Sun, Sea and Soft Furnishings

If you're keen on heading down the Shore and want to do more than sleep in the sun, this might be the week to dig out your flip-flops. This Monday, the Marketplace Design Center, one of the main furnishings and design showrooms in Philadelphia, organizes a trip taking you up close to some equally plush furnished pads, this time with sea views. The MDC bus will weave its way through the Shore towns, stopping for guided peeps into a few select showhouses. The route leads through Ventnor, Margate and Longport, and promises to show how to make your beach house a temple to designer furniture, lighting and decor. Maybe you'll even pick up tips on turning your city shoebox into a model of breezy seaside living. Just make sure on the way out that you leave the carpets sand-free.

Beach and Bay House Tour, Mon., Aug. 2, 9:30 a.m. departure, $50, Marketplace Design Center, 2400 Market St., 215-561-5000.

—Juliet Fletcher

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