By Leslie Linsley

Author of Nantucket Island Living (Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

October 2023

Refresher Tips for Fall:

Feeling good in a room depends on lighting more than any other factor, especially as the days get shorter. Move lamps around until you feel the light is right. Upgrading table lamps will enhance and often change the look of a room.  Check out the variety in Home Furnishings. Dimmers are important. 

1. Rearrange furniture, removing and replacing things that no longer work. Change artwork.

2. Use the least obvious fabric color in a room for a new wall paint. 

3. Benjamin Moore’s October Mist is a soft, silvery green, perfect for an historic home with dark beams and antique furniture. It creates a modern, upscale background with white trim and accents.

4. For a refined, softly elegant environment, combine creams, whites and pale beiges in a range of textures to  avoid a spa-like monochromatism. 

Reviving Furniture Tips:

Waxing is the simplest and most effective way to care for all your wood furnishings. Aside from furniture, I’ve always used Minwax Paste Finishing Wax on my decoupage boxes. It’s easy to use, provides a lovely sheen and protects the surface from damage, AND it smells good.  Trewax Clear Paste Wax is another “go to” product I like.

1. Using a soft cloth work the wax into small, manageable areas, evenly rubbing the wax over the wood. Then let it settle for ten minutes before buffing. The timing is important. Too little and you wipe the wax off. Too much and the wax hardens, requiring more effort to buff it into a smooth finish. Tip: A little bit of spit on the cloth helps. (ie. spit-polished Army boots).

2. Fold cheesecloth or cotton rag into a square pad, better than paper toweling, and rub the wax into the wood with a circular motion or with the grain. You’ve buffed enough when your rag slides over the surface smoothly without any drag. 

3. For chairs, wax the most grabbed areas on the arms. 

4. To give hardwood floors a new lease on life, use Minwax Hardwood Floor Cleaner followed with Minwax Hardwood Floor Reviver. 

5. For minor scratches and nicks on dark wood, Old English Scratch Cover has been a trusted product for over 100 years because it does what it says – nourishes wood. These products are all found in Housewares. 

6. Once your wood shines, check for stains and soils on fabric. ForceField Fabric Cleaner is what the pros use.