See Inside This Perfect Nantucket House Designed by One of Jackie O.'s Favorite Boutiques
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Some stores are grab-and-go spots. Others, however, are inspiration hubs, transfixing all comers with their curated goods and sparking a full-on design movement. Nantucket Looms is one of those transformative spots. Set on the iconic island off the coast of Massachusetts, the weaving studio founded by Bill Euler and Andrew Oates in 1968 quickly evolved into a bustling boutique (Jackie Kennedy Onassis could be found rummaging its shelves) and launchpad for artisans making the island’s famous heirloom blankets, baskets, and rugs.
Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style
When Euler and Oates retired, they handed over the reins to their most trusted employee, shop manager and in-house tastemaker Liz Winship, who had worked side-by-side with the duo for more than 40 years. Winship further expanded the business to include an acclaimed interior design studio. When it was her turn to retire, Winship left her daughter Bess Clarke—responsible for bringing the homespun shop into the digital world—and two longtime employees, principal designer Stephanie Hall and master weaver Rebecca Peraner, to steer the ship. You can read all about the legacy and transformation of this American treasure, as well as take in some of its stunning design projects, in the new book Nantucket Looms.
“It’s such a great tribute to all who’ve been a part of our story,” says Clarke. “I really hope people see a side of Nantucket that may be a little harder to find these days.” Keep reading to explore the third home Hall and the Nantucket Looms team have designed and discover a bit of the store’s magic.
FAST FACTS
Designer: Stephanie Hall of Nantucket Looms
Location: Nantucket, Massachusetts
LIVING ROOM
It called for subtle, traditional nautical references.
For many of Nantucket Looms’ design clients, the island is their second home. “They really want to feel like they’re in Nantucket and not anywhere else,” Hall says. One way the designer delivers the coastal aesthetic in an authentic way is by incorporating different shades of blue. “The reflective light out here on Nantucket, because we have so much water and we’re surrounded by the ocean, is so beautiful,” she says. “On any given day, if the sun’s out and the sky is bright blue, the water can be blue or blue-green, those are the colors that you feel you’re surrounded by. I love to bring that to the inside as well.”
To complement the dramatic scale of the living room, an arrangement of sofas and modern wingback chairs is anchored by two coffee tables styled with books and decorative objects that relate to Nantucket’s seafaring history.
Inspired by blown-glass fishing boats, the sculptural chandelier is made of handblown glass “bubbles” bound together with knotted rope. “I just love that piece so much,” Hall says. “It’s a little nod to nautical without doing a red, white, and blue thing.”
A space for playing games and building puzzles, replete with a marble-topped table surrounded by four upholstered chairs, was created adjacent to the living room. A painting by Adam Umbach hangs in the background.
GAME ROOM
This sunroom is the home’s natural hangout.
“Our clients have two teenage daughters, so this is a space for the kids to congregate away from the parents,” Hall explains. To keep things fun and cozy, she brought in some red pops with handwoven blankets from Nantucket Looms. Anchoring the room are a large white sectional sofa with bench-seat cushions and two oversized white swivel chairs, all covered in high-performance fabrics. Silk-screened throw pillows add the finishing touch. A painting by Megan Hinton is displayed on the coffee table.
DINING ROOM
Shades of blue allude to the outdoor scenery.
“To me, a space isn’t finished until art is hung on the walls,” Hall says. For its interior projects, the team mixes the clients’ collection with art and decor sourced locally and from Nantucket Looms. “We represent over 70 local artists,” she says. On the bar here are two paintings by Kenneth Layman, and a painting by Julija Mostykanova hangs nearby. The comfortable blue armchairs are upholstered in fabric by Peter Dunham.
Rustic vintage finials, matched by a pair of contemporary rattan chandeliers, add interest to the double-pedestal dining room table. A reproduction of a French handkerchief planter is filled with ferns to brighten up the space.
PRIMARY SUITE
Textured wallcoverings make the large space cozier.
The homeowners are big on wallpaper, but instead of going wild with prints and patterns, Hall took a subtler approach and played with texture on the walls. “There’s a large sitting room in there, which we use for our client’s office,” she explains. To define each space but maintain the flow, Hall used two different types of textured wallpaper. Another reason Hall and her team used textured wallpaper, is to add warmth and coziness. “Some of the rooms were quite cavernous,” she says.
A variety of other textures can be seen in the bedroom as well. Rope handles embellish the chest of drawers, and the lamps are white-washed wicker. The bed features a tufted linen headboard with Euro pillows in a bouclé fabric. A kelp green handwoven cashmere throw is draped across the king-size bed. To keep consistency between the two rooms, she used the same painted rattan light fixtures.
DRESSING ROOM
The small space was an opportunity for allover pattern.
Departing from the mostly white walls of the home, a leaf-patterned wallpaper was chosen to make this dressing room stand out. Covering the walls and ceiling is a clever design trick for a space that gets no natural light. The beautiful Schumacher paper adds dimension and makes the room feel brighter and larger. An oversize upholstered bench in a joyful fabric was selected to bring character to the space.
BEDROOM
Local art adds all the necessary color.
“The clients love modern, very colorful art, and we tried to make the pieces the star of the show,” Hall says. “We kept the walls very white, and a lot of the furniture very neutral so they can incorporate really strong statements through their artwork.” Barbara Clarke’s photograph Seafoam adds depth to the space above an upholstered white linen bed with navy blue welting in the main house. It is flanked by navy wooden inlay bedside tables. A white chevron wool rug brings comfort underfoot.
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