What To Do With Old Perfume?

When it comes to spring cleaning, I try to stick by a simple rule: If I haven't used something in the past year, it's time to sell it, donate it or throw it out. But each year, I'm stumped by bottles of old perfume.
They aren't the kind of thing you donate, but still too aromatic to toss out. After a bit of online research, here's what I found:

MAKE BATH SALTS


Most homemade bath salt recipes -- like this one from a site named Picnic -- call for essential oils and perfume is generally a fine substitute.

FRESHEN ROOMS



Place a few drops of perfume in a pan with some water and simmer gently for an herbal steam. Toss in some petals for a stronger scent and the fragrance should permeate your home.


Another common suggestion is to use old perfume to revive potpourri. Since many of us don't use potpourri, I spritzed some onto a few collections of rocks and beach glass I display in glass containers in lieu of flowers and twigs. It worked reasonably well, but dissipated quickly.

I've also wondered if its a possible to put reeds in a bottle of perfume to diffuse the fragrance. Has anyone tried it? How did it work?

Hi + Lo: Slipcovered Chairs

high: natural linen armchair @ wisteria, $1,300

Slipcovers are strongly favored by those of with messy kids and/or even messier pets for the obvious reason: You can toss 'em in the laundry machine to get rid of spills and the inevitable layer of pet fuzz. Placed in a sunny corner, a chair like one of these is ideal for a curling up with good book and a hot mug of tea and dozing off for an afternoon snooze. That is, if you can pry off any fur kids living in your home long enough to sit down.


low: khaki luxe slipcover chair @ world market, $250

G-1 Glass Top Pool Table

Seems like the main question here is whether it's possible to put some English on a glass-top pool table. According to the designers, the playing surface replicates the rolling resistance of felt. And the transparent surface -- which offers the advantage of seeing angles on the supporting beams -- may make it easier to visualize a tricky bank shot into a corner pocket. Plus, watching the ball return is pretty cool, too.
@ Nottage Design.

Trend Spy: Bare Bulbs

milk glass operating light @anthropologie, from $698; menlo lamp @anthropologie, $148; definace ceiling light @schoolhouse electric, $89; roost workshop cage pendant @velocity, $163.

Ooh la-la. These fixtures have slipped out of their shades and bared all. While some find the glare of bare bulbs to be off-putting, we like the clash between industrial chic and old-fashioned simplicity here. From chandeliers to bedside lamps, exposed bulbs are flashing their filaments for the world to see. And appreciate.



duncan table task lamp @pottery barn, $199; ball of twine lamp @ etsy, $40; c. 1900 train station swing arm lamp @ restoration hardware, from $159; lyon ceiling lamp @ schoolhouse electric, $85.