Bed & Bath Lady to bring tips
and tricks of the trade

Hailed as Martha Stewart meets Richard Simmons, Mary Grover, also known as “The Bed & Bath Lady,” will deliver two high-energy presentations at the New Home & Remodeling Show at 1 and 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 7 in Norfolk’s Scope Exhibition hall.

During her enthusiastic demonstrations, she brings show visitors on stage with her to help create bed and bath environments both men and women will love. Conquering a wide range of bed and bath topics for urban living, she’ll cover matters from fancy towel folding tricks to how to make a bed look like a beautiful department store display - yet comfortable enough to sleep, read, and watch TV in.

Reaching far beyond what your mom ever taught you about the bedroom and bathroom, Grover brings a “no holds barred” presence to the stage and is one of the most energetic home improvement celebrities on the national circuit today.

“I don’t know about you, but I want my man to be happy in my bed, not someone else’s,” said Grover. “If you want the man to take interest in the bedroom, it’s time to ditch the ruffled bed skirt and the eyelet pillow shams. Those flower pattern sheets and comforters have got to go!”

Other bedroom tips she’ll discuss are: how to shop for sheets, how to select a good mattress, how to find the perfect pillow, how to care for linens and how to make your own designer decorator pillows in 60 seconds or less.

Here are Grover’s top three bedroom tips: “First, create a gender friendly bed by staying clear of ruffles and lace - instead lean towards buttons and framed edges. Second, always sleep on sheets with high thread counts - 310 or above. And third, test your pillow to see if its working for you - body styles and body types along with sleeping positions all determine the kind of pillow you sleep with. If the pillow isn’t working for you, you won’t sleep well.”

In addition to redecorating bedrooms, Grover has branched out to bathrooms. She’ll show event visitors the finishing touches on achieving distinctly designed bathroom environments quickly and inexpensively.

Grover notes one of the easiest and inexpensive ways to change the look of the bathroom is by changing the shower curtain because it’s usually the largest space in the room. Grover will also demonstrate how to fold bath towels like they are folded at the Ritz Carlton.

Many other creative decorating tips and ideas she’ll share are: how to buy accessories - how many and what size, how to use foliage in decorating, and how to incorporate lighting - what she calls the most important decorating tool. Visitors will also learn what are the newest trends, styles, and fashions for the bathroom and where they come from.

Another sage word of advice from Grover - never put a cling-free fabric softener sheet in your dryer with your towels or sheets. It bakes on chemicals and contaminates the natural cotton fibers making towels and sheets less thirsty and more difficult to release stains.

This year's New Home & Remodeling Show & Tour will also feature an estimated 200 exhibits and displays of new and innovative products for home remodeling and renovation projects, plus walking tours of downtown Norfolk and tours of a newly constructed modular home on site.