This week, we’re staging our house for sale.  You’d think we’d be experts at it (and, in fact, we are), yet it still feels like a monumental undertaking.  Staging is more than just cleaning, painting, and decluttering; it’s about making any house look bigger, brighter, and full of warmth and grace.  It’s a tall order for anyone, even a decorator who has moved many, many times. The past few weeks, we’ve had all hands on board.  Both Lauren and Matt were summoned to edit their respective closets, drawers and medicine cabinets.  Even Jack (8 yrs) contributed by tossing out stray Lego pieces and creating a pile of “baby” books to donate to the library. My husband, Patrick,  planted geraniums in the window boxes, cleaned out the garage, and made numerous stops to the dump and Salvation Army. For us, home staging is about creating a portrait of the home that feels perfect.  And though it’s a lot of work, we really do enjoy it. Below, our kitchen’s breakfast nook takes on a whole new look with a few staging essentials.  
It’s important to create little vignettes throughout the house. This nook was a great selling point for us when we first bought the house. When we saw it, we immediately yearned to drink our morning cup of coffee in it. Simply by buying two happy orange pillows, setting the table with inexpensive place mats, and putting some fresh peonies in an old milk glass vase, we were able to set a really inviting scene. Who could resist?
These pillows were purchased from CB2 for $14.95.  Aren’t they fun?  Pillows are one of the least expensive and most rewarding accessories to buy for your home. We always save any fabric left over from projects to make pillows with when an opportunity presents itself.
Adding this colorful runner from Dash & Albert brings warmth to the kitchen stairs. Carpeting also makes the buyer feel like they are getting more for their money (especially when it’s as stylish as this!).  We’ll have to install another one of these in our next house.  It’s so cheerful!
Another great tip: adding green houseplants or (ideally) fresh flowers in every room.  It really does bring your house to life and provides the prospective buyer with a chance to imagine how living things could thrive next to a window, or in a real setting. We’ll be sharing many of our preparations this week (including the transformation of our laundry room into a children’s bedroom). And we’d love to get your feedback; let us know if you have any great staging tips! If you’d like to walk through the house and see the final product, come on by. The open house is this Friday morning, June 5th.  Just e-mail us at goodbonesgreatpieces@gmail.com and we’ll send you the address.- S & L

1. Melissa Odabash Jemima Floppy Hat ($135) – It’s always harder than you think to find the perfect sun hat. This one is made of straw and is wide enough to keep all those harmful rays away. 2. Lizzie Fortunato Jewels Layla Necklace – This jewelry is made by 23 year-old twin sisters, Lizzie and Kathryn Fortunato. They started making pieces in high school, eventually selling them out of their college dorm a few years later. These days, you can find their quirky chic charms everywhere from Colette in Paris to the runways of New York City fashion week. 3. J Crew Seersucker Swimsuit ($76) – My number one pick for best one-piece. I can’t wait to wear this on our trip to Lake Como! Check out J Crew’s other swimsuits as well, they have a great selection this year. 4. Barbara Hulanicki for Topshop Girl Print Sundress ($99) – Look closely at this feminine frock and you’ll notice a whimsical little print. 5. Cynthia Vincent Dinah Sandal ($200) – For tan legs only! – L
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Your response to our color theory stories has been so strong, we decided to share another of our favorite interior colors with you: Grey. This photo is a quick look at a bathroom being renovated for a client of mine in a pre-war apartment in Manhattan.
The wall color is Benjamin Moore Misty Grey. (Please excuse the quality of the photo- it was not taken by Matt McGrath, but by his mom, the amateur.) This grey is such a subtle contrast in color against the crisp white Waterworks tiles and the original white pedestal sink. I would recommend it for any all white bathroom. Below are our top 6:

1. Benjamin Moore Full Moon (2119-70), 2. Benjamin Moore Grey Owl (OC-52), 3. Benjamin Moore Misty Gray (2124 -60), 4. Farrow & Ball Light Gray (17), 5. Benjamin Moore Icicle (OC-60), 6. Benjamin Moore Moonshine (OC-56). As you can see, we love Ben Moore colors!

