm finally ready to take the plunge and invest in DVR and On Demand for the simple reason that I can't find a DVD in my house when I want one. We've tried storing them alphabetically, by genre, by rating. No luck. If I want to watch a movie on a friday night, I have to resign myself to watching whatever I can find in the room I'm in.

I estimate that we've invested around $15,000 in our DVD collection over the years, and really just watch Ocean's 11, National Treasure, Iron Man (I do love Tony Stark), and Notting Hill over and over because those are the movies we can all agree on and can find.

Call the cable guy, JP. I'm ready to donate that big DVD collection to the local library and use those cupboards to store my shoes. We will no longer be the last family on earth without DVR. But sorry Jack, we will still be the last family on earth without AirSoft Guns.

Every Family Room Needs a Recliner -- But Does it Have to Look Like That?

The prevalence of flat screen TVs has spawned a whole new business called "motion furniture." To you and me, that's a fancy name for the chairs otherwise known as recliners, gliders, and swivel chairs. They used to look like this:


But in the last five years or so, motion furniture design has come a long way. It used to be one had to choose design or comfort when choosing a chair for the family room. Now it's not too much to ask for both.

When choosing a recliner, consider the following fundamentals:
Is the chair constructed well for lasting comfort?
How easy is the mechanism to use?
Which recliner is best for the amount of space I have?
And then choose a chair that looks great in your room.

There are a few sources I think are especially good for recliners that are well constructed, easy to use, and don't look like recliners:

Design Within Reach
If you want to make an investment, DWR's Flight Recliner is a great one. It's designed by Jeffrey Bernett who drew on his experience designing ergonomic inflight seating for Northwest Airlines. It's beautiful and comfortable.


Barcalounger
Next to LaZBoy, Barcalounger is probably the most well-known name in the recliner market. The company was founded in 1940, and has done a great job of keeping their designs current and still focusing on the ergonomics that make a recliner comfortable.


Room and Board
If you're looking for an eco-friendly recliner, Room and Board is a great resource. All of their upholstery is made of sustainable materials. While their furniture is generally pretty modern, you can find some classic and comfortable pieces if you have the patience to sort through their giant assortment.

If you've got an old recliner that you like, that just needs a little update, The Urban Sherp is a great resource for advice on eco-friendly upholstery fabrics that can update your old fave. Like this one from the new studio Oliveira Textiles:


The recliner's had a bad rap as the piece of furniture that's all brains, no beauty. But no more. Now Dads all over America can breath a sigh of relief, knowing that their wives will once again allow the recliner into the family room.

Investment Advice for the Family Room

A house with kids in it is like any investment -- you want to spend more on the things that matter to you, and less on the things that don't.

It's my opinion that the best investment in any family home is a comfortable, well-built sofa for the family room. It's also my opinion that many people invest too little in their sofa, and aren't quite sure how to choose a good one that will last.

Here's a simple rule: a good sofa is like a good meal -- you have to start with the right ingredients. The main ingredients for a good sofa are:

The Frame
A good one is made of kiln-dried hardwood rather than soft pine, plastic or particle board. The best frames are corner-blocked, double-doweled, glued and screwed together. As a general rule of thumb, there is less wood in cheaper sofas. Instead of being screwed and glued, the frames may be stapled together. Juliette Barrell of furniture maker Wesley-Barrell says, “A quick test to do in store is to gently lift the sofa by the corner. If it feels heavy and solid, this means work has gone into engineering the frame.” When you lift one corner of the sofa from the floor, at least one of the other legs should come off the floor also. If the other three legs stay on the floor, you know your frame will twist over time.
Penalty for choose a poorly constructed frame: your sofa will squeak.

The Springs
The very best springs are coil springs that are eight-way hand-tied to the frame. A good second best is a sinuous steel spring that's tied to the frame. Watch for zig-zag springs or pre-fabricated spring units that are dropped into the sofa -- they're bad. We've all seen antique sofas that sag in the middle: that's because the springs aren't strong enough to withstand years of regular use.
Penalty for choosing an inferior spring construction: your seat will sag. (And who wants that?!)

