Guest Ready with Serena & Lily -- Top 10 Tips for Hosting Overnight Guests

The holiday season always brings a flurry of visitors, so I've partnered with Serena & Lily to get our home guest ready this season!  I'm sharing my top picks from Serena & Lily to treat your guests to a little bit of luxury during their visit, plus all of my personal tips for making your guests feel welcome! 

1. Comfortable, Good Quality Bedding

When it comes to overnight guests, this is probably the most important thing to get right. This is definitely the one area not to skimp on quality to ensure that your guests have a comfortable stay and get great rest during their visit! Like a nice hotel, I always like to use high-quality white linens that send a message of cleanliness and freshness (and don't feel like sandpaper, lol!). Comfortable, soft and breathable sheets are a must, and I LOVE this bedding from Serena & Lily -- it is absolutely the best in its class.  The linen sheet set and duvet cover are super soft but add subtle texture and interest to the space, and the coverlet is the perfect weight for every season. I always like to get the next size up from whatever the bed is so there is room to spare (and no fighting over the blanket!). I also like to provide lots of layered options depending on the season, since some guests prefer just a light blanket while others like to snuggle under a puffy duvet... and let's be honest, these New England winters get COLD so a good quality multi-season duvet is a great investment in this area.

No two guests are the same when it comes to pillow preferences, so I always like to provide multiple options of each type (down, down alternative, memory foam) and firmness. I keep the extras in the guest room closet and invite my guests to use whichever makes them more comfortable. And of course, you can never have too many throw pillows, am I right!? I love the texture and soothing color these pillows from Serena & Lily add to the guest room. It's so much fun to play around with combinations and tailor them to the personality of our guests! But, since most people don't actually sleep with the throw pillows on the bed, it's a good idea to have a large basket nearby for them to go when they're not in use. This huge basket from Serena & Lily is the perfect solution for stashing those extra pillows & bedding!

3. A Place to Sit (or throw your stuff)

I think it's always important to have at least one cozy chair in a guest room -- whether the guests use it for sitting or just a place to put their things. It's a great way to add some decorative interest and make their stay a little more memorable. I think this Malawi chair feels like something you might see in a fun boutique hotel or exotic resort! I also like to add some light, entertaining magazines or coffee table books nearby for guests to peruse while they sit and relax. 

4. Fresh Bath Linens

I keep a separate set of bath linens exclusively for guests (that I launder separately) so they are always fresh & new. Even if they are clean, I still wash them the day before or the day my guests arrive so the are fresh, clean and fluffy. With these Serena & Lily towels, it's going to be super tempting to steal these babies for myself -- I've never felt such a thick, plush bath towel and the bath sheet is so generously sized!

I'm also a little obsessed with this color right now!! It's called "fog" and is the perfect shade of grey with a slight green undertone (very similar to the color I just painted my island... hmm, I'm seeing a trend here...). 

5. Extra Toiletries

When we're traveling out of town, sometimes we forget things. It happens. So I always like to provide some essential travel-sized toiletries for my guests, and keep the bath & shower fully stocked with my favorite shampoo, conditioner and shower gel (I use these refillable bottles from amazon in all of our bathrooms for a uniform look, free of labels and packaging that contribute to visual clutter).  It's also a fun way for friends & family to try out some of your favorites! And this cute pouch from Serena & Lily is the perfect way to store them in an attractive way for guests.

6. Hooks & Closet Space

One little thing that always bothers me about staying in a hotel is that there are never enough hooks! I don't like throwing my stuff on the bed or (eek!) the floor, so I really appreciate it when I stay somewhere that has plenty of hooks for hanging things. A simple hook rail in the bedroom and one in the bathroom should do the trick (by the way, I 100% prefer towel hooks over a towel bar!).  I also make sure to leave plenty of space in the closet for guests to put their bags/suitcases and any clothes they want to hang up. Anyone else have a serious pet peeve with people putting their bags or wet towels on the bed!? 🙋😖 These simple solutions offer convenient and subtle encouragement for your guests to hang up their towels and put their bags somewhere other than the bed!😉

7. Technology: Wifi Password & Spare Phone Chargers 

Technology is sort of a necessary evil of traveling of hosting. It sounds mundane, but providing the wifi password and easy access to outlets for charging can make a big difference in a guest's experience. I like to write guests a personalized welcome note with the wifi password and leave extra phone chargers in the nightstands in case they forgot theirs.

