Can batik touches improve your room?

When times are tough and we know we can't or shouldn't make expensive investments in our decor, little things can perk up our moods as well as the room.

West Elm offers classic scoop-back chairs in both batik print and plain colors.

The bentwood seats rest on chrome-plated iron, and some assembly is required.

The price is $99 each, with discounts when you purchase two or four.

The batik comes in wheat grass or chocolate, and the plain is available in those shades as well as white and turmeric (which looks orange to me).

Barstools and counterstools (the seats are different heights) are available in plain chocolate and white.

And we hope they're comfortable because they also make them as desk chairs.

West Elm offers many other chairs. As a lover of French Deco, I like the curved upholstered chair, which can be for the dining or living room. It's the sides or arms that curve gracefully. It comes in cocoa or steel blue for $300, again with a discount if more are purchased.

Visit westelm.com or call (888) 922 4119. There is a store in Oak Brook.

Be ready for guests from everywhere

You say you're a man or woman of the world, rather cosmopolitan, thank you.

Here's a way to learn a salutation in six languages without going to school.

These stemless wine glasses bear their greetings in red, black and silver: cheers, salud, kampai, a votre sante, le'chaim, and prost.

The price is $21.95 at CB2, and yes, they can go in the dishwasher.

Check out a new lamp for your home

Linden Street is a J.C. Penney brand of furniture and home accessories designed for casual young families.

It's supposed to be a warm, cozy updating of classic design. To show their modern functionality, some pieces are equipped with electrical outlets for those current indispensables like iPods and cell phones.

We like this latest version of an iron scroll lamp, which will be available soon online and in stores for $140.