Smart Buying
How to Outfit Well-Dressed Digs
Furnishing your first apartment? Think small and versatile.
By Amy Esbenshade Hebert, Reporter
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, May 2005
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Finishing touch
Furniture is essential, but the extra touches are what make an apartment homey and more personal -- especially rugs, paint and window treatments, says Davis. In addition to providing color, rugs define separate areas in a room. That can be particularly important if your office, dining area and living room are all one space.
To create a customized rug, consider a product called InterfaceFlor (www.interfaceflor.com). You buy a number of square carpet tiles, which measure 19.5 inches on each side, and put them together to form your own pattern. Prices range from $6 to $30 per tile. To see if you like the look, for $5 you can order a sample of up to eight small tiles, either online or from a retailer.
Simple curtains, faux-wood shades or woven-wood blinds are easy and affordable choices for windows. If you don't want to shop online and you're satisfied with a limited selection of colors, Target is the best place to start. Also worth a try: Linens 'n Things and Bed Bath & Beyond.
For the walls, posters that pay homage to your favorite rock bands are so ... college. For something more sophisticated, go to www.rentaldecorating.com. You can browse through thousands of posters and prints on the site, thanks to its partnership with Art.com. When you find one you like, the site lets you try out different frames -- and even pick a wall color to go behind it -- to get just the right look.
--Research: Katy Marquardt
CHEF'S CHOICE
From Soup to Knives
As co-host of Kitchen Accomplished on the Food Network, chef Cat Cora treats viewers to makeovers of their humdrum kitchens. Cora recommends three must-have accouterments for a first kitchen.
The crockpot. Surprise! Chef Cora's top kitchen essential is a slow cooker. "They're making a huge comeback," she says. "When you walk in the door at 6 p.m., it's as if a chef has been cooking all day." If you have the space, Cora recommends buying a large-size pot so you can simmer up soup or chili for a Sunday football crowd. One good choice is West Bend's six-quart oval Versatility Slow Cooker (compare prices), which comes in black for about $63 plus shipping or stainless steel for $4 more. Remove the pot from its heating base and use it on the stove or in the oven.
The knife. Instead of dropping $500 or more on a full set of high-end knives, Cora recommends investing $80 for a chef's knife by a top-quality manufacturer, such as Global. Check out Global's line of Japanese-style knives, which are lighter in weight and have smaller handles than European-style blades. Cora also likes knives by Henckels. Williams-Sonoma stores carry both brands.
The cookware. Toss your mismatched pots and pans, and "buy something that will last," says Cora. Start with a basic cookware set that has five to eight pieces, such as Cuisinart's Chef's Classic seven-piece set (includes two saucepans with lids, an open skillet and a stockpot with lid; compare prices). Cora likes stainless steel because it's versatile and strong, and it costs less than pricey copper-core or copper-sided cookware.
Cora says a lot of companies are coming out with great lines of affordable stainless-steel sets, such as Calphalon's eight-piece Simply Calphalon (compare prices). Emeril Lagasse's new seven-piece set is stainless steel and copper. Each collection costs $150. Jamie Oliver's nine-piece stainless-steel set for T-Fal (compare prices) is another good option.