Nantucket | Part I

 

This is the last part of our East Coast vacation from last summer.  We started in Boston and then Plymouth and then on to Nantucket.  I have always wanted to see Nantucket.  I've heard how incredibly charming it is over and over.  I've also had a love affair with East Coast architecture since I started in design in the early 2000's.  So I just had to see it and experience it myself.  I will definitely go back!!!
We took the high speed ferry from Hyannis Port and we arrived in Nantucket in the evening.  We headed straight to our B&B to drop off our stuff and then headed out to the Brotherhood of Thieves and had a cozy and delicious dinner.  This place is so cool!

There's little baby James all snug in my belly :-)

I like food pictures.  I like to see what people eat...so here you go, I ate this amazing soup.

The next day we got up and walked around Nantucket.  To say that I was smitten would be an understatement.  If you've never been and you'd like to feel like you just walked into a perfect little world designed, styled and directed by Ralph Lauren, then I recommend you check out Nantucket. 

The Harbor early in the morning.

 The cobblestone streets are incredible.  It's like walking back in time!

See what I mean...designed, styled and directed by Ralph Lauren...true story.

We walked around and shopped all day.

Cute boutique after cute boutique.

I looooved this one, The Lion's Paw, they had fabulous homegoods!

There are flowers growing in every nook and crannie on this island!

I must have taken a hundred photos of light fixtures alone.  I'll spare you.

 We drove out to Galley Beach for lunch.  It was incredible!
 My hottie lunch date :-)

I can safely say that this was the most incredible lobster roll I've ever had in my life, and I've had many!

We also drove around some of the residential parts and ogled the homes.  Frank was so sweet and stopped for me every 30 feet when I would shout "Oh my gosh, stop!"  "wait, go back" "good Lord, look at that".  I mean, it is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

This is Follain.  I loved this little shop so much!

We had a delicious dinner here at Boarding House.

Frank ordered the "tentacle" :-/  I'm an adventurous eater but not that adventurous!

 This was the precious B&B we stayed at.  It is the Union Street Inn and I can't say enough nice things about this charming B&B.  They were so very accommodating, warm, friendly...you name it!

The location was just down the street from the main street and harbor, which made it super easy to walk around...or ride a bike if you're not super preggo.  We rented a jeep and it was perfect.

 

Our B&B's owner is an interior designer, so naturally the place was beautifully decorated and was oozing with designer details, which is important to me.  I love the full experience when I go somewhere.  I love to see the thought put into the aesthetics.

Aren't these Shantung Silhouette upholstered walls gorgeous?!

This is the center hall up to our suite and our door on the right.

Us in the entry hall, and baby James in my belly.

This is the adorable patio where we ate breakfast in the morning.  The weather this time of year, early June, was perfect!!!  I could've sat on that patio all day long!

Goat cheese omelet., yum!

This was a little side courtyard at the B&B.  Just on the other side of that red building is the ocean.

 

Because we were just a street away from the ocean you could smell the bay breeze in the morning.  It was like perfume!

The floors were so gorgeous!

 

 This was our suite.  We were in the No. 9 Corner King :-) 

 I chose this room for obvious reasons but I loved that it had this little sitting room attached where we would have tea in the afternoon.  Look at that blue grasscloth!!

 This was just another cute room that we passed going to our room, so I snapped a pic.  They were beautifully decorated!

 

 Speaking of tea, this little spread would be laid out in the afternoon.  We would come back to the B&B to take a break from our wandering around and have these lovely refreshments laid out for us.  I just loved this place!   And they were the sweetest people!

My afternoon tea, a carrot cake bite and my baby bump. It's fun to look back at these pics because I had no idea what was in store for me.  Now I know my sweet boy and looking back at that bump means worlds more!...tear, sniff sniff.

 

 I'll be back with Part II when I can get all of the photos uploaded.  I took a gazillion because there is literally nothing that isn't charming on this island!  If you haven't been, you gotta go!!!

1920's Renovation | Max's Bath

Today I bring you yet another space in my gorgeous 1920's restoration project.  This bath belongs to the cutest little boy!

Here is the 'before'...

Where do I begin?  We kept the base cabinet but that is about it.  We replaced the dated cultured marble with a bright new slab of honed travertine, accompanied by some shiny new polished nickel hardware and a sparkling new undermount sink.  The base cabinet was in good condition so it got a fresh new paint color in a historic deep blue.

We replaced all of the lighting.  I love the light fixture we selected by E. F. Chapman.  The base and the squared glass shades feel masculine to me.

 Vintage door hardware love.

 Here is a 'before' image of the shower...

 And it looks like this now...

We replaced everything in there!  We chose a travertine brick, a travertine mosaic floor and polished nickel hardware.   The new frameless shower enclosure really cleaned and brightened things up.

We also replaced the flooring with this gorgeous travertine basketweave floor.

 Here is the potty area 'before'...

And here is the potty area now...

 We carried the travertine brick, in a wainscot, all the way around the room.
How cute is that vintage postage stamp canvas I found for this space?!

We restored this bathroom to a classic, beautiful and bright finish out that will hopefully be around for the next hundred years. 

