Paradise Island

When a Nantucket summer home serves as a meeting place for friends, family and children, the owners have designs on one thing: fun. The pursuit of happiness was the motivation behind this property’s renovation, a big job that included constructing a guesthouse, children’s playground, pool, tennis court and outdoor kitchen.

“I took my inspiration from the owners,” says Wendy Valliere of Seldom Scene Interiors in Stowe, Vermont, the designer responsible for the interiors as well as the outdoor furnishings. “They are a wonderful couple, and the wife is young, nontraditional and happy. And though Nantucket itself is traditional,  my clients are not staid. Everything in this house has a young, happy twist.”

Valliere’s other muse was midcentury modern. She brought the look to traditional Nantucket via surprisingly bold colors and patterns used throughout the project to give it its high-spirited pop. “The clients were receptive to the look because it wasn’t expected,” she says.

Unpredictable and conventional meet in the guesthouse, where yellows, whites, blacks and zebra patterns greet visitors as they walk into the living room. Nothing overpowers, thanks to Valliere’s keen eye for juxtaposition. “Everything is grounded by a traditional gray color on the walls,” she says. “The other colors didn’t get garish on me because of that.”

Gaiety and good times carry on throughout, even down to the fabric on the formal upholstery. “I used a great indoor/outdoor yellow fabric on the sofa so the kids could sit on it, even if they were just in from the pool and had chlorine on their suits,” says the designer.

Of course, a little formality fits in the mix, as seen with the Dorothy Draper–inspired dining table and sideboard Valliere designed. “It was made by a Vermonter who drove it all the way to Nantucket—on the ferry and all—in the back of his truck,” she says.

Valliere went for tradition with a twist in the upstairs of the guesthouse, too, working closely with architect Ernest Rusky of Tektonika Studio Architects in Stowe, Vermont. At the top of the stairs Rusky designed a book nook with a nautical feel, complete with cresting wave, rather than a plain landing space. “It’s a rainy-day space, where you can snuggle with the kids,” Valliere says. A scrimshaw rendering of the main house rides the curl of the wave, adding a bit of whimsy. Bedrooms and baths wear a more traditional—yet still fresh—island look with a color palette emphasizing crisp white and soft aqua.

The guesthouse is centered on a direct axis with the main house, and both dwellings overlook the centrally located gardens, slate pool and state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen, a perfect gathering place for friends and family. “The parents can have coffee in the kitchen and see the children out at the pool or playing,” Valliere notes.

The color palette the designer chose for the outdoor furnishings was inspired by the decor in the main house, where bright colors pair with sedate browns, corals, creams and greens. “We wanted it all to have that same time-honored look with a modern bend,” says Valliere.

Landscape designer Cynthia Knauf of Montpelier, Vermont, kept in mind the family’s vision of a defined space “where a lot of activities could occur” as she designed the outdoor setting. “The outdoor space is not only for their use but for their guests’,” says Knauf, who worked with Nantucket’s WingWorks Landscape on the installation. “The way the space is laid out, it’s very convenient to both houses, and it’s also the focal point of all the circulation on the property. It’s a dynamic space in that way.”

Knauf knew the couple wanted beautiful scenery and gardens while making sure the whole project would blend with Nantucket’s natural environment. Using primarily vegetation native to the island, Knauf and her team planted flora that would be enjoyed year round and brought other elements to the landscape, including fragrance and sound. “We planted high grasses, so when there are strong winds they make this lovely, soft sound,” she says. “And we wanted colorful, native plants that would attract birds and emit the loveliest of scents. There’s a lot happening in the space, but it is serene.”
The pool serves as a tranquil meeting place. “It was a focal point, but it needed to be functional,” Knauf says. “It needed to be large enough to entertain but simple enough to work with their lifestyle.”

The goal, explains Rusky, was to create a direct relationship between the house and the guesthouse, with the pool as the anchor. “There is a strong linear connection between the main house and the guesthouse,” he notes. The tennis court and children’s playground frame the pool on either side.

The exteriors of both the main and guest houses emphasize natural materials, including cedar and bluestone. “The really big challenge was to develop a rural Nantucket look,” Rusky says. “We also had to prioritize. It was a puzzle, really, fitting all the pieces—the pool, the guesthouse, the tennis court, the kitchen, the landscape, and the playground—in a fairly small footprint.”

Steve Ninteau, project manager at Woodmeister Master Builders, says his team was challenged by the stringent rules on redesign and building enforced by Nantucket’s Historic District Commission. Still, he says, the year-long project was a pleasure. “There were a lot of fun factors. The pool, the in-ground trampoline for the kids…. It’s totally family friendly, not just a showpiece. You can have a lot of good times there.”

The final result was the reinvention of timeless Nantucket style. “The outside is classic; the inside is full of fun and whimsy,” says the architect. For Valliere, the resulting aesthetic reminds her of the vibrant, vivacious owner. “It looks like her,” she says. “Beautiful, fun and really cool.”

Architecture: Ernest Rusky, Tektonika Studio Architects
Interior Design: Wendy Valliere, Seldom Scene Interiors
Landscape Architecture: Cynthia Knauf
Contractor: Woodmeister Master Builders