By the way, we’re great fans of the book, House Beautiful Colors for Your Home, if you’re about to embark upon a home renovation and are looking for expert advice on color selections. – S

No style of furniture appeals to our clean, romantic sensibility more than Swedish.  Gustavian style Swedish furniture refers to King Gustav, who ruled Sweden in the 18th century, when most of the iconic pieces were designed.  Decorative arts experts believe that the Swedes traveled to France during this period, hence the references to classic French forms.  In any event, the lines are always so interesting and the cool grey coloration makes this style of furniture stand apart from all others.

You can find lots of affordable reproduction furniture on the market, both Country Swedish and Nordic Style have beautiful pieces.  But our favorite source is the Lone Ranger.  Ranger, as he likes to be called, is the largest dealer of authentic restored Swedish furniture on the East Coast.  He lives part of the year in Dania, Florida (where he runs his business, primarily online), and for the past twenty-five years he’s spent summers on a farm he now owns in Sweden.  He finds, repairs, restores and refurbishes Swedish Country furniture – and lots of it! We saw a sampling of the vast variety of his collection at Brimfield Antique Show recently.  He literally filled a field with the most amazing pieces.  He told us when we hung out with him that day that most buyers simply could not believe the authenticity of his pieces because there are so many of them in one place at one time! See below just a few examples of his work.  He has developed his own technique for stripping, painting, and waxing the pieces so that they all look pristine when he’s finished with them.

Lauren invited herself to his farm in Sweden this summer, or did he invite her? Ranger warned her that she would attract too much attention given the novelty of her dark brown hair and fair complexion. She’s still keen to go, and so am I.  - S

We mentioned last week that we’d share what we picked up during our excursion to the Brimfield Antique Show. So, as promised, here’s what we purchased. Funnily, we set out to find two side tables for Suzanne’s bedroom, but ended up with a bunch of small accessories, as well as a great set of Lucite nesting tables (that’s just the way it goes when you are actually looking for something specific, isn’t it?). Of the things we did find, though, we got at great deals. We’ll probably end up selling the majority of the pieces at our booth at the Connecticut Antiques Center. Take a look!
Lauren, with an original “Keep Calm, Carry on” poster. These posters were commissioned by the British Government’s Ministry of Information in the Spring of 1939 in the days just before the German air attacks. The posters were to be issued throughout the country to relay the message of calm from King George VI. Ironically, the posters were never officially issued and remained largely unseen until copies turned up fifty years later within a pile of old books bought from an auction. It’s rare to find an original like this one (and in such a fantastic neon green!). We’d love to hang 4 in different bright colors in a square formation. This one went to Lauren’s brother, Matt, for his new apartment in Williamsburg. It should help guide him through his senior year at Tisch. This slogan resonates with everyone in 2009, don’t you agree?

We were able to bargain these two glass cake plates (one of our favorite things to collect) to one hundred dollars for both (a great deal!). The top plate is especially unusual with its scalloped edge. The icing of a delicious bundt cake is allowed to drip through the handy opening in the center. Below, another beautiful (and heavy!) ironstone cake plate we couldn’t walk away from. All of these items originated from a dealer in Austin, Texas.

There wasn’t a whole lot of Lucite at Brimfield this year. However, we did find these nesting tables in perfect condition. The dealer who was selling them told us that they had just been put out that morning (no wonder they were still around at noon!). We jumped on them, paying only $170 for all three. Yippee!

We wrote about this great find last week—the hobnail milk glass lamps. They were $5 dollars each, so we bought 4. Suzanne picked up some adorable Swiss dot shades for them.

What have you been finding during these peak weekends of flea markets and tag sales? Please send us your comments and photos to share.

This summer, the beach bags du jour do double duty. Whether you’re hitting the sand or the streets, these whimsical totes combine both utility and charm. And at reasonable prices, you don’t have to worry about buying something that’s going to match your every outfit (and if this is a concern, the J Crew city tote is just about as neutral as it gets). Look for something fun, colorful, and above all, roomy! In my opinion, your summer tote should make you smile, every time you use it. My favorite is the APC liberty print tote—a great way to get in on the flower power trend without going overboard. – L

1. Clockwise from top left: APC liberty print shopping bag, $220, 2. Marc by Marc Jacobs Tate tote, on SALE for $114, 3. J Crew canvas boardwalk city tote in weathered stone, on SALE for $39.99, 4. Boden fun shopper in green, $64.