Hot, or Not?

Ever since televisions made their way into American homes more than 50 years ago, they’ve battled—and, in most cases, overtaken—the fireplace as the focal point in the living/family room. Now, thanks to Classic Flame’s portable Paramount plug-in combo unit (classicflame.com), there may be peace in our time. The espresso-stained wood console has an electric fireplace insert with an ember bed, glowing ceramic log, and a flame effect (TV not included). It’s available after February 12 for $2,499. Is this the best of both worlds? Cast your vote—and send us your feedback—in the comments box below. —Carolyn Weber, Senior Building Editor

Happy holidays from our Home to yours!

Top row, from left: Carole Nicksin, senior decorating editor; Carolyn Weber, senior building editor; Angela Riechers, art director, Susan Weiman, assistant to the editor-in-chief; Donna Sapolin, vp/editor-in-chief; Marlene Sezni, deputy art director; Julie Taraska, articles editor. Bottom row, from left: Laura Dye Lang, executive editor; Joel Bernstein, features editor; Nicole Sforza, deputy articles editor; Kitt Harris, photo editor; Rachel Stinson, contributing photo assistant; Christine Cameron, assistant editor.

Touch of Glass

To add shimmering interest to this South Carolina kitchen, designer Linda H. McClain, CKD, of Signature Kitchens in Charleston (signaturekitchens.net), specified a 1-inch-thick glass breakfast bar. The blue-green tones of the glass coordinate attractively with Blue King granite countertops and slate floor tiles elsewhere in the room. Photograph: J. Savage Gibson.

We've seen natural stone, synthetic stone, metal, wood, and even paper countertops. So what's the next big thing? According to many high-end architects and kitchen and bath designers, it's glass. “People are getting bored with the same old materials,” says designer Robert Schwartz of St. Charles of New York in New York City (stcharlesofnewyork.com). “For about the same price as better granite or marble, glass offers a crisp, soft contemporary alternative.”

Crystallized glass can be molded into any shape and comes in long sheets sized like granite, so you can get a big island without a lot of seaming. The polished, opaque surface is also heat and stain resistant. “You can put hot pots right on it, and it's impervious to oils, wine, lemons, and red wine,” says Schwartz.

Home Grown

Click here to see a gallery of where the Home editors grew up.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Home blog—a multifaceted compendium of the latest and greatest tips, personalities, and products in the home design and retail arenas that goes far beyond what is covered in the pages of the magazine. In reading it, you’ll not only get a ton of fabulous solutions and info, but you’ll also get to know the Home editors a lot better. That’s because they’ll be the ones bringing you all this added insight—in their own unique voices. These folks are entertaining, totally in the know, and they love sharing their finds and ideas—in fact, they’re all but obsessed with the subject of home. I mean, why else would they walk around with pictures of their childhood homes in their wallets? (Well, okay, not all of ’em do, but they’re all willing to write about the same stuff they cover for the magazine, which is lots more work—and why on earth would they do that if they weren’t fixated?) I don’t carry a house photo on me, but I do have a shot of the place I moved into back in 1965 hanging on my bulletin board. I can trace my personal preoccupation with the topic of home to that period.