Q: We live in a bungalow, only about 1,700 square feet. My husband's teenage son from his first marriage is asking to move in; he wants to attend the local community college.

Our two daughters already share a bedroom, since my husband works from home and needs the third bedroom for his office. The only possible way to make room for another child is to redo the attic, which is a lot of work! Is it worth it?

A: Your only other choice might be a camper in the driveway.

So yes, I say, go for an attic renewal. It's only smart to reclaim living space that is usually occupied by items you wish you'd already thrown away. There are reasons that many attics go unloved: They often lack light, windows and ceiling height. But there are also ways around the drawbacks.

Study the photo we show here, which was borrowed from an info-packed book called "Easy Home Makeovers" by Mervyn Kaufman (Filipacchi Publishing, www.hfmbooks.com). According to Kaufman, these homeowners were tired of being crammed into their tiny downstairs bedroom; they decided to look up for new living room. The result: Their old, underprivileged attic is now a 525-square-foot master suite that looks and lives like a sophisticated city loft.

The transformation incorporated three skylights, one of which illuminates the new bath that's tucked behind the partial wall — built across one end of the open space. Plaster, paint and a new floor of random-length, weathered fir planks underscore the loft illusion. So does the couple's "paired down esthetic," as Kaufman puts it. Clean and clutter-free, yet warm and inviting, the attic's now worth climbing the stairs.

Q: What color's becoming the new black, at least according to Madison Avenue?

A: Plum, they say, as in the fruit discovered on the thumb of Little Jack Horner. Nowadays Little Jack can pull out a new Plum Card from American Express, drink Penta water from bottles with plum-colored labels, and watch Plum TV when he visits one of the plum resorts that make it available to guests.

The color plum, like the color purple, "evokes royalty and sophistication," says brand consultant Tom Julian. He told Stuart Elliott, a New York journalist, that plum colors appeal to "the emotional side of one's passions and interests, and the individual desire for zest and to be distinct."

If that sounds like you, it's easy to go plum wild in your home, too. For example, the Benjamin Moore paint palette now includes a color called "Plum Passion."

Q: Want fries with your feng shui?

A: Another interesting tidbit gleaned from the news: At least one McDonald's restaurant is applying feng shui techniques — using the ancient Chinese practice to evoke calm and harmony for its customers. Feng shui, as you know, is all about features like waterfalls and furniture arrangements designed to free up our chi, or energy.

Never mind that feng shui is an idea that's been applied at home for thousands of years. Now, you can get it to go.

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Hampton Style" and associate editor of Country Decorating Ideas. To find out more about Rose Bennett Gilbert and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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