8. White Noise

There's nothing welcoming about a noisy guest room, so it's a great idea to offer a simple white noise machine (or fan) to help guests get their best sleep during their stay. When you live in an older house like mine, sounds carry from every room so a white noise machine is a must. I have a basic one with a handful of sound options and it has worked out very well! My personal favorite is ocean mode -- nothing like the sound of crashing waves to relax and unwind!

9. Blackout Window Treatments

A nice feature to offer in a guest room is blackout window treatments for guest who like to sleep in, or who have a nap during the day! Our guest room has blackout curtains and plantation shutters so guests can control the amount of light according to their preferences. It's a nice thing to have, not just in guest rooms, but in all bedrooms!

10. Late-Night Snacks

Providing a fun snack tray is another personalized way you can make your guests feel welcome, and you can incorporate their favorites to help them feel right at home! I like to mix in a few of my own favorites too, and always include bottled water (and maybe a bottle of wine, depending on the clientele! 😊. This tray from Serena & Lily makes the perfect snack tray for guests -- it is surprisingly large and holds a ton of stuff! We also have a single-cup coffee machine down the hall for guests to use, so they can enjoy their coffee before heading downstairs if they choose, and I always like to leave out some cute coffee cups for them along with the coffee pods.

One final tip I have is to avoid using any heavily scented detergents, candles or air fresheners when you have guests visiting. So many people (including me!) are bothered by certain fragrances or have sensitive skin, so I always use mild, unscented laundry detergent and avoid any candles or air fresheners (if anything, I might diffuse some eucalyptus essential oil for a subtle spa-like vibe ).

I hope these tips are helpful and would love to hear in the comments about the ways you like to make your own home feel welcoming for your guests!

xo,
Marcie

 p.s. - click on the images below to shop this post! All artwork is by Deb Presutto.

(These are commissionable links, which means I earn a small commission from the retailer at no extra cost to you if you buy through my links. It's just the retailer's way of acknowledging that you found these products through me and rewarding me with a small percentage of the sale).

DIY Kitchen Makeover with Paint

When we renovated our home 2 years ago, we debated for a long time about doing black windows. We finally decided to do black exteriors and white interiors, but I always kind of wished we had done black interiors in the kitchen. (Since we designed the kitchen to have all windows instead of upper cabinets, they are a very prominent feature in the space and you see them as soon as you walk in the front door!). Don't get me wrong, I LOVED them white, but there was this little voice in the back of my head nudging me to take the risk and paint them black!

Another thing that always bugged me was the color of our island. We bought semi-custom pre-finished cabinets from CliqStudios (which I LOVE and highly recommend!) but at the time, they only had a few colors to choose from. We picked "Urban Stone", which is a medium grey with mauve/taupe undertones. It's a great color, but never really felt like the right fit in this space (somehow it always looked purple to me!). I've been wanting to paint it for a long time, but always felt intimidated by the idea.

These gorgeous inspiration pictures certainly made the intimidation factor seem more tolerable:

Design: Amber Interiors
Photography: Tessa Neustadt

Design: Cher House

Well, I finally mustered up the courage and DID IT! Rather than spending thousands on hiring professional painters, I decided to do it myself -- definitely not for everyone, but if you have the patience and the right tools, it's a totally do-able project! I've been getting lots of questions about how I did it and what materials I used, so I'm sharing all the details for you here!

Windows:

First of all, one of the questions I've been asked a lot is what material my windows are made of. They are Jeld-Wen Siteline casement windows with wood grilles. This made them very easy to paint, as opposed to another material like metal or vinyl.

