Life & Style

Making Arrangements

Pro-advice for staging spaces – whether you plan to sell or stay

Four years ago Kristen Brown and Amy Keeley founded Salt + Pine, a boutique home staging company. Drawing on an amassed inventory of furnishings and accents reflective of their style, which they describe as transitional with a modern coastal flair, they outfit empty houses so that prospective buyers can envision what daily living would be like. Brown explains, “Staging shows buyers the amount and the scale of furniture that truly fits in rooms; it also sells a lifestyle.” We asked the duo, named Top Ten Professional Home Staging Team of the Year by Vacant Staging North America, 2022 – and Keeley named Professional Stager of the Year by Occupied Staging, 2022 – to explain some of the things they recently did to a house in Portsmouth.

Living Room

A large neutral rug with cream, browns, and tan anchors the living room area in the open-concept floor plan, while the light gray sofa connects with the kitchen backsplash. Leather cubes bring texture and warmth without obstructing the prized view. The light wood co ee and dining tables provide contrast to the black console table behind the couch, and wood and black side tables round out the room. Co ee table accents are kept low to direct the gaze straight through to outside or to the fireplace.

A coastal landscape draws the eye up the fireplace towards the vaulted ceiling. A camel and cream plaid blanket on the arm of the chair brings in a nice print while creating a cozy spot by the fireplace. Layering pillows in cream and tan create a finished at-home feel.

Dining Room

Mixing and matching dining chairs brings a curated look. Rattan chairs add a coastal nod without overwhelming the space. The black frames of the fern prints tie in with the black accents throughout the space. A subtle stripe of green echoes the bedroom rug and adds visual interest.

Kitchen

Leather barstools bring warmth and a nice contrast to the blue kitchen island.

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CLASSIC NEW ENGLAND

Salt + Pine style favors bright spaces with neutral color bases, along with elements such as wood, white, nature-inspired decor, layered textiles in di erent materials and subtle patterns, and splashes of deep green or blues. “Also think about scents that are coastal inspired, one that has notes of salt or pine!” says Brown.

LOCAL PALETTE

“Rhode Island can be very coastal, very city, or very rural/wooded. We like to incorporate natural colors and then layer in some green or blue depending on where in the state we are,” says Brown. “Natural wood bowls or coastal landscape paintings definitely give the vibe of being near the water.”

WOMEN-OWNED

Based in West Greenwich and serving the tri-state area, Brown and Keeley offer three types of staging at various price points. Learn more about Rhode Island’s award-winning home staging company at SaltAndPineHome.com

Bedroom

White bedding appears luxe and is the perfect foil for layers of neutral textiles, like a chunky knit throw to layer, adding warmth and texture on chilly spring nights. The throw pillows also bring warmer hues to the space with deeper browns and creams. The gold stand mirror brings elegance while the mirror reflects light and movement, making the already large room feel even more spacious. The media consoles serving as nightstands bring some contrast and an unexpected element with the black metal and glass doors.

Meet Mary MacGill

How serendipity led a jewelry designer to open a second location for her brand on Block Island

Your shop is near the idyllic path to Crescent Beach. How did this specific location come to be and what did you need to do to make the space your own?

I had just opened my first store in upstate New York and was not in any way looking to open another location when my dear friend and real estate agent, Julie Kiley, called me up and said “I have the perfect spot for you.” I agreed to take a look, and then fell in love with the space immediately. It’s tiny, so it felt very manageable to staff and provided some welcome constraints when planning how to merchandise. That being said, we put a lot of work into cleaning the space up for our first season. I commissioned local woodworker, Chris Phelan to make all of our display furniture and found two beautiful pieces of driftwood to use as our clothing racks. The space has minor notes of European beach style, but really allows for the jewelry, artwork, and clothing to tell the story of our brand.

You are celebrating your sixth summer on the island. Any trends in clientele?

The mother-daughter relationships are very strong out here and it’s wonderful to witness. I’ve found that both mothers and daughters introduce each other to our brand and continue to collect jewelry and clothing year after year – often times trading. I get to see this at play when I go out to dinner and servers and diners are both wearing earrings from us, or talk to real estate agents, and those renting houses here for the week, and both are wearing clothing from us. It’s about communicating a love for this place, something apparent in all of our lives.

The beauty of your jewelry is in the simplicity of the settings, keeping the focus on the natural elements. What are your favorite pieces to make?

