With Halloween upon us, it’s appropriate that CultureMap has spent October helping Houston explore “The Comforts of Home” because when it comes to what terrifies us, it appears vampires and zombies are creeping out and haunted homes are back in. With the success of movies like Paranormal Activity 3 and the buzz around American Horror Story, FX's show about a murderous yet kinky haunted house, the Zeitgeist seems to point to our homes as the next big scary thing.

Whether it’s anxiety from the housing crisis leaking into the cultural psyche or merely that the cycle of spooky things has landed back on haunted houses, this Halloween we have nothing to fear but the things that go bump in our custom built kitchens.

When it comes to the question of the existence of ghostly spirits refusing to pay their share of the mortgage, I’m usually an agnostic, but after learning new information about an old family spooky tale, I’ve come to wonder if it’s not ghosts but another type of spirit that might disturb the comforts our homes.

GiGi and the New Orleans psychic

The story begins long ago in New Orleans with my great grandmother, known as GiGi to her grandchildren. Though a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, she did have one indulgence my great grandfather greatly disapproved of, her monthly visits to French Quarter fortune tellers. Her favorite psychic den was Bottom of the Cup, a staple back then, and still today, for palm, Tarot, and tea leaf reading, and most bizarre, gourmet teas.

On usual visits, GiGi was told vague generalities about what the future held, but during one notable session that my mother, a teenager at the time, witnessed, GiGi’s fortune teller brought her strange news indeed. The seer gazed deep into GiGi’s tea cup, read the tea leaves once, then once more to be certain, before delivering this message from the future: “The red chair wants to move.”

Neither my mother nor her grandmother could decipher what this meant. Was this psychic code? Was the red chair an omen for tragedy or triumph awaiting GiGi?

But the psychic would not interpret this time. She would only repeat the spirits’ message, “The red chair wants to move.”

And that should have been the end of that, except that night my mother received a hushed but frantic phone call from her grandmother. My great grandfather was never told about GiGi’s psychics, yet that evening as he sat reading his newspaper in the living room, without a word, he looked across the room at the low-standing, wood and red velvet chair. It sat in the same place for many years, existing more as an accent piece than a sitting chair.

He put down his paper, got up, walked across the room, picked up the chair, and moved it three feet to the left.

GiGi was so startled she was speechless for minutes, before finally inquiring, “Darling, why did you move that chair?”

He had no answer. He simply felt compelled to move the red chair.

So what did it mean? Was the chair haunted? Was the fortune teller a psychic decorator? Was my practical, Episcopalian great grandfather, a man who worked in insurance, hearing the call from some chair entity?

As a child, when my mother told me this story, I never gave it much analysis, until recently, when we discovered what happened to the chair.

A chair on the move

When my great grandparents died — in their seventies of entirely natural and non-supernatural chair causes — the chair went on the move.

First it traveled across town to my Great Aunt Ruth’s home. Then it crossed state lines to live with Ruth’s son Al in Clear Lake. Years later, it seemed to transfer its attention to Al’s in-laws as it was moved to Dallas and then it caught the professional photographer’s eye of Al’s brother-in-law, Wade Livingston. Perhaps this is the future the Bottom of the Cup psychic saw so long ago, because now the red chair has found a new career as a model. In photos, it moves around the world, as it holds beautiful femme fatales contemplating murder in exotic locations.

I no longer think the chair has a ghost clinging to it; instead, I wonder if the chair possesses a spirit of its own. If we believe that some landscapes and even structures have a feel or perhaps a spirit to them, can a thing have one as well?

And as Halloween lurks upon us, I’ve come to realize what I should fear within my home is not demonic poltergeists or spirits of the death both tormented and tormenting. No, I now fear something far more heinous, that my furniture might be judging me.

If GiGi’s red chair can know wanderlust, what’s to keep my mahogany chest of drawers that’s been in my father’s family for generations from seething with resentment when I stuff T-shirts into a drawer, instead of folding them neatly.

Is my Ikea couch silently screaming at me to speak Swedish already? Is my beautiful glass lamp from Bali appalled at my taste in television shows? After years together in a co-dependent and occasionally abusive relationship, did my rocking chair ever plot the death of my cat?

Most of all, as the days grow short and the nights long, I look with paranoia at my own red chair I inherited from my grandmother, GiGi’s daughter. Is it comfortable in its home or does it feel stagnate? Would it like to escape the confines of its existence and move a few feet, a few miles, or even to a new state or country? I wonder if I should find a psychic decorator to read its fortune, and then the most horrific thought of all occurs.

If I do, will my red chair blab about my horrible decorating sense?

Editor's Note: In a CultureMap continuing series, Houstonians from all walks of life tell us about their favorite room at home.

Noted art collector Judy Nyquist’s pink dining room has been a favorite hangout since the family purchased and renovated their vintage 1930s home in River Oaks 15 years ago.

