Trends for January 8, 2001

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Jan. 8, 2001 | 8:57 a.m.

Lisa Ferguson is the Sun assistant features editor. Her Trends column appears Mondays. Reach her at lisa@lasvegassun.com or 259-4060.

Where for art thou?

Fans of MTV's "The Real World," rejoice.

The cast members of the show that set up shop last year in New Orleans Danny, Kelley, Julie, Matt, Jaime, Melissa and David have long since moved from their temporary-but-elaborate digs at the Belfort Mansion.

But you can continue to keep up with the roommates' goings-on via their personal websites.

Aspiring artist Melissa can be found at princessmelissa.com, where she up-dates readers about her recent travels, art shows (some of her work is featured on the site) and career aspirations (she's moved to Los Angeles and is trying her hand at stand-up comedy).

The site also features a message board, lists of Melissa's favorite things and links to other "Real Worlder's" websites, including supa-fly.com (Matt) and soulgear.com (Jaime).

If cutie Julie was your favorite, check out planetjulie.com, where she has posted her vital stats, photos from the cast's trip to Africa and answers to frequently asked questions about the "Real World" experience, among others.

Get to work

It's a new year the perfect time for making big changes. How about starting with that so-called home office of yours?

The American Furniture Manufacturers Association recently conducted a survey about such rooms, which often become dumping grounds for everything in a home that doesn't have a specific place.

According to the survey, 22 percent of people have set up a home office in their master bedroom; 15 percent in the family room; 14 percent in the study; 13 percent in a guest room; 10 percent in the dining room; 7 percent in the basement; and 5 percent in the kitchen. But are they really working in there? In fact 40 percent of people said they use the room for entertainment surfing the Internet, sending e-mail and shopping online. Thirty percent contend they do use the place to do work, while 22 percent have deemed it the room in which to pay bills and organize their homes.

Blah, blah, blah

OK, so maybe getting the home office in order is too lofty a goal. How about redecorating the rest of the house?

Home decor expert Donna Babylon is the author of the new book, "More Splash Than Cash Decorating Ideas." She suggests battling the "winter blahs" by making a few changes: