By ROSEMARY SADEZ FRIEDMANN, Scripps Howard News Service

Bedrooms have awakened to greater living potential than just accommodating our sleeping needs. We are finding this room to accommodate us at any time of the day for reading, studying, watching television, conversing on the phone and even eating.

A collection can be anything from shells to genuine antiques. The flair with which you display your specimens is what elevates the jive to the gem. The expensive crystal bowl looks great in the china cabinet, but takes on a life of its own when displayed on a pedestal and lighted to its best advantage.

Trivia question: What was the original name of the grandfather clock? Give up? Back in the 17th century, it was called the tall case clock. Not until 1875, when a song titled "My Grandfather's Clock" became popular, did the current name take over.

Is it time to fix, repair and generally spruce up the house? Will it take a hero to come and save the day? Well, if you can't find a hero, how about some bits and piece of helpful ideas?

Economic extremes call for color extremes. Check the predictions for colors at Color Marketing Group (CMG). This group has been predicting color trends with remarkable accuracy for over 45 years so I would say they can be quoted. The CMG forecasts color trends up to three years into the future for its members, many of whom need to plan ahead for products and materials.

Fired clay tiles, which are still popular today, had their origin 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. During the Middle Ages in Europe, rust colored tiles were quite popular. You can still see these beautiful clay tiles in ancient monasteries in England. Spain and Portugal added a colorful touch by hand painting the tiles in bright colors to suit their sunny climate.

Ready for a history lesson? The ancient Chinese believed that painting and calligraphy were the only true art forms. The two forms were revered so much that owners allowed such works to be viewed only for a few minutes at a time.

Blinds have been around for a long time and are still used extensively today -- for good reason.

With blinds, you can control sunlight levels by tilting the slats.

Blinds offer privacy when closed. This is accomplished if the rout holes, through which the cords are threaded, are placed at the back.

The history of stenciling is a bit sketchy.

No one knows exactly when or how it started. Some say the Egyptians first used stencils for decorating mummy cases way back around 2500 B.C., yet others contend it was the Chinese as early as 3000 B.C.

What about a blue room? After all, the White House has one. There's something grand, majestic and yet calming about a room designed with the color blue.

Let's do a bedroom.