Soothing watery habitats and style pair swimmingly in home aquariums. Forget the stereotypical box tank on a metal stand; some homeowners are fishing for custom built-in displays that are living works of art, says Jose Blanco, Director of Operations for Living Color Aquariums in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and star of "Fish Tank Kings" on the National Geographic Wild channel.

"When we talk about aquariums that have a 'wow' factor, it's usually a saltwater environment, with the vibrant colors of corals and variety of unique fish and sea life," Blanco says. "A freshwater tank features grasses and rocks instead of coral, but can be easier to maintain, because the salinity of the water is one less thing to worry about."

Before going financially underwater on a stylish seascape, Blanco says to start small, especially if a homeowner is going to be responsible for the regular maintenance of an aquarium. "Kids are especially excited to find Nemo and bring him home," he says. "But after the novelty has worn off, an aquarium remains a living habitat that needs to be maintained regularly."

Blanco says the average tank his company installs is between 300 and 1,000 gallons. But a starter, stand-alone tank size of 50 gallons might be the first step before taking the plunge into the built-in variety with custom cabinetry, with a tank commonly designed using acrylic, a clear, glasslike plastic that is half as heavy as glass.

"We primarily fabricate acrylic aquariums, because they can be made in different sizes and shapes, featuring curved fronts -- all without visible seams," Blanco says. "You can join pieces of glass together, but you will always see the joint with a line of silicone adhesive. Tanks can also become scratched, but those can be buffed out of acrylic, not glass."

Diving into the purchase of a tank without considering its placement in the home can have disastrous consequences. "Water always travels the path of least resistance, so you have to make sure it stays in the tank and have an equipment pan underneath it, in case it springs a leak," Blanco says. "Aquariums are also heavy, and depending on where it is placed in a home, you might need to reinforce floor joists to accommodate the weight."

Ideally, it is best to place an aquarium along an inner wall of a home, away from heating/cooling vents or a fireplace. It should not be placed under windows or near an exterior door, where exposure to the sun or a cold breeze can cause the water temperature to fluctuate. For a saltwater tank, the temperature should remain constant, between 76 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

In Living Color Aquariums' high-end aquatic habitats, the filtration and pump systems in the water are most often hidden within faux coral reefs. Exotic livestock, such as eels, manta rays and puffer fish can be at home in an aquarium, as long as you consult with a professional who knows the compatibility of the sea species.

"You can have a predatory eel in a tank, but don't stock it with fish that will easily fit within its jaws," Blanco says. "Also, it's important to build the strata of a tank with different fish: You want bottom dwellers, along with active swimmers that occupy the middle and upper parts of the tank. You don't want fish competing for food or space."

For a custom-made aquarium, be prepared to shell out a lot of clams. Blanco says a smaller 300-gallon tank installed can cost around $30,000 and go up from there. It's important to do business with reputable aquatic companies, so be sure to check references and view other residential projects, before being sold a fish story.

"We take care to install a customized container, with lights and a habitat, but once the fish are introduced, the aquarium comes to life," Blanco says. "With that comes the responsibility of maintaining this comparatively little box of the ocean, when we're talking about a saltwater tank."

Blanco says a majority of the saltwater species used in the aquariums they install have been "farm" raised to stock aquariums, as opposed to collecting "wild" fish populations from the ocean. Also, to ensure the health of the sea creatures in an aquarium, regular maintenance is required:

-- Feeding fish according to a schedule.

-- Cleaning skimmer and aquarium.

-- Monitoring water quality -- checking that the temperature, nitrites, pH level and salinity of the water are within set tolerances for your tank.

-- Changing water as suggested and checking that aquarium systems such as lighting, filtration and aeration are in good working order.

-- Observing fish for signs of stress or sickness.

Blanco says regular maintenance service is often available through reputable businesses that install aquariums, and can start at around $2 per gallon, per month.