The Cushions
Part of the overall feel and comfort of the sofa will come from the style of cushion that is used in the sofa. The base cushions separate you from the springs of the suspension system, so they should be constructed well. For the best comfort, and lowest maintenance, you'll want a high density foam core in your cushion. You can then choose fiber or down to wrap the cushion, depending on whether you want your cushions to look tailored and neat (fiber), or loose and cushy (down). Avoid cushions that are foam only with no additional fiber or feathers -- they'll be uncomfortable and they'll break down quickly. The best test of a good cushion is to drop into the sofa like you will every Friday night when it's in your family room. If the sofa is the one for you, you'll feel comfortable right away. If you have to keep squirming around to get comfy, keep shopping.
Penalty for choosing an inferior cushion: a sofa that you don't really want to sit on.

After you've grilled the salesman about the frame construction and springs, and completed the comfort test, the last thing you should do before buying is sit on the arm of the sofa. If the arm is well-padded and comfortable, then you can reasonably assume your sofa is well-constructed, and you can confidently invest.

Your return on investment will be a sofa that will withstand hundreds of movie nights, bouncing and jumping from the most rambunctious kids, the occasional night spent on the sofa, and can still be passed onto your kids when they move out.

You Can Have Your Table Back, We Have Some Better Ideas!

Study Nirvana, by Andie
Being an almost-8th Grader, I know I'm going to have A LOT of homework, projects, and tests to study for, so I'm going to want the best possible place to do it all. My ideal study space would have EVERYTHING I would possibly need. My desk right now is huge, and has lots of space to spread out my projects, so I think that would remain in my study nirvana. I'd have lots of fun colored bins to put pens, pencils, markers, scissors, and everything else in. There would be a fun colored lamp for late-night study sessions. The last thing that I would have is a bin for my folders, and put one for each subject. But a giant to-do list wouldn't be so bad either!
My study nirvana would be a place that's organized, colorful, and totally stocked with supplies. Even if I have my perfect study space in my room, I'd still want my whole family around me, so sorry Mom, I'd probably still study at the kitchen table!

My Crib's Already Boring Enough, by Jack
My dream study space would be a place where every kid can feel like a kid. There would be massages every day at 4 o'clock, an ice cream man, a mini fridge right next to my big vibrating chair, a slushee machine, and a churro machine, cubbies to hold all of my study stuff, my own bathroom and room service. I would be extra great if my little sister would bring me a pizza once in a while. If I had a study space like that, well then, Sayonara Mom! See you when I graduate.


I Can't Wait For Kindergarten, I'll Study All The Time, by Katie
In my kindergarten study space, there would be.....a notebook, a lamp, a comfy chair, and a homework book, and a pink table. And.....that's it.

Can I Have My Kitchen Table Back, Please?

School is approaching, and I have to say I'm looking forward to getting back into our school year routine. During the school year everyone wakes up and goes to bed at civilized hours, everyone eats three somewhat nutritious meals each day, and best of all, during the school year, everyone reads more and the TV doesn't seem to always be on.

As we get ready for the school year, study time seems to be the thing that takes us the longest to settle into. Each kid has a study space in their room, but the Furbers all like to be together, so they tend to gravitate toward the kitchen table looking for company. We have our family office, but that seems to be used more for pleasure than for business.

I will now turn Suburban Zen over to the three Furber kids to describe the perfect study spaces that would inspire them to retire to their rooms to do their homework each day.

Life in the White House

My friend Sheryl stopped by the other night to pick up her son after a playdate with Jack and we were discussing the new slipcovers I had just bought for my family room sofas. When I told her they were white, she said "WHAT?! White? Why would you do that?"

I realized then that it's time to share a secret with all my fellow moms: white is the most under-used and under-rated color in the interior palette of a family home. Unlike bright colors, or other non-white neutrals, white can be washed in hot water and bleached. I buy everything that gets tons of use in white: I have white sheets and a white duvet on my bed, white bathtowels in my bathrooms, white floursack towels in my kitchen, white slipcovers on my sofas, white table linens in my linen closet.

I don't worry too much about spilling. If I did, I'd be in a straightjacket -- I've watched my son Jack wipe his face on the sofa. Whenever something gets messy, I just give it a warm, sudsy, bleachy bath and it's good as new. When something needs a little extra brightening, I make like my Mother-in-Law and put it out in the sun for an afternoon.

Because my basics spend lots of time in the pool, I've learned to always have a few extra sets of everything, and to pay a little more for quality base fabrics so the items last longer. Here are some rules I live by:

For sheets and towels, I always buy combed cotton when I can, because carded cotton pills.

