{Giveaway is Closed}
The Winner is: #134 – Elizabeth!
Have you sat down and pondered the furniture you bring into your home and have you wondered exactly which pieces you should be looking for that are both stylish and useful. Those pieces that can move from apartment to house, working in each space equally well?
Mother/daughter duo, Suzanne and Lauren McGrath have a background in interior design and fashion design. Mom, Suzanne hails from Martha Stewart Living as Style Editor and Producer and daughter, Lauren, spent time at Teen Vogue, where where she worked in the fashion features department. Their philosophy is that the right combination of pieces can flow through a home, moving from room to room and still working well for years down the road.
Making a house a home is a lifelong pursuit, but this team has written a fun new book to help the process. Good Bones, Great Pieces is chock full of beautiful photography, rooms designed by interior designer, Suzanne, along with beautiful and stylish rooms from many top designers out there today.
Written from personal experience and a lifelong love of buying thriftstore treasures, as well as new pieces, they have compiled those top 7 pieces of furniture that can be so beneficial in building those good bones of a home we are all pursuing.
Suzanne and Lauren also blog at Good Bones, Great Pieces and share inspiring stories of designing and decorating spaces. I was fortunate to get a copy of my very own to add to my decorating book arsenal and I loved reading through this book and seeing all the great ideas.
What are those 7 pieces?
I’ll give you a couple of them and psst, they are all listed on the blog linked above. Most of these pieces you probably already have in your home too, but this book will give you some fresh new ideas on how to incorporate them in a little different way than you might have thought of before.
I had to stop and think about it, but I do believe I have all 7 pieces in my collection too.
Demilune from Ballard Designs
Loveseat from Amazon
Occasional chair from Overstock
From loveseats, to occasional chairs, to side tables, these 7 pieces are workhorses in the home. Move them, paint them, reupholster them and love them. That’s the message I got from Good Bones, Great Pieces.
The great news is that I got an extra copy to give away to one of my readers, so leave a comment for a chance to win ONE copy of Good Bones, Great Pieces for yourself!
What is your favorite “workhorse” piece of furniture in your house that you just can’t live without?
I’d have to say mine is the antique French buffet piece I had in my old kitchen. That piece has served as clothes storage, a breakfast buffet, and a TV entertainment center. I’d say that is quite the workhorse. It is going to end up in my den this time around holding the TV.
So, leave a comment and I’ll choose a winner in a few days!
You can also order the book at the links listed here at Good Bones, Great Pieces.
NOTE: I received a free copy of the book and one to give away to one of my readers.
The piece I would never part with is an old antique Hoosier cabinet I have in my dining room. Handed down to me from my parents they bought it in Maine at an auction a very long time ago. They stripped it down to the original finish and I just love it!
Would love to have that new book. Lots of great ideas.
Liz
Hi Rhoda,
Thanks for the opportunity to win the book! The pieces that I cannot part with and which I use in different rooms, repainting as necessary, are 2 large mirrors. I love what they can do to change a room.
Long time reader. Would love to win the book. It would be interesting to see how these pieces translate to something in the Southwest.
my favorite piece is the mid-century dresser I just got about 4 months ago. Right now it is holding our flat screen in the den and I can hardly wait to switch the furniture around so it has a wall all to its self and will be the center of attention! Thanks for the give-a-way!
We are retired and have a California home (inherited from my Mother) and a Nevada condo where we have lived for about 20 years. Boy, do I need help figuring out what to keep, which to let go, and for fun each house has a very, very different feel. One modern, one traditional. Plus all my eclectic pieces. I need some direction and help! Sounds like their book might inspire me now when I need it the most. Thanks.
My workhorse piece is an antique hope chest. My father found it in his parent’s 18th century barn and refinished it for my mother. I’ve used it in the bedroom for the TV and also in the den to hold plants.
I never knew the word “Demilune” before today. Would love to learn more! What a great idea for a book. If I don’t win a copy, I will definitely sign up for it at the library.