An Andy Warhol silkscreen of Marilyn Monroe watches over the light-filled room that holds some of Nyquist's most cherished pieces — a range of work that includes a Picasso print and a Nina Bavosso painting on paper to a series of ceramic dessert items crafted by sixth-grade art students at the St. John's School.

A display of work by the Nyquist children rests prominently by the entrance to the room, just to the side of the instantly-recognizable Warhol print.

“This room was originally a study when we bought the house, a dark space with lots of heavy wood paneling,” Nyquist remembered.“We wanted to brighten it up during our renovations, since the room gets such amazing natural light. I knew immediately that Marilyn belonged in here, so we painted the walls to match the print."

Nyquist began collecting art in the 1990s during her time in London working as an art historian and curator. Drawings from the 16th through 18th centuries were her initial focus, a number of which hang on the walls just outside the pink dining room. Works on paper continue to intrigue the collector, despite the shift of her interest towards contemporary pieces.

"Drawings and other works on paper record are such a direct and spontaneous act by the artist," Nyquist noted. "That's what attracts me to so many pieces, that imprint of the artist. Of course, there's a whole other dimension when you can know or meet the person behind a certain work. That's how we started turning to more contemporary art."

Each piece in the dining room bears the indelible mark of the artist, right down to Warhol's slightly askew silkscreen print.

“We've always had a very personal and emotional attachment to our collection," Nyquist said. "We've always lived with the art. This dining room isn't used to showcase certain pieces. It's a place where we work and have our meals."

"More recently," she laughed, "the kids have been playing cards in here. What can I say... the room has great light."

Houstonians aren’t building as many new houses as they used to. So wouldn’t it make sense if they stayed put and fixed up their existing home? Wouldn’t a nice remodeling job make it a little more livable for the long run?

Well, it’s not happening that way.

Homeowners aren’t tackling many major remodeling projects. And when they do call a remodeler, the homeowner is spending conservatively.

Remodelers say 2011 is pretty much like 2010 — the year of the small job. For the most part, remodelers try to eke out a living with simple bathroom and kitchen re-dos. Forget about the elaborate whole-house remodels and room additions with price tags of more than $300,000.

“People are being very, very cautious,” says Houston remodeler Dan Bawden, owner of Legal Eagle Contractors. “A lot of homeowners have money, but they are just really reluctant to spend it right now. Everybody is holding it close to the vest. “

Bawden, former president of the Greater Houston Builders Association, says he was hearing the same downbeat theme as he met with other Texas remodelers in late October at the Sunbelt Builders Show in Austin.

Homeowners and spending less for remodeling, and when they do — they spend conservatively.

The days of insisting on high-end Viking stoves, Kohler sinks or Hansgrohe faucets are gone, for most homeowners, Bawden says. Having a sexy brand-name kitchen sink isn’t so important when you’re worried about a double-dip recession.

“People are being more careful for what they pick for fixtures. it’s really interesting,” Bawden says. “They are seeking out less expensive materials all across the board — tile, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures — in order to keep the project cost down as much as possible."

The outlook for an immediate turnaround is not good. The Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University predicts the nation’s remodeling business will be soft until mid-year 2012, at least. The sluggish national economy and realty market will dampen any recovery move in remodeling, the Harvard study says.

“Homeowners are continuing to undertake smaller jobs, but are still nervous about larger discretionary projects,” says Kermit Baker, director of the Harvard program.

In the meantime, remodelers are placing hope in any trendlet they can find, such as seniors housing.

Baby Boomers have been remodeling homes in order to make a place for their aging parents, i.e. the mother-in-law suite. And other remodeling jobs that adapt homes so that seniors can stay in their houses as they age have been a popular thing.

A couple of years ago when the housing market crashed, remodeling registered an uptick because people decided remodel and stay put. But that trend has played out, Bawden says.

Looking Up

The Houston housing market continues to sail away from the doldrums.

The Houston Association of Realtors reported 4,635 single-family home sales in September, up 17 percent from September of last year. It’s the fourth month in a row that sales volume has increased. And the inventory of homes for sale has been declining — a true indicator of an improving market.

The HAR reported 47,812 properties were listed for sale in September, an 11.5 percent decline from a year ago.

Home prices have been rising a bit, too. The median single-family home price is up 1.7 percent over September of last year.

It’s true that the local home market was awful in 2010. So when you make comparisons to last year, you are making comparisons against some very dark days. But the realty market is definitely brighter in 2011 and the recovery has some sustained traction.

Signs of Confidence

Houston real estate companies have been adding new offices, an indicator that residential sales and getting better and realtors are gaining more confidence in the economy.

Intero Real Estate Services, a major residential brokerage firm in the Silicon Valley, recently opened an office in the West Ave development. Katie Maxwell, who’s heading up the Intero office, said the firm is hyper-focused on the Inner Loop for now, but look for additional Intero offices to be unveiled soon.

Heritage Texas Properties just opened its 13th office. The newest Heritage outlet is in Katy in the Icon Bank building on Cinco Ranch Boulevard.

