Well, no more. I’m no expert on what else is out there in the electric fireplace market, but the Classic Flame products I viewed are worth sharing. Take a look for yourself. There’s plenty for the pure traditionalist, as well as more streamlined  designs for the traditionalist who loves a little modern in the mix. If you’re in a home that does not already have a fireplace, these are worth considering. Or if you’re like me, with two fireplaces but none in the bedrooms, these present an option to a major remodeling.

"Artesian"

"Everest," which debuts next week at the Las Vegas furniture market, is crafted from marble. Its upscale material and classic design deliver this electric fireplace out of the realm of kitsch and straight to cool.

"Gossamer" is ideal for a French bedroom without the luxury of a built-in woodburning fireplace. Retail: $1,599

As a person who loves oxymorons, how could I not delight in "Baxter"? Heat and refrigeration stand side-by-side, in perfect harmony. Plus, this hard-working furnishing is a media center, too. Retail price: $2,399

"Anaheim" has a nice ebony finish and polished nickel hardware for currency.

I like the clean lines of "Captiva."

Now to Tresanti's wine fridges. "Chianti" is a clever work of engineering, as well as a handsome piece of furniture.

"Meridian" is apartment-friendly with its compact width and greater verticality.

BIG GREEN PURSE by Diane MacEachern. Avery (pap) $17.95

No, I haven’t read this book. YET. But I’m ordering it today from my Daedalus Books catalog (where it’s on sale for  $4.98!). Here’s what the Daedalus folks, whom I’ve grown to trust, have to say about it: “Environmental author and speaker Diane MacEachern offers this simple but revolutionary message: the fastest, most effective way to change the industries that pollute the planet is to mobilize the most powerful consumer force in the world—women. In this empowering, enlightening book, she shows how women can harness the power of their purse and shift their spending to commodities that have the greatest environmental benefit. MacEachern targets 20 commodities—cars, cosmetics, coffee, food, paper products, appliances, and more—where women’s dollars can make a dramatic difference, and provides easy-to-follow guidelines.

I’m not usually a fan of how-to anything, but this time I’m willing to take the $5 gamble. Seems a small price to pay for saving the world.

Pierced copper mantel

Copper is one of those good things I only came around to later in life. As a kid, it was my favorite crayon in the jumbo box (so sparkly!), but the metal itself was something better left on the wrists of arthritic grandmas. Even as a young home design editor, I didn’t quite get it as a decorative element outside the context of an Arts and Crafts house. But after neighbors installed copper gutters, I had to do the same. What previously had been bland conduits for channeling water away from the house suddenly weren’t so boring. They were jewelry. New, they glinted in the sunlight, but without any brashness, as though rose petals had softened their complexion. Then they weathered to that subtle verdigris patina that suggests the character of a house well-lived. I was smitten. A recent project of Des Moines interior designer Kabira Cadogan (www.iN2iTDesignStudio.com) reminded me that copper’s possibilities as a pick-me-up for the home aren’t limited to exteriors. In her vibrant design of a new house for a young family in an historic neighborhood, she turned to copper as an accent material and instant gratification for warmth, color, and character.

The copper mantel's piercings imbue the living room with a whimsical character.

In the context of the living room's Sticks handpainted furniture and exuberant palette, the pierced copper mantel is more idiosyncratic and edgy than it is old-fashioned.

The designer’s use of copper becomes a transitional tool, weaving the rooms together. She decorated the dining room with a copper chandelier, then repeated copper in the kitchen.

Dining room's copper chandelier

Copper trim creates a grid on the stone backsplash.

If you’re thinking my way, Colorado’s the place to be. And if you’re REALLY thinking my way, no trip—ski or otherwise—is complete without a shopping component. I can’t wait to get to the Rockies to visit my friend and colleague’s boutique furniture shop in Salida, Colorado. Owner Susan Fox is a contributing editor for TRAD HOME, and she’s a peach. Her shop’s The Green Plum—“green” meaning antiques and gently used pieces (what’s easier on the planet than that?), and “plum” as in great hand-picked new products. (Think cherry-picked.)

Salida is a historic town in Central Colorado’s upper Arkansas Valley, and it’s a sight in itself.  In fact, it has the largest historic downtown district in the state, and Susan’s shop is smack in the center. The swift-running, trout-rising Arkansas River runs right through the heart of downtown. I don’t know about you, but for me, shopping cool boutiques in a pristine natural setting instead of a congested mall surrounded by acres of concrete is worth a trip in itself.

The Green Plum is packed—make that beautifully and cozily filled—with antiques like a French trestle table and chairs still in their original leather. As a traveler, you may want something more portable. Antique botanical prints stylishly reframed by Susan are the best.

One item I plan to fill my carry-on with are her scented soybean candles—the fragrance is just the right balance of scent and unobtrusiveness. But the ultimate dose of delicious comes later. After the candle has burned a while, blow out the flame, and dip your fingers into the melted wax. It’s the ultimate pampering (and it’s the manufacturer’s intent, lest you fear this is some hair-brain idea I’ve invented during down time). Trust me, you’ll like it.

If you can’t make it to Salida this spring, no worries. Its white-water rafting, trout-fishing, and hiking make it a multi-seasonal destination. For the full story and pics, visit

http://www.traditionalhome.com/design_decorating/marketplace/rockymountain-shopping_ss1.html.