I'll be back soon with Max's adorable bedroom.

 

I hope you're getting a great start to the week :-)

1920s Renovation | The Powder Bath

This gorgeous, little powder bath within my large 1920s renovation project, is now complete.

This is what she formerly looked like. 

This powder bath had been updated sometime in the late 80s/ early 90s, and it needed a little freshening up.  We wanted to keep the extremely high quality undermount cut crystal sink and the gold plated and cut crystal fittings by Sherle Wagner, that previously occupied the space.  We also kept the cabinet base, because it was also in great condition.

Here she is now...

 
We changed out the granite countertops for this stunning piece of Arabescato Ceravoile marble that I found.  I added the sophisticated backsplash detail and had the fabricators match the veining pattern of the marble across the splash onto the countertop.  I love how this turned out!

We removed the skip trowel texture from the walls and hung an inky charcoal grasscloth, by Phillip Jeffries.  I love the drama that is created where the lightness of the marble meets the darkness of the walls.  The smooth texture of the marble against the natural texture of the grasscloth is a beautiful complement, as is the antique gold of the new sunburst mirror.  It creates a beautiful contrast against the deep color of the grasscloth.

The new cabinet hardware and new smoky cabinet paint.

One of my favorite features I designed for this space is the floor.  It is truly a statement piece.  It is screenprinted cararra marble and it is stunning, in my opinion!

 Here's a closer look at the cut crystal sink and cut crystal and gold plated plumbing fittings.  The sink is lit from underneath, inside the base cabinet, and has the lovliest glow when the lights in the bath are on.

I absolutely adore the gold plated and cut crystal plumbing fittings by Sherle Wagner.  They remind me of vintage atomizer perfume bottles, which I just love!

 Isn't she lovely?!
I hope you're having a great start to the week!

 

1920s Renovation | The Pool Cabana

So, I finally took some time to photograph some more spaces in my large 1920s restoration project.  If you're new around here and would like to see more of this stunning home you can view these others spaces here...the Solarium, Master Bedroom, Master Bathroom, Master Closet, Samantha's Bedroom, Samantha's Bath Sneak Peek, Playroom Bath, Dining Room, Bar.  Or just search 1920s Renovation in my search bar and it should pull up the various posts in case I missed one.

We completed the pool cabana almost 3 years ago and I've just now made time to go back and photograph it (enter embarrassment here).  However, I'm so pleased that it's fresh and cool palette looks just as current today as it did when we specified it over 4 years ago! 

So let's start with the 'befores'.  This space was formerly a shed...literally a shed.  It was completely unfinished.  Fortunately, it was housed within a permanent stone structure and so the potential was incredible. 

This is what this space looked like 'before'.

I wasn't exaggerating about it being a shed.

And now it looks like this...

These doors are exactly where those shelves were.  How's that for a dramatic transformation?!
We were able to raise the ceiling to it's dramatic height for this lounge space due to unused space overhead between the existing ceiling and where the actual roof was.  We added those beautiful doors to have direct access to a gorgeous outdoor living and dining area and, of course, the pool.
We added shiplap walls and traditional beadboard overhead, crowned with that stunning lantern by Urban Electric Co. that was custom painted in a Benjamin Moore paint to match the cabinetry.
At the back of this lounge space we built cubbies to house towels and guest clothing and belongings if needed. 


Urban Electric Co. goodness overhead.

We added a kitchenette equipped with sink and beverage refrigerator.  The curtained area is storage for serving pieces.

One of the windows was already there, so we replaced it with a new window and added another in the same style.  These windows are small, so I installed the drapery treatment where the end of the treatment hangs just above where the window starts to give the illusion of larger windows that are more proportionate to the scale of the space.

The shiplap walls and beadboard ceilings were carried into the kitchenette space as well.  We added  decorative schoolhouse pendants by Thomas O'Brien, which would be characteristic of the era of the home. 

The countertops are a durable ceasarstone and we carried the tile backsplash around the room to create a wainscot for the towel and swimsuit drying hooks.

We also added a separate, small bath (which is where I'm standing to take this photo) that includes a toilet and a shower decked out in white subway tile.

In this 'before' exterior image below you can see the stone wall and the original window.  We removed the shrubs and beds and relocated the air conditioner to the roof.
We kept that gorgeous outdoor fireplace which is part of the outdoor living area I'll show you later. 

 

And here is the 'after'...

The doors are located exactly where the shrubs are in the 'before' photo.  We added the stairs down to the courtyard due to dramatic flooring height differences from this space to the courtyard.  The Sunbrella fabric and spear awnings are the perfect classic touch.  I can't wait to show you the rest of this beautiful outdoor living space!  Hopefully I'll get to it soon...fingers crossed.

I hope you're having a great week!

1920's Renovation | Samantha's Bath Sneak Peek

Are there any readers left here? haha...It's been a while since I've posted to my poor little neglected blog.  I guess that's what happens when you have a new baby and life gets in the way.

 

I completed this sweet little girl's bath within my 1920's restoration project just before my son was born.  Here is just a little sneak peek until I can get the other photos loaded :-)

 

I hope you're having a great week!