For slipcovers, I always buy denim or canvas when I can, because those fabrications have more body, and don't get too wrinkly in the dryer.

For kitchen towels, I always buy the classic floursack towels made by Ritz. They're the best, they don't leave lint on your glasses, and they're cheap -- you can get 4 for about $10 from any restaurant supply or kitchen store.

For table linens, I always buy classic hotel linens. The good ones have a really thick, mitered border all around, so they don't shrivel up in the wash, and whatever that fabrication is, it lasts forever. Best of all, the hotel linens don't really need to be ironed. Which works for me because the last time I had an iron out, my daughter Andie said "what's that?" The time before that, my Mother-in-Law took a picture of me with the iron because she wanted to have it on film.

Waiting until the kids are out of the house to indulge in white is for wusses. I've got a Maytag Neptune and a bottle of Clorox. Bring it on!

Coffee Tables That Will Save You a Trip to the ER

Ever since my son Jack required eight stitches after hitting his head on our coffee table, I've been on the lookout for a coffee table that can peacefully coexist with a family like mine in a house like mine. These are my favorites:
Lewis Slipcovered Cubes from Pottery Barn. Lots of cute patterns, extra credit for storage, and for the slipcover (see April 27th post on slipcovers -- you know I love them).

Truck Tarp Ottoman from Anthropologie. Super cool, deconstructed styling. Very WabiSabi, so the kids can't mess it up too much.

Alistair Ottoman from Jayson Home and Garden. Poofy for a nice, soft landing. They also have a nice flea market where you can find one of a kind vintage pieces that can be used as coffee tables. Tables in the French or American Empire style are perfect, because tables in that style tend to be round.

Sullivan Ottoman from Pottery Barn. Poofy for a soft landing, and bonus points for leather so it's easy to clean.

I no longer need to buy a new coffee table, as none of my three children have gone near the coffee table in the four years since Jack's injury. However, if my list saves even one Mom a trip to the ER in her pajamas on Halloween when she's ten months pregnant, then I'll be happy.

I Love My Fridge

In my life, nothing is ever quite finished:

• My kids are always a work in progress
• My job is one long, ever-evolving project
• I'm always redoing one or more of the rooms in my house
• I've always got some self-improvement project going

That's why I get a great deal of satisfaction from my refrigerator. My husband does most of the grocery shopping during the week and every other Tuesday we get a delivery of organic produce from Farm Fresh to You. So by the time Saturday rolls around, the fridge is nice and full, and I clean it out.

• I pull out all the produce, clean it, cut it up, put it in containers that are all the same size and create an altar for them where I can admire their beauty, and the kids can have easy access to them
• I organize all the cheese and meat in one place, the leftovers in another
• I make a big pan of lasagna for my son Jack, who loves lasagna, and give that it's own shelf
  
• I throw away all the expired condiments -- sometimes I throw out something that's not quite expired just to have the satisfaction of purging something
• I like my refrigerator to have lots of pretty colors in it, so sometimes I make an extra trip to the store to fill in a blank in the palette.

Most Saturdays, my littlest Katie will help me. She puts on her apron, pushes her rolly stool up to the counter and we wash, chop and prep together. Me with my Ikon Chef's Knife, Katie with her plastic knife.

When we're done, I step back and admire our work. If our work is especially beautiful, I sometimes call the other kids in to admire with me. They roll their eyes and say "we know, Mom, you do this every Saturday."

As I read back what I've written so far, I realize I sound like a nut, but there's nothing like a project that has a beginning, an end, and a tangible result to make you feel like you've accomplished something. I love my fridge.

In praise of slipcovers

Slipcovers are the best! Until my kids are grown up and moved out, I will never have a sofa that's not slipcovered or leather. I especially like Pottery Barn's square arm sofa -- even with slipcovers it's got a contemporary edge that I like. If I didn't work for Pottery Barn, I'd still buy it, it's that cool.

Every few weeks I peel the slipcovers off the two square arm sofas in my family room, wash them in my washing machine and return them to the sofas in super condition. I've had linen slips on my sofas for the last five years, and I love them. No wrinkles, machine washable, nice and light so I can bleach them once in a while. As I said, the best.

The kids eat their snacks on the sofas, put their feet up, lounge all they want, and they always look neat and clean (The sofas. The kids, not so much.)