"Dauphine" from Pierre Frey

A wide striped effect results from “Dauphine’s” embroidered rows of branch coral motifs alternating with leopard spot patterns on a neutral linen ground. The color is on trend, while  the combo of animal and botanical motifs merges two of the most popular trends of the last several seasons.

"Empire" from Pierre Frey

"Brunch" from Pierre Frey

Both of the above are cotton prints—my personal faves because of the clarity and whimsey of their design.

Davidemedri, from Cesena, Italy, uses traditional Byzantine mosaic techniques to create breathtaking bling including a handmade mirror-tile console table (3,500 euros), and mirror-tile mirrors (1,150 euros). Unfortunately, no pics, but you can visit info@davidemedri.it

Oops. How did he get in here? Federer is actually my favorite tennis player, but you have to admit Nadal looks good.

That’s what so great about how the Old World embraces color. They have no problem upholstering an 18th-century French settee in an up-to-the-minute fuchsia or grape.

New "Kavana" from Spanish fabric house, Alhambra

The color you just saw was all over Paris showrooms and booths at Maison. What’s interesting to me is that such a bold hue is too often mistaken as brash in America. Quick, whistle for the design police. Good taste has been violated and all that.

I think it’s time Americans started flexing our color muscles. Beige can be beautiful, but there’s so much more out there awaiting us.

This warm bright citrine, also from Alhambra, appeared in various shades and tones across Paris showrooms:

Look for wonderful, evocative colors from Manuel Canovas—”absinthe” and “mandarine” speak for themselves, while “petale” is a pink-tinged lavender and “pensee” is a lavender with more of a purple-plum cast. “Nattier” is Canovas’s new green-blue—the color of Angelina Jolie’s jade at last year’s Oscars.

New this season from Manuel Canovas Collection 2010

Color is, indeed, alive and well in the fabrics and furnishings introduced last month. And, it’s smokin’ hot.

Warm colors—especially my personal favorite, orange—are spicing up spaces as pumpkins, paprikas and all shades in between make sizzling style statements in the upscale market.

Orissa Collection from Jim Thompson

"Arya Vine" from No. 9 Jim Thompson Collection

Fabric house Dedar has the following in its new collection:

"Flourish" from Dedar

"Baskiat" from Dedar

"Soho" and "baskiat" from Dedar

"Empire State"

This fabric is a combination of fuzzy and slick, matte and gloss, warm and cool—a treat to touch. Its geometric design is formed by wool grids and solid wool squares stitched onto  polyester taffeta like embroidery. For heft, the taffeta is laminated onto wool. Not only is the design urbane, the mix of materials is, too. You should see “Empire State”  in the blue taffeta with brown wool colorway (sorry, no pic). The teal-tone blue is toned down with brown for a little extra elegance. Gorgeous—and I’m not even a blue person.

More great textures this season from Metaphores can be found in its “MetaLIN Metallique” collection. The collection’s “Manhattan” (do you get the idea the French have come a-courting?) is a 100 percent linen coated in a metallic wax, then covered with a clear film for gloss. Basically, it’s polyurethane-coated linen with a shimmer. I once had a suit made of a similar fabric. Great to look at, not so great to walk in. Swish, swish, swish. No sneaking up on anyone in that fabric. I made the mistake of wearing it to High Point one market….My colleagues will never let me forget.

Even better than “Manhattan” (IMO) is the collection’s “Central Park.” I want this fabric! Its metallic threads of copper and zinc give it structure and memory, while its linen (53 percent) naturalizes it. Check it out at:www.creations-metaphores.com/en/metaphores/nouveautes2.htm.And while you’re at the site, try to locate another newbie, “Cadence,” from Metaphores’s Le Crin Collection. The linen warp (60 percent) of this sheer combines with horsehair (26 percent) and shimmery threads for a metallic transparency. (Using horsehair is nothing new for this company. Nourry has been incorporating hairs from horses’ manes  for seven years in his Le Crin collection of sheers.)

Embroidered linens are all over Paris in new collections from the major players. Here are a couple from Dedar:

“Circles”

Take a quick look at this pillow in the new “Bark” fabric from de le Cuona:

The fabric, manufactured in Switzerland, is a linen plus synthetic that’s dipped in a solvent that corrodes the synthetic for the textured bark pattern. This one would look great at the windows when a neutral is in order but personality’s a must.

You can’t beat the richness in this finger-pleasing velvet, “Metal Embroidered Crown,” also from de le Cuona:

Other textural fabrics from de le Cuona include a thick stonewashed linen (really, it’s beaten against real stones for a distressed finish); vegetable-dye leathers (available in a pillow collection); and eco-maniacs favorite, “Bamboo”—a 100 percent sustainable upholstery-weight bamboo.

Glamorous gray goes warm this year.

Jim Thompson had these fabrics to offer up in warm gray:

"Jim's Dream II"—100 percent linen—from Jim Thompson's new 2010 Paradiso Collection.

"Cloisonne" from Jim Thompson's Splendours Collection is a handwoven blend of 40% silk, 35% cotton, and 25% polyester available in 10 colorways.

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