Nantucket Interior Design: Case Study
We’re thrilled to finally introduce our recently completed Nantucket interior design project (full portfolio of photos coming to our website soon). In the meantime, read our Case Study to get inspired and tour an unexpected and unique coastal home. We promise this isn’t the typical Nantucket interior design you would expect!
Nantucket Residence
Project Type: New construction of main house, guest house, detached garage, garden shed
Project Location: Siasconcet, eastern end of Nantucket island in MA
Designer: Melanie Coddington, Coddington Design
Architect: Matthew MacEachern, Emeritus Development
Contractor: Jonathan Raith and B Fleming, Raith Inc. Construction
Landscape: Bernard Trainor + Associates
Size: Approx. 4,000 sq. ft. (plus 1,600 sq. ft. guest house)
Concept: Beach House Redefined
Our clients wanted to build their legacy home – a highly customized home that will be in the family for generations. Therefore, nearly every function and design detail of the house was thoughtfully customized to the needs and tastes of the whole family. Every furniture piece carries a provenance, every shelf and drawer a purpose, every material a thoughtful origin or meaning. A big challenge was combining these highly customized features and finishes, carefully tailored to the client’s vision, without making the home appear piecemealed from different eras.
We also strived to keep the home “authentic” to the island, with inspiration coming from the casual sophistication of Nantucket and the breathtaking yet restrained color palette of the landscape. Although most everything had to be ferried over from the mainland, with a few exceptions, we tried to stick to materials, finishes and colors that were true to the surrounding landscape.
Furnishings
The home’s finished look delivers mid-century modern casual elegance with subtle nods to rustic early-America, an era from which our client inherited a few special pieces. You will see only small and subtle nods to coastal life, a departure from traditional Nantucket interior design.
Custom-Designed Features
Two distinct kitchen islands: One modern contemporary island, the other rustic farmhouse, the two islands speak to each other through the use of repeated materials throughout the kitchen (dark soapstone, white Caesarstone, warm walnuts and teak, rustic barnwood)
Cottage-inspired hearth: Based on an inspiration image found by our client, we visualized a modern version of a cozy cottage wood-burning hearth with large open firebox and sloped silhouette. We modernized the hearth by keeping the lines crisp and the plaster façade clean, but kept the rustic elements with reclaimed chipped granite mantel and natural soapstone interior.
Custom bathroom vanities: Each of the home’s 4 bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms with custom-designed and built vanities tailored to the needs of the homeowners and their 3 grown children. Each vanity is truly one-of-a-kind.
Materials
Walnut, oak, natural stone, and linens are repeated throughout the home.
Context: Sankaty Head Beach + Grasslands
Sankaty Head Beach: The property sits a quick walk to Sankaty Head beach on the eastern shore of the island, where the Atlantic breeze rolling over the dunes is a constant feature on the property.
Grasslands: Both natural and landscaped grasslands and meadows surround the property that alternate from bright green to rust orange to caramel brown. Given that the landscape of the island is relatively flat with few trees, sunsets from the property are especially spectacular and cast a golden glow.
Sankaty Head Lighthouse: The still-functioning red and white Sankaty Head Lighthouse stands tall over the property and adds coastal charm, quietly twinkling into the upstairs bedrooms at night.