BEFORE:
White Interior Windows

In order to match the exterior window paint, which is already black, I went with Sherwin Williams Super Paint Tricorn Black in a satin finish.  The color was a perfect match and the super paint is paint and primer in one, so it is very convenient and durable (Side note: I bought a gallon, which in hindsight was totally absurd because I swear it only took like a cup of paint to do all of these windows 😂. Maybe I was subconsciously getting more so I would have to paint more things black... hehehee.)

I used my absolute favorite paintbrush ever, the Wooster Shortcut  (this is pretty much the ONLY paintbrush I ever use!). It's perfect for cutting in close on a project like this and getting really crisp. clean lines.

What I'm about to tell you next is (in my opinion) the single most important component of any painting project. It's a latex paint additive called Floetrol, and it is basically liquid magic. I literally NEVER paint without this stuff. It makes it so you can work with the paint for longer before it starts to dry and all but eliminates any visible brush strokes or roller marks for a super-smooth finish. When we had professional painters here during our renovation, they saw that I had this stuff and said "hey WAIT, how do YOU know about this!?", as if I had somehow uncovered a precious little secret of their trade! 😆 Sorry guys, your secret is out 🙊! This stuff is under $15 a gallon and is absolutely worth its weight in gold. If you're attempting this or any other DIY painting project, I can't recommend it highly enough!

Sometimes, taping can be one of the most tedious parts of a paint project. Since these are casement windows which open out with a little crank handle (except for the 2 in each corner, which are fixed), I didn't even bother taping them off because it is so much easier just to scrape off any extra paint off of the glass with a razor blade. I picked up this handy little scraper from the hardware store and it worked like a charm (just be sure to keep it away from kids!). For the corner windows that don't open, I used my favorite kind of painter's tape around all of the edges. 

All in all, it took about 2 coats of paint and 3 days of slowly chipping away at it whenever I could carve away some time. Not bad for 12 windows! Since I knew I would be scraping off any extra paint from the glass with a razor blade, I wasn't too worried about "coloring outside the lines". Especially on the first coat, I tried to just make sure I covered every surface and got in all the little nooks and crannies of the wood grilles. Since I used latex paint, there wasn't much time required for drying between coats. After the second coat dried, I went around and removed all the painters tape and scraped off all the excess paint with the razor blade. Sometimes a little too much paint came off, exposing some of the white underneath, so I went back around at the very end and touched up any little areas that needed it. 

The last 1% of the project took the longest and was the most tedious, just trying to make sure I didn't miss any spots. Knowing myself, I will probably still be noticing things in like 3 months that I need to touch up, so I'm keeping that scraper and touch-up paint handy!

This project honestly was not as difficult as I thought it might be, and I am so happy with how it turned out!

Here are a few snapshots of the "after":

Island:

The idea of painting the island made me more nervous than the windows, but in reality this turned out to be the much easier job! I used my sprayer for the doors and a small foam roller for the rest, and it took maybe 4 hours total. When I finished, it was one of those things that left me asking myself "why didn't I do this sooner!?" It's only a subtle difference in color, but to me that makes a big difference!

I would have used the sprayer for the whole thing, but I REALLY didn't want to cover my whole house in plastic and tape everything off first (lazy! 🙋). So instead, I just taped around the edges on the floor and countertop, removed all the cabinet doors and drawer fronts (as well as all of the hardware) and sprayed them in my back yard on a plastic tarp. If you're going to use a paint sprayer, just make sure you are doing it outside or in a well-ventilated and prepped area (little specks of paint will travel through the air and land on any surface that's not covered). Also, if you're spraying outside, you need to make sure it's not too cold, hot or humid outside because that can adversely affect the paint job. Otherwise, this sprayer is so easy and intuitive to use! This is only the 2nd time I've ever used it so don't feel like you need to be a seasoned paint-spraying expert to do it! If it makes you feel more comfortable, you could practice on a test piece first just to get a feel for it.