My favorite pieces to make at the moment (it changes often) are the cascade earrings. I get to play with the full array of our stone collection and come up with compositions that tell a small story or poem. I started setting Block Island beach stones in our 14k floating setting a few years ago as mementos; I love the way yellow gold contrasts with black stones, and brings out the vibrant greens and reds in others.

What are some of your go-to spots and small businesses on BI?

Glass Onion, Lazy Fish, Tori Jones Studio, and Studio DWC for homewares, the Mutt Hut to treat my gals, Persephone’s or the Bagel Shop for breakfast, Los Gatitos for lunch, Winfield’s or Eli’s for dinner. The Farmer’s Market every Wednesday and Saturday mornings at Legion Park.

Semi-precious stones, organic pearls, and mineral diamonds are hallmark’s of MacGill’s organic aesthetic

Describe the feeling you get when you first open the doors for the season, and also when you lock-up until the next year. I love setting up the shop at the beginning of the season. Spring/Summer lines are always so much fun and it’s a pleasure to merchandise alongside the artists we represent and create vignettes. I always feel a little sad locking up as I know I’ll miss looking out the window and talking to all our incredible summer clients, but then I remember we all need to rest! Learn more at MaryMacGill.com, 64 1/2 Dodge Street, New Shoreham

Farm to Tub

Nourish summer skin with small-batch bath and body products made naturally

Ocean State summers are filled with long days relaxing on beaches, riding on bike paths, and kayaking waterways. Everything seems a little more magical, and we dream of the perfect sun-kissed radiant skin. Unfortunately, reality is sometimes a bit different. There’s bug bites, sunburns, and dry skin to combat. Thankfully, we have products made right here to help keep safe, hydrated, and glowing well past Labor Day.

Bug Spray

Tick season is predicted to be bad this year, so if your plans include woodland adventures or just spending time outdoors, you need to protect yourself. Enter Tick Off! from Hope Valley-based All Things Lavender. Formulated by a husband-and-wife team using homegrown lavender, herbs, and other locally sourced ingredients, they attest to their spray keeping ticks at bay. DEET-free, it gets its strength from a mix of essential oils. Find products at Peter Pots Pottery, West Kingston, and at community markets across the state; for event schedule, visit AllThingsLavender.com.

Body Butter

Want a bronzed look without the sun damage? Cranston’s own Slay Natural’s GLOW Bronzing Body Butter gives all that plus a hint of shimmer. Body butters are made from high-quality, unrefined ingredients and are jam-packed with nutrients to nourish and heal the skin. Even better, Slay Natural’s products utilize Fair Trade shea butter that helps support the women of Ghana. SlayNaturalBody.com

Lip Balm

Protecting skin from the sun means also protecting your lips, and a sweet way to do that is with Beeswax & Honey Lip Balm from Aquidneck Honey. Made from pure raw honey from Jeff Mello’s East Bay apiaries, this SPF 15 stick available in six lip-smacking flavors will keep your kisser from stinging. Feel like heading to Hive HQ in Tiverton? Just call first (862-2171), or shop online at AquidneckHoney.com.

Powder

Keep fresh, dry, and sweet smelling with a dusting of this all-natural body powder drawing its light scent from finely ground lavender buds, thyme flowers, and sage. Part of the Farmaesthetics herbal skincare line, it’s perfect for use after a post-beach shower or to start your day with a preventative sprinkle that helps reduce chafing by on summer sweaty places like under arms, inner thighs, and feet. Shop online or head to their pop-up shed on the grounds of Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown. Farmaesthetics.com

Soap

Rich soaps handcrafted at Heavenly Homestead Farm in Foster are perfect for after-sun skin care. All soaps are made from raw goat’s milk right on the farm, and boast minerals and vitamins ready to nourish and hydrate. Soaps are as pretty as they are luxurious with vibrant swirls and designs making each a work of art. Look for seasonal scents like Watermelon, Stars & Stripes, and Campfire S’mores. See for yourself at Beauty and the Bath, Wickford; Brown & Hopkins Country Store, Chepachet; or online at HeavenlyHomesteadSoaps.com.

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Honoring the children who suffer from cancer and fight everyday. Our hopes are to make a day in the life of a family suffering from cancer a little bit brighter

For more information or to donate, please visit our website CorysCrusaders.org