YOUR PLACE.

Byline: - Compiled by Barbara De Witt 

DECORATING LIKE THE SWELLS: Dream pads and dreamy baby bedding? They're no longer for the big-bucks-only crowd.

Thanks to some smart licensing deals, low-end stores have snagged high-end designers to create affordable furnishings for design-savvy families.

Three new lifestyle collections making their debut at Target stores are Swell by fashion designer Cynthia Rowley and her style writer gal pal Ilene Rosenzweig; Sunny Patch by David Kirk, author of the ``Miss Spider'' children's books; and Amy Coe's vintage-inspired baby bedding collection.

Although Coe's pastel prints are sweetly retro, Kirk's color-drenched garden party characters posing as rockers, stools, toy boxes and garden sprinklers are delightfully fresh, especially at $19.99 and under.

And the Swell collection is, well, swell. ``We went for witty rather than too-cute,'' quips Rowley, who's designed clothing for a number of Hollywood hotties.

In L.A. this week to promote the Swell collection, Rowley says she and Rosenzweig put their heads together and designed 700 products that they hope are multifunctional, such as an ice bucket that can be used as a trash basket.

Highlights include the ``Good Clean Fun'' towels and sheet sets embroidered with matching ``You'' and ``Me'' pillowcases. ``We thought it would be more politically correct instead of saying His and Hers,'' says Rosenzweig with a chuckle.

Rowley-Rosenzweig fans will recognize the sort-of-serape-print stripe that's become their signature print on books and clothing, as it's now on dinnerware. Among the playful utensils are square plastic dishes, flatware (dig the pink spoons) and matching TV trays.

``It's just the thing for gathering around the big screen to watch us on our own Showtime show called 'A Girl's Guide to Sweet Movies,' but it would be equally fashionable for watching 'Sex and the City' or 'Jackass,' '' says Rowley.

Prices? Pure cheap-chic, at $1.99 for a wine goblet to $109.99 for a 230- thread-count king-size duvet.

MARTHA BACKLASH: Sure, Martha Stewart probably knows how to make the world's best cookies, floral arrangements and party favors, but is the effort worth it? If you've been asking that question and can find contentment with less-than-perfect-decor, read ``The Lazy Woman's Guide to Just About Everything'' by Judie O'Neill and Bridget Fonger (Elephant Eye Press; $15). A humorous respite from Martha-itis, this paperback is filled with fast, cheap ideas for fixing your home, garden and even your family life, which the authors will be sharing at a series of workshops at the Learning Tree University, 20920 Knapp St., Chatsworth. March 1 is ``Lazy Woman Wisdom,'' followed by ``Home and Garden'' on March 15, repeated May 10. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon. The fee for each class is $49. To request a class catalog or to register, call [phone].

GET A BUZZ: You can call it java, espresso or double latte, but it's all coffee, which is the subject of a class for coffee lovers at 1 p.m. today at Descanso Gardens. Chuck Jones of Pasadena Coffee Roasters will teach the class, which covers cultivation, harvesting, roasting and home brewing of our favorite drink. Fee is $13.

To learn about the other buzz - the one in the garden - sign up for Allison Mia Starcher's program on how to identify beneficial bugs in your yard and get them to protect your plants. Fee is $15. Register for both classes by calling [phone]. Descanso Gardens is at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge. Parking is free. General admission (not including classes) is $5.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 3) no caption (Target's new lifestyle collections)

(4) no caption (Book: ``The Lazy Woman's Guide to Just About Everything'')