After reading lots of reviews, the paint I chose for the island was Benjamin Moore Advance (the color is Gray Owl in a satin finish). Here's how the new color compares to the old pre-finished color:

CliqStudios "Urban Stone"

The new color is a few shades lighter, which I liked to offset the black windows, and no more purple undertones! I also love how it contrasts with the statuario quartz countertops. I'm seriously considering doing it on all of the perimeter cabinets next 😬

This paint goes on like a smooth enamel and had amazing coverage with only one coat of paint. I added some liquid magic (i.e. Floetrol) into the paint to help it flow and lay evenly, and it went on so beautifully. I started with the backs of all the cabinet doors & drawers, and while they were drying I went inside to use the foam roller to put a coat on the rest of the island. Then while that was drying, I went back outside to do the other side of the cabinet doors & drawers with the sprayer.

There were a few small areas where you could see subtle roller marks on the island, so I used an extra-fine sanding sponge to gently sand those areas down before adding another coat of paint. Once everything was dry, I re-installed the doors, drawers and hardware and removed all the painter's tape. The finish looks so professional and I would do this again in a heart beat!

And, since I have all this leftover paint, you can bet that I'm over here dreaming up what to paint next 😉

I hope I covered everything you all had questions about, but please don't hesitate to ask if I forgot anything!

xo
Marcie

P.S. - Here are all the tools I used in this project -- I highly recommend all of them!
(These are commissionable links, which means I earn a small commission from the retailer at no extra cost to you if you buy through my links. It's just the retailer's way of acknowledging that you found these products through me and rewarding me with a small percentage of the sale).

Fall Refresh: Serena & Lily Friends and Family Sale Picks

Fall is decidedly here (even though it's going to be 86 in CT today!!) and this is around the time of year when I get SUPER excited about all the fun in the upcoming seasons. I love to make small changes throughout the house that aren't necessarily seasonal or holiday-themed, but that subtly reflect the different feelings and moods a new season brings. This fall I've brought in some darker tones in the form of a few black/charcoal accessories, along with some textured warmth in the form of some new kitchen counter stools (see my previous post).

However you decorate for a new season, this is the perfect time to treat yourself to a fall refresh from Serena & Lily because from today through October 14, everything is 20% off for their Friends & Family sale! Whether it's a couple of new throw pillows or a big-ticket item like a new dining table or sofa, this is a great opportunity to get your home ready for friends & family during the coming months. In this post, I'm rounding up all the Serena & Lily pieces I have in my home, plus a few of my favorite picks from the sale.

It's no secret I am a big Serena & Lily fan -- their style is just the right balance of casual and refined, with a breezy coastal feeling that never compromises quality. Almost every design I create includes something from Serena & Lily for this reason... they just truly understand that living well begins at home. I've incorporated many S&L pieces in my own home as well, and I love how they are specifically designed for versatility so I can rearrange pieces in different rooms and they always look coordinated and cohesive! Their pillows are especially fun to mix and match! Case in point: I just got these new pillows for the living room, but I've already tried them out in the playroom, bedrooms and basement and they look just as good in every different space 🙌

I'm obsessed with these new Avalis pillows -- they are blue on the front and natural linen on the back with a beautiful exposed brass zipper and a fun fringe detail. I love how they pair with my old favorite, the Camille Medallion pillow in smoke. We have the same ones in ivory/black in the boys' room (shown with the Topanga pillows in blue) and I can't decide which color I love more!

Also loving the Topanga linen lumbar pillow and throw blanket in this classic natural linen -- I tried these in our guest bedroom and love the earthy, calming vibes they add to the space:

In case you missed my last post, here are the new Balboa counter stools & other goodies I recently added to our kitchen:

We have definitely put these babies to the test in the last few weeks, and they have passed with flying colors! That little teak step stool is all the rage and my 2 boys are constantly fighting over it -- we just might need another one of those in here! :)

In addition to the Serena & Lily items I already have in my home, I wanted to share a few of my favorite pieces that I've used in other people's homes as well as some that are on my personal wish-list. All of this and more is 20% off until October 14!

A Few of My Favorite Pillow Pairings

A Few of My Favorite Furniture & Lighting Picks

Happy shopping, friends! :)

xo, 
Marcie