Articles and editorial on easy ways you can keep your life in working order, especially when embarking on a new project. Everything from choosing the perfect faucet to the proper way to pamper yourself in your new spa-like bathroom. Just choose a topic below.

Choosing a Kitchen Sink

Choosing a Toilet

Choosing a Whirlpool

Choosing a Bathroom Sink

Choosing a Faucet

Generating Design Ideas

Big Ideas for Small Bathrooms

How to keep your budget in line

Finding a Professional

Pamper Yourself

Getting Comfortable With Color

Accessible Style

Generating Design Ideas
Look! Graph paper! They must be serious.

Be imaginative with your remodeling projects.
Look through magazines and catalogs for ideas. Don't be afraid to draw sketches. Lots of them. They don't have to be artfully rendered, of course. But remember, the more detailed your sketches, the more useful they'll be. Grab some graph paper, the kind with four squares to the inch.

Start by penciling in room dimensions to scale, such as 1/2"=1'. Now fill in the fixtures. Just trace the patterns here. Put in doors, windows and closets. Then, visualize how it will look for real. It might even help to stand little cardboard walls around the layout for perspective. Be creative. If you don't like it, you can always start over. It's an architect's prerogative.

When you draw your layouts, the National Kitchen and Bath Association recommends these dimensions:

• 21 to 30" of room in front of the lavatory
• 15 to 30" from the center of the toilet bowl to the wall or fixture on either side
• 21 to 30" clearance in front of the bathtub or shower

Also, don't forget to allow for doors and closets swinging in.