"When we build these aquariums, we can't compete with God in terms of the natural beauty, but we do what we can to ensure the health and longevity of this biological aquatic environment," Blanco says. "It's wonderful to experience the calm of 'fish drift,' which happens when daily difficulties seem to melt away while observing the environment inside a home aquarium."

Big Fish

-- Living Color Aquariums, 888-659-7583, LivingColor.com

-- Check local listings or online at http://Channel.NationalGeographic.com/wild/fish-tank-kings/ for episode information on "Fish Tank Kings."

(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com.)

Contain the chaos that often accompanies living with children by creating kid-friendly spaces throughout your home. Children are both seen and heard in homes today, and a domicile's design reflects this inclusive attitude, says Allison Spampanato, a senior vice president of product development with Pottery Barn Kids in San Francisco.

"The reality is that children live in every room of the house," Spampanato says. "Gone are the days when kids were sequestered into a room to play with the door closed. Now, the family room is a place where both children and parents live and play together."

Spampanato is the mother of two young boys, ages 5 and 8, and the coffee table in her living room doubles as a surface for a train set that the family can play with together. But Spampanato says you don't have to sacrifice style and allow your home to become the proverbial poster child for a kid's free-for-all.

The first step is to create a place for play in common areas of the home, where fun and function can intersect.

With active children, a home's walls can easily show wear and tear. The use of gloss paint creates a harder, more durable, stain-resistant finish, which is also easier to clean. Depending on your family's style, a wall could also be covered in chalkboard paint, which allows family members the freedom to actually draw on the walls. An ever-changing in-home exhibition is as easy as dedicating space for children to hang their own works of art.

In a shared space, area rugs can help define play parameters. A rug also provides a soft place for children to play on the floor, whether they're putting together a puzzle or playing a game.

As varied as each home and family are, Spampanato says kid-friendly pieces keep the peace:

-- Storage and Stowing. In neutral colors, wall units like Pottery Barn Kids Cameron Collection (pieces starting at $199 and up) can also double as a television console in the living room.

Storage options that are low to the ground with open or closed shelving allow children to not only choose their toys, but also encourage them to put items away when they're done.

Choosing modular pieces offers a variety of options for storage needs, which can be custom-built to fit a space. Grouping like toys in marked baskets not only organizes a space, it also gives children the freedom to grab a bin and go.

-- Fun With Food. The kitchen remains the center of the home, and children like nothing more than to mix it up with parents before mealtime. Spampanato encourages families to bring the play kitchen into the real deal, so children can "cook" at their fire-free stoves while adults are preparing a hot meal. Pottery Barn Kids Play Kitchen collection pieces start around $200.

-- A Watery Respite. The spaces used by children should be an extension of your home's overall design. A bathroom used by children can be both tasteful and tot-friendly. With the use of a simple step stool, kids can get a leg up on washing up. Pottery Barn Kids' wall art encouraging good hygiene ($39) is a great reminder to kids and parents alike.

"Making a space for children in our home, which includes them, allows for teachable moments," Spampanato says. "Children like things to be organized, too, so get them involved in cleaning up after they're done with a project."

Life with children isn't always neat and tidy, so be ready to clean the clutter quickly by depositing items into large baskets placed in shared areas. Pottery Barn Kids wire baskets with liners ($39.99) can also be monogrammed with the names of family members, which give children even more personalized responsibility.

Even the private domain of a child's bedroom is becoming more sophisticated in style. "Parents don't have to check their design sense before entering their kids' rooms," Spampanato says. If you buy furniture you love, you can move a chair from the bedroom into the living room without a designing downgrade.

Expect the spaces in your home to evolve as children grow and their playing preferences change. Swap out that bin of stuffed animals for a shelf of puzzles or art supplies you can enjoy with your child. What may start as a haven for toddler toys can grow into a school-aged space with sophisticated building sets or board games.

"The home is the most special place for both adults and children to gather," Spampanato says. "Children want to feel connected to their parents as much as parents want to be with their kids."

Design That Is Child's Play

Go to PotteryBarnKids.com and click the "Free Design Services" link to make an appointment for a child-friendly consultation.

