Rose Cottage

During this long and relaxing holiday weekend, my Instagram feed exploded with beautiful images of quintessential American homes in some of my favorite locations. Nantucket is one of those places that, although I’ve not seen much of, I feel a special connection to. It is difficult to find a Nantucket home that isn’t charming so it ’s no surprise that this cottage by the sea is one of the most photographed homes in America. I’ve long admired its rose-covered exterior and was wondering how much prettier it could be on the inside. 

At one point decades ago, it belonged to designer Jeffrey Bilhuber who carefully restored the interiors without harming the home’s inherent charm. You can see a before & after tour here.

Inspired by the lovely rooms as they once were, I gathered a few pieces that would create a calm, tranquil mood. It is in many ways a dream home… it looks like a fairytale cottage but is big enough for a small family like ours.

Given the chance, I’d love to keep all the architectural details intact and paint everything white, except the bedroom walls where I’d use a blue & white thin stripe wallpaper. Bamboo, wicker and plenty of comfortable seating, chintz and fresh flowers everywhere, stripes and oversized checks and an overall palette of soft blues and greens… I had fun virtually designing the living room and here’s the look I settled on…

1. flowers / 2. pendant   / 3. pillows  / 4. side table / 5. sofa /

6. sconces  / 7. chair  / 8. woven basket  / 9. table

My sweet Instagram friend, Jeanne Hicks, works in real estate on Nantucket and was kind enough to send me some current pictures of the home’s exterior. It does look different without all the blooms but it is still very, very pretty, don’t you agree?

Happy Tuesday!

xo,

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