Your cart
Close Alternative Icon
SHOP HOURS: Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM **Sunday & Monday CLOSED SHOP HOURS: Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM **Sunday & Monday CLOSED

WHAT'S NEW AT GRACEFULLY RESTORED ...

TRENDING: Pampas Grass

TRENDING: Pampas Grass
via @terrain, @canva, @justinecelina

I have been majorly crushing on dried pampas grass this Fall, and it appears that I am not alone. This natural, wispy wonder is showing up EVERYWHERE. It adds such a wild, yet soft, element to floral arrangements, but looks absolutely stunning in a vase on its own.

Canadian blogger Justine Celina has the best care and conditioning tips for bringing this natural wonder into your home.

1. Give each reed a good shake — allowing excess plume shedding to occur.
2. Use a pair of garden shears to trim the stems to the desired height for your vase or arrangement.
3. Arrange Pampas Grass reeds in your vase, delicately styling the plume until you’ve achieved the desired effect. If your Pampas Grass is untreated, additional shedding may occur.
4. Once you’ve styled each plume to perfection, grab a high-hold hairspray and give them a generous misting. This will ensure the stands stay put and helps to keep shedding at bay!
5. Since Pampas Grass reeds are dried, they do not require any water. To maintain your plumes, re-spray every 6 months to help maintain fullness.

We have a limited supply of dried pampas in the shop for purchase. I am just loving how easy it is to decorate with. What is your opinion on this look? Is pampas grass something you'd use to decorate your home this Fall?

Continue reading

Discovering a Passion

People ask all the time how Sue got started doing what she loves. When people come into our store or engage with Sue online it is obvious she is passionate about her profession. 

Thanks for all of your support!

 

Continue reading

Boston's Chronicle on WCVB TV featured Gracefully Restored

Chronicle on WCVB Channel 5 recently featured our retail store, Gracefully Restored Home, in Holliston, MA. We have always been fans of Chronicle so when they called we jumped at the opportunity. The Chronicle team was amazing to work with and could not have made being on TV any easier. We are so grateful for their professionalism and kind nature.

Watch TV clip (2 minutes): http://www.wcvb.com/article/what-s-new-home-store/8353977

Behind the scenes pics from filming:


 

 

Come visit us in charming Holliston, MA and enjoy a number of shops, cafe, and a beautiful New England town center.

Sue

Continue reading

On Our Way to Brimfield!

On Our Way to Brimfield!

Brimfield Antique Fair Shopping Guide

Three times a year people come from all over the country to visit the Brimfield Antique Show in Brimfield, MA where over 6,000 antique dealers haul their wares for everyone to see. I try to attend as many of these shows as possible and am so excited to be going to Brimfield next week! 


How to shop on Brimfield antique fair?

Brimfield Antique Fair Shopping Guide

This fair has absolutely everything you can imagine from high end antique furniture to fabulously rusty architectural salvage (and everything in between). It's so much fun chatting with the individual dealers and listening to their stories about how they got started and hearing about the history of their goods.

I usually try to plan out a strategy before I get there as it is completely overwhelming. There is literally one full miles' worth of stuff to browse. This year I'm hoping to find some vintage seltzer bottles and printer trays. Many of our clients have asked us to keep an eye out for old doors and windows. You never know what you'll find, but if you're a treasure hunter like I am, you're always on the lookout for that diamond in the ruff :)

Grande collection

Continue reading

Help! What Size Chandelier Do I Need?

Help! What Size Chandelier Do I Need?

 

French Country Shabby Chic Lighting

One of the most common questions we get from our customers is about the size of chandelier they should purchase for their space. It can make shopping for a chandelier a little bit daunting. Well, fear not - you are on your way to being an expert in chandelier sizing for your home!

The first thing to consider is the space that you'll be using your light. Are you looking for an overhead light for a room or a fixture for above your dining table? For example, if you're looking to purchase a chandelier for your foyer, you need to take into account the height of the ceiling and size of the foyer. Is your foyer one story or two? Is it a small hallway or a large expansive room. 

The two impoFrench Country Shabby Chic Lightingrtant factors to determine chandelier size are height and diameter. In terms of height, the rule of thumb is to accommodate 2.5-3 inches of chandelier height for each foot of ceiling height. A standard 8-foot ceiling requires a chandelier that is 20-24 inches in height. When considering diameter, you want to add the height and the width of the room together. Use that figure as inches, and you have the suggested diameter of the chandelier for that space. For example, if the room is 15 by 20 feet, the sum is 35 feet. The approximate diameter of a chandelier in that area is 35 inches.

Another factor to consider is the placement of your light in the room. Say you are looking for a chandelier to hang over your dining table. You want to center the light directly over the table. The exception to this is if your table is long and you want to place two smaller chandeliers or pendants over the table instead of one. In this case you'll want to choose chandeliers with a diameter one third of the width of the table and hang them centered on each half of the table. For example, if your table is 48 inches by 96 inches, you would divide 48 by 3 equaling 16 inches. Therefore a chandelier with the diameter of 16 inches would be perfect. The same would be true for spacing pendants over an island.

 

French Country Shabby Chic LightingRegardless of whether you choose one or two fixtures, you'll want to hang them approximately 30 to 34 inches above the table with a standard 8 foot ceiling height. If your ceiling is higher than 8 feet, mount the chandelier(s) an additional 3 inches higher for each foot of ceiling. So if your ceiling is 10 feet tall, your lighting fixture should be hung 36-40 inches over the table.

 

French Country Shabby Chic LightingAnother fun idea is to hang a chandelier in an unexpected space, like above a bathtub, in a nursery or above a bed. Wherever you choose to hang your piece the most important thing is that it reflects your own personal style and that you totally love it!           

Have you updated your lighting recently? We'd love to see some pictures! Just tag us on Instagram @gracefullyrestored and we just might feature your space in one of our posts!
Continue reading

The Lowdown on Brimfield in July ...

The Lowdown on Brimfield in July ...

Brimfield Antique Show

What a fun day we had at Brimfield! Although it was a sweltering 92 degrees, the antique dealers did not disappoint. This was my first time attending the July show and I was amazed at how uncrowded it was! I was told by some of the veterans that the attendance is lightest in July due to the heat. This, coupled with the fact that we went on a Friday and there were only two days left, helped us to score some major deals!

Brimfield Antique Show

So loaded up with sunscreen, comfy shoes, lots of water and our trusty rolling cart (don't judge), we were off. Although at first glance it can appear to just be a swarm of tents and tables jumbled together, there actually IS a system to the place. There are 21 separate markets with staggering opening dates. We did our best to go in order and travel row by row, as to not miss any once-in-a-lifetime deals. But with the sun beating down, we got tired in a mere 4 hours and missed quite a bit of the vendors (we're usually rockstars at these types of events and last the entire day). We DID, however, score some great finds.

I was psyched to find an antique organ mantle which was very ornate and large for a mere $20, not to mention some very cool Indian wooden carved stamps, a vintage artists easel, some very old spools of wool and an antique tool caddy.

There really was everything you could possibly imagine from vintage clothing to antique tools to creepy clown statues. There are outrageously expensive items and dealers that offer $1 bargain tables, and EVERYTHING in between.

Brimfield Antique Show

I think we will definitely return to the July show next year, even with the crazy heat. Did you attend the Brimfield show? If so, we'd love to see your finds. Just tag us on Instagram @gracefullyrestord. Happy bargain hunting!

gracefully restored farmhouse shabby chic rustic decor

 

Continue reading