Weichert Realtors – Wayne Murray Properties recently opened a new office in The Woodlands. And Martha Turner, the namesake of Martha Turner Properties, says there are several communities in the Houston metropolitan area that she wants to penetrate with new offices.

These expansions are being conducted by smart operators with a track record of knowing how to make money by selling houses.

Listen up: Martha Turner, Wayne Murray and Heritage owner Robin Mueck have been around the block a few times. And when the battle-hardened veterans of Houston real estate are planning to open new offices, it means the real estate rebound can’t be far off.

Ralph Bivins, former president of the National Association of Real Estate Editors, is founding editor of RealtyNewsReport.com.

For the educated 18th-century Parisian socialite, it was the age of correspondence. Both men and women wrote for business purposes, to share news between family and friends and for mere pleasure.

Young men and women were taught penmanship, grammar and how to craft a beautiful and sensible letter. The activity was engaged in at points throughout the day.

Thus emerged the ancestor to the modern day home office. Curious?

An exquisite example is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston through Dec. 11. Strolling through the exhibit halls of Life & Luxury: The Art of Living in Eighteenth-Century Paris is like walking a day in the life of the French echelon in the the City of Lights. On view are some 160 objects assembled from 26 museums and private collections that mingle decorative arts, fine arts, clocks, fashion, writing instruments, metalwork, musical instruments, books, maps, scientific instruments — everything in-between what's considered to be either fine arts or applied arts today.

That distinction wasn't so clearly defined in the 18th century. Arts were studied along science, business tools and scientific instruments were beautifully decorated in the style of the Rococo period. In this time of economic prosperity, the elite of Paris had the means to indulge and invest in beautiful objects used in everyday rituals.

The items in the bureau or the cabinet andthe chambers where business was conductedwere no exception.

On this Art and About video adventure, we continue our exploration of the lavish lifestyle of the top one percent in Paris. We started with the morning ritual of the toilette — not to be confused with our banal modern day interpretation of toilet — and now move into the professional vocation and activities of the very rich.

The bureaux was dedicated to business affairs and featured a big flat top broad writing desk made for spreading out and organizing paper. The activity is depicted in detail in Jacques-André-Joseph Aved's Portrait of Marc de Villiers, which illustrates the secretary to the king.

"Here [Marc de Villiers] is seated in his bureaux at his bureau plat; his correspondence is so prolific, he's had to file it together strapping it down with a canvass belt, " Charissa Bremer-David, J. Paul Getty Museum curator of sculpture and decorative arts, says. "His correspondence overflows as books and papers are resting on a chair nearby."

The desk — built circa 1720-25 by Charles Cressent — is accessorized by a paperweight and an inkstand set. One container held the ink, another contained sand to sprinkle over the wet ink to hasten drying. The center pod carried a sea sponge used to clean the ink from the tip of the quills.

"We have a beautiful leather chair and one of the first pieces of ergonomically correct chairs," Bremer-David, explains. "It's well padded with a rounded back and a serpentine seat front designed for someone who was meant to sit a desk for long periods of time and write. It supports one's legs, back, arms and elbows in a seated position.

"Built-in to the armrests are hidden pockets lined with velvet, meant to hold something precious like eyeglasses, coins, a miniature portrait of a beloved or a pocket watch."

Time keeping was a serious matter when conducting business. The space is fitted with a cartel clock by Cressent, which was also responsible for the desk, and monumental 9-foot storage cabinets flanking the desk.

Though the interiors of the cupboards have been rebuilt over time, it's speculated that books, writing, correspondence, files, papers and collectors items like small bronzes were stored inside its ornamented concave and convex doors.

"The gilt bronze mounds in the cabinets are evocative of the allegories of the arts and sciences," Bremer-David says. "Putti (cherubs) playing with musical instruments, putti working with the implements of sciences, astronomy, geography — latitude and longitude were a great challenge of the 18th century and the putii are working hard recording these measurements."

Each cabinet door has a key hole. But most curious is the center door's latch on the reverse side, which allows the cupboard door to open from the interior. It might have been a secret passageway from the bureaux to another space like a corridor, bedroom or secret chamber.

The exhibit continues on to the study of sciences, art collecting, the meal, entertaining and prayer. Be on the look out for future Art and About videos continuing our 18th century luxurious odyssey.

Or better yet, pay a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Access to the Life & Luxury exhibit comes with standard museum admission.

Eco-conscious homeowners (and renters) can buy composting contraptions and rain collection devices for half price this weekend.

The City of Houston and AIA Houston are hosting a one-day-only truckload sale for the Earth Machine ($45, including tax) and SYSTERN Rain Barrels ($55) at Minute Maid Park Stadium Parking Lot C. Do your part to keep organic waste out of the landfill with the former, and collect every precious drop with the latter.

The gadgets will be on sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday — and the earlier you arrive, the better. Supplies are limited. Visa, MasterCard, and checks will be accepted.