NEWS
June 4, 2018

ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN

Image

Inside the Inimitable Style of Iconic New England Summer Resort Town

NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS

HISTORY: This beloved island was embraced by whalers and their wives in 1715. It was around then that the tradition of Nantucket “lightship” baskets was introduced: Sailors would pass the hours on their boats by creating baskets, which were woven from rattan around a solid-wood base. “The Little Gray Lady of the Sea” welcomed its first inns in 1840 (with Herman Melville, author of Moby-Dick, being one of its first tourists in 1852). Nantucket would attract artists and other creatives to its shores in the 1900s—a bohemianism that continues to be at the heart of Nantucket’s aesthetic.

DECOR: The Nantucket “lightship” baskets are, perhaps, the most decorative when they are souvenirs. The island is also famous for its folk art (which can be discovered at the Nantucket Summer Antiques Show). The accents are brass and the wood is white-washed. But the aesthetic isn’t WASP—it’s bohemian WASP. And then, there are the hydrangeas. As Donna Elle, who designed the Anchorage House at the Wauwinet, describes, “Hydrangeas became synonymous with Nantucket about 20 or 30 years ago. They just thrive out here in the salt air. You have the complimentary colors of the verdant green and the periwinkle blue. They are a quintessential part of the island. They’re always revered in any composition.”

This Nantucket Hotel & Resort suite features maritime-themed elements—the brass chandelier and the telescope—that are evocative but not overly obvious. Gwenn Snider (who owns the Nantucket Hotel & Resort) says, “I really believe that you want to be coastal without being kitschy.” Photo: The Nantucket Hotel & Resort

This Nantucket Hotel & Resort suite features maritime-themed elements—the brass chandelier and the telescope—that are evocative but not overly obvious. Gwenn Snider (who owns the Nantucket Hotel & Resort) says, “I really believe that you want to be coastal without being kitschy.”
Photo: The Nantucket Hotel & Resort

The Nantucket Hotel & Resort commissioned this Bruce Rosenbaum piece—a modern whale that moves with the press of a button—for its entrance. It acts as a nod to the island’s past that is, at once, current and historic. Photo: The Nantucket Hotel & Resort

The Nantucket Hotel & Resort commissioned this Bruce Rosenbaum piece—a modern whale that moves with the press of a button—for its entrance. It acts as a nod to the island’s past that is, at once, current and historic.
Photo: The Nantucket Hotel & Resort

Donna Elle of Donna Elle Interior Design created the aesthetic for the Anchorage House at the Wauwinet: “I think of Nantucket as being in designer clothes with bare feet. There’s a vibe of very classic, upbeat, scaled-down taste. The artwork is evocative of the sea but is more updated than traditional portraits of ships.” Photo: Courtesy of the Wauwinet

Donna Elle of Donna Elle Interior Design created the aesthetic for the Anchorage House at the Wauwinet: “I think of Nantucket as being in designer clothes with bare feet. There’s a vibe of very classic, upbeat, scaled-down taste. The artwork is evocative of the sea but is more updated than traditional portraits of ships.”
Photo: Courtesy of the Wauwinet

Nantucket’s appreciation for gardens (especially ones with hydrangeas) is realized in its appreciation for garden furniture. Greydon House—which was designed by Roman and Williams—boasts a terrace with “onion” lights that are reminiscent of a boat and white-washed walls. Photo: Douglas Friedman

Nantucket’s appreciation for gardens (especially ones with hydrangeas) is realized in its appreciation for garden furniture. Greydon House—which was designed by Roman and Williams—boasts a terrace with “onion” lights that are reminiscent of a boat and white-washed walls.
Photo: Douglas Friedman

Greydon House features a collection of ten “woolies”—which were embroidered by sailors in the 1800s. Kevin Withrow (who owns Greydon House) shares: “These were sourced from antique stores around Nantucket. There’s this three-dimensionality to them because there are layers upon layers of wool thread that raises off. It looks like they have every single piece of rigging, and when you look really closely at the sails, even the wind-markers are there.” Photo: Douglas Friedman

Greydon House features a collection of ten “woolies”—which were embroidered by sailors in the 1800s. Kevin Withrow (who owns Greydon House) shares: “These were sourced from antique stores around Nantucket. There’s this three-dimensionality to them because there are layers upon layers of wool thread that raises off. It looks like they have every single piece of rigging, and when you look really closely at the sails, even the wind-markers are there.”
Photo: Douglas Friedman

The Nantucket Summer Antiques Show (August 10–13) boasts 30-plus dealers who specialize in art and antiques. There are two dealers from Nantucket—Paul Madden Antiques and Sylvia Antiques—who focus on items from the island, including Nantucket “lightship” baskets and scrimshaw. Photo: The Nantucket Summer Antiques Show

The Nantucket Summer Antiques Show (August 10–13) boasts 30-plus dealers who specialize in art and antiques. There are two dealers from Nantucket—Paul Madden Antiques and Sylvia Antiques—who focus on items from the island, including Nantucket “lightship” baskets and scrimshaw.
Photo: The Nantucket Summer Antiques Show