Hi, Rhoda. This looks like a really interesting book. We are in the process of furnishing our living room, so this would be a helpful read. The one piece we have is a rolling kitchen cart which my MIL used and gave to us. We added a new top to it in our old house and will be using it as a moveable baking station in our new house. I’m so excited!
The item that I can not live without in my house is my grandma’s cherry dresser. It is beautiful and has a lot of meaning since it was my grandmother’s.
My workhorse piece is also a sideboard. My Nonna’s from the 1920’s I’ve used it as a china cabinet, book case, bar and currently a TV/entertainment center. I will be moving soon and I think it’s next incarnation will be back to a sideboard to store entertainment china and linens. Looks like a really interesting read.
My workhorse piece is our dinning room table. Throughout the years the chairs have changed and/or reupholstered and it is also my husband’s favorite piece, more of a masculine style of table that has withstood the years of growing children and many family meals and conversations and game playing. Thnx for the giveaway. Love & Blessings, Lady Delores.
My workhorse is an antique wardrobe. It has served as storage in a den, held the TV in the family room, and currently as extra closet space ( what it was meant to be) in a bedroom. Thanks for the chance to win.
Our coffee table-thank god it has two drawers so we can stash stuff instantly when company is over 🙂
What an awesome book! My daughter just purchased her first home and what a great book this would be for her as she is selecting furnishings. My workhouse is an antique bureau. It has served many functions through the years. I added a pad to the top of it and used it as a changing table in my daughters nursery. I have used it as a entrance table in my foyer. I also used it as a mini buffet table. Currently, I recently replaced the knobs to match the decor of my sunroom. It is serving as a decorative piece and the drawers are storing cloth napkins, placemats, napkin rings, chargers, and all the things needed for setting the perfect seasonal table in the sunroom. If I could ever bring myself to cutting the top, it would be a lovely vanity in the bathroom. However, I just don’t think I am ready for that one yet!
I have a console table or chest… with drawers… so versitile… beside a bed…. under a mirror in the hall…. in the entry way… I love this piece of furniture!!!… would love to get some fresh ideas for old pieces , etc. !! 🙂
My outdoor wrought iron furniture. Had it for decades. It’s been painted white, forest green and now black. Aside from getting new cushions, it’s indestructible and can be refreshed and updated to fit what’s “in” with decorating colors at the present. It never gets old. In fact, I just keep adding pieces to it when I find them. I love it! I’ve brought the table + chairs indoors and moved the rest around in lots of different settings. Thanks for the chance to win the book. It looks great!
My most used piece is probably a tufted upholstered bench; it’s been on a landing, in the LR and two BRs. However, the only pieces I really care about are my collection of textiles, including handmade carpets. Fashions may come and go, but textiles are forever. They lend themselves to almost all decorating styles and colour palettes and have a quality that no machine- made item can match. I would love this book to help me update pieces I currently have that look a little dated and shabby.
CTD
Awesome:)
Love, love, love your blog. Have followed a long for awhile now and think your content, style and approachability are so nice. I love to grab a coffee and see what you have to say. I don’t usually comment (I have a newborn and just sit down for a quick enjoyable read) but wanted to bring up something new. The pop-up’s on your wonderful blog are so annoying. Once I close one, there is another. I completely understand this is probably profitable. It just takes away from my favorite blog. I do not mean to be critical, it is just something I have noticed a lot lately. Again, I LOVE reading here! Just a thought–
Hey, Jenny, sorry about that. I don’t always see them & don’t have complete control over when they happen. I will try to see if I can get them to not happen all the time. Thanks for telling me & please come back! 🙂
my favorite piece is a super old pie safe that belonged to my husband’s great grandmother… we’ve used it as a make-shift pantry, china hutch, craft organizer, and now it currently holds all of our books. i love that it has a rich history to it. this book looks amazing… thanks for the chance to win! have loved following your status on the house renovations!
Mine is my husband’s grandmother’s pie safe! It was in my kitchen, and is now in the living area at our vacation home.