"I can remember, as a child, marveling at the softness of my grandmother's hands and all the comfort and safety that feeling provided." Textile Designer Jane Wicks, director of design for the healthcare, hospitality and residential markets at Designtex, shares her memories and insights about the importance of touch and texture, and talks about how they play out in various settings. Thanks to advancements in technology, plush fabrics can now be high-performance, and digital printing creates faux textures that can visually trigger the same sensations as touching the real thing.

Art means different things to different people. In Philadelphia, it's helping some at-risk kids from going AWOL and making everyone feel better about their neighborhood. Now 20 years old, the Mural Arts Program, brainchild of Jane Golden, is a paint-by-numbers approach to complex urban problems. And it's reaping remarkable results - less trash and graffiti, more trees and grass, and a new kind of empowerment and pride that some describe as magical. "It makes people feel like they have a voice."

Light is a powerful metaphor and has been used for everything from the onset of a sudden brilliant idea to thoughtfully leaving the porch light on for someone you love. Interestingly, just as background music influences mood -- light with its patterns of brightness and shadows often influences our perceptions and use of space.