Brant Point Seaside Cottage

When a long-standing client called to tell Jan Showers about the Nantucket cottage they were building with architect Milton Rowland, we knew we would have yet another fun interior design collaboration.

The beach house is a classic Nantucket shingle-style cottage, with a stunning interior design that is far from typical. Whenever possible, the Jan Showers team steered clear of standard beach house decor, opting instead for a design style with refined colors, textures, materials, and art. However, we were always careful to keep the interior decor appropriate to Nantucket.

 The living space off the entry is designed with a sophisticated, inviting vibe. The wool rug, the book-lined shelves, and the fireplace all create an intimate and inviting atmosphere, in any season. I particularly love the custom-size blue, sea grass, and ivory rug. It was the starting point for design for all the fabrics and textures in the room. The Jan Showers design team used a pair of faux-bamboo wing chairs, found in a vintage shop and thought looked “very Nantucket” in the best possible sense. The upholstery used in their interior design is a wonderful sea-motif toile in blues and greens. Handsome hand-thrown ceramic lamps from the 1950s lend the room a brilliant, watery iridescence. In the corner, a raffia-upholstered Louis XVI-style bergère and ottoman create an ideal spot for reading by the fire, interior design creating a tangible feeling in each room.

 The Jan Showers team found the bronze and glass coffee table in Paris on a buying trip months earlier, finally arriving just a day or two before the clients came to our interior design showroom to make selections. Kismet inevitably plays a tremendous role in every interior design project. The antique table is a chic addition that transforms the design and feeling in the room, adding character as all coffee tables should, but also bringing an element of glamour to their interior space. As for the walling haning art over the fireplace, our client selected Slim Aarons’ photograph, titled Poolside Gossip, rather than the usual sand-and-sea scenes. Aarons’ photography can be found throughout the house. The dining room is adjacent to the living room, and we made the decision not to use a rug, in part because it is a high-traffic area, but mostly because we all loved the warm look of the exposed wood floors. The dining room is very carefully edited. An unusually wide, almost square French mirror expands the visual space and is designed to add depth to the room. This grand mirror reflects the turquoise Elizabeth Chandelier, which an unexpected piece of interior design in a Nantucket house. Six antique ivory painted Coco chairs from the Jan Showers furniture collection are upholstered in azure faux patent leather. The chairs have their backs upholstered in raffia, giving them a pleasantly casual air. Passing through the central living space one arrives in a charming, very open sun porch with a sofa and a pair of wonderful vintage French rattan-and-wicker lounge chairs, extending the interior design to their homes exterior.  

Jan Showers design touch continues upstairs, the master suite has a vaulted attic ceiling and is painted in Benjamin Moore Yarmouth Blue. Our Design team hung a white glass chandelier in the middle of the room, as Jan Showers always recommends when working with high ceilings. The second floor sitting room has some of the best ocean views in the house and serves as the main hangout for the family, where they can watch TV or just take in the view. Sisters share a bedroom just down the hall. The girls wanted the interior design of their room to express what summer on Nantucket means to them -- eating ice cream and searching for seashells.