Hints from the Hawthorne

Beds: Top-of-the-line Stearns & Foster mattresses with pillowtops and high-quality duvets. Sheets are all-cotton with 300-400 thread count. Each room has a mixture of four pillows (feather, fiberfill, hard, and soft). To cover a four-poster canopy bed, Gregory and Marilyn adapted an antique pulled-and-tatted linen tablecloth, perfectly sized and patterned to cover the posts with an elegant drop.

Breakfasts: Fresh-roasted, organic, free-trade coffee from Guatemala, Colombia, Hawaii, or Kenya (depending on the growing season), mixed with a cupful of dark roast for added pep. Breakfast treats, served on hand-painted Dedham pottery around a common table, include scones, coffee cakes, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, cereals, fruit crisp with mascarpone, and the inn’s original award-winning creation, “Hickory Dickory Bosc” (pears prepared with spiced shagbark hickory syrup and a fresh raspberry-peach sauce).

Room essentials: A coffee-and-tea tray at check-in is the perfect welcome. Each guestroom has a phone, bottled water, snack plate, bathrobes, hair dryer, iron and board, clock/radio, DVD player, wireless Internet service, and toiletries.

Cleaning: The Hawthorne’s housekeeper swears by simple white vinegar and Mrs. Meyers All Purpose Cleaner (mrsmeyers.com), an aromatherapeutic formula made from essential oils and biodegradable ingredients, for floors, windows, and nearly everything else.

Pricing: Rooms range seasonally from $110 to $245. Lodging information is online, but Marilyn and Gregory make all reservations by phone to be sure they’re meeting their guests’ needs.