(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com.)

Now, it's easier than ever for homeowners to find their place in the sun inside their houses. Most commonly called a sunroom -- but also known as a solarium, garden room or conservatory -- this glassed-in room allows people to take in natural views and sunlight from the comfort of a controlled environment, says Richard Harris, a vice president with Four Seasons Sunrooms and Windows, a 42-year-old company based in Holbrook, New York, with 300 franchises in the United States and Canada.

"As plants grow toward the light, people are also drawn to sunny spaces," he says. "Different from a lanai or enclosed porch, a sunroom tends to not share or be contained under an existing roofline on the home. Instead a sunroom is a free-standing structure that has glass walls and often a glass roof or skylights."

Modern-day sunrooms have their historical roots in European greenhouses and conservatories. A glassed-in room was attached to an existing building to be able to grow tropical plants and fruits, so they could be enjoyed in colder climates.

The modern-day rise of the sunroom's popularity started in the last part of the 20th century, when professional remodeling companies developed stand-alone systems to enclose a patio. For this reason, sunrooms can also be referred to as "patio rooms," which feature engineered glass panels that are customized and prefabricated to on-site building specifications.

But before letting the sunshine in with a sunroom addition, you must first work out how you want to use it, Harris says. "If you want to use a sunroom as a dining space with a large table and chairs, or just as a place to enjoy morning coffee, the size of the room is often dictated by the configuration of furniture," he says. "How a sunroom will be used also determines the use of electricity, and if there's a need for plumbing."

No matter its use, a sunroom should be a sunny segue from the inside of the house to scenic views outside. Usually attached to the back or side of a home, a sunroom can have many uses, including: a home office, an art studio, a home gym, a craft room, a game room or just an extension of the kitchen or living room.

Whether building plans are new construction or renovating a home to include a sunroom, Harris says homeowners need to do their homework and check local building codes within their municipality and/or homeowner's association guidelines to gain permits before breaking ground. "The site needs to be prepared and graded so water flows away from a home's foundation," he says. "Also the style and structure of the sunroom needs to complement your home's architecture, but it also has to be built to endure strong winds and snow loads on the roof in colder climates."

Sunrooms come in a variety of shapes and sizes:

-- An angled-roof sunroom boasts the simplicity of a structure with modern appeal featuring floor-to-ceiling windows.

-- A curved-roof sunroom -- often called a solarium -- has a glass ceiling that curves downward into glass-paneled walls.

-- A gabled-roof sunroom, with an option for cathedral ceilings, can create a sense of airiness in the space.

-- A conservatory sunroom recreates the round, classical Victorian English-style or the distinctive Georgian style, with rooftop architectural design elements.

A Four Seasons Sunroom is prefabricated with glass-paneled walls built in 3-foot increments. "One of the most common sizes is a 12-by-12-foot sunroom," Harris says. "But, again, a sunroom's size depends on what it will be used for and the constraints of a home's architecture and roofline." Harris says costs for a typical sunroom can average around $35,000, but that cost will escalate as more window/door details and square footage are added.

As technology has advanced, so has the sunroom's energy efficiency, through the use of insulated, tinted and privacy glass. Aluminum, wood or vinyl-composite/clad frameworks can be manufactured to house immovable glass, operating windows or French doors that open into the yard.

Harris touts the next generation of sunrooms -- which will have smart-room technologies including Internet-enabled capabilities, temperature control abilities and motorized screens. No matter how the room is appointed, it's important for all its components to be dressed in their sunny-best: using fade-resistant fabrics and flooring that can be easily swept clean.

"Sunrooms aren't just for use on picture-perfect sunny days," Harris says. "There's something really beautiful about watching the rain or snow come down while you're warm and dry inside a sunroom."

The Sunny Side of Life

Arrange for a FREE in-home estimate with a local sunroom dealer. Go to FourSeasonsSunrooms.com or call 888-270-3546.

(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com.)