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If you’re exploring Nantucket’s Old North Wharf, it’s hard to miss one of the island’s most charming cottages. A white picket fence lined with hydrangea hugs the sizable lawn that leads up to the tiny home’s powder blue Dutch door. The whole scene screams good summertime vibes, and that’s before you even catch a glimpse of the harbor a few yards away.
But what you won’t get if you’re just perusing the town is a look inside the one-room abode—until now. Nantucket Looms, the retail store and design studio known for its handwoven textiles and breezy east coast style, just debuted its first book and this teeny cottage’s interior made its pages. In this excerpt from Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style, we get a tour around.
Summer living is easy at Lydia, a snug cottage perched on the Easy Street Basin waterfront on Nantucket’s Old North Wharf—just steps away from the harborside town. “Cottages are the best thing . . . funky . . . charming . . . sweep the sand from the front door right out the back door,” said Liz Winship. The one-bedroom, one-bath charmer with an addition, or wart, to use island vernacular, is hugged by a pocket-size garden and deck that extends the living space in the summertime. The Lydia ambience is on point: Take in the pretty view of Nantucket’s skyline, feel the wharf vibe, the salty breezes and, from a ring-side seat at the golden hour, watch the moon begin its ascent over Nantucket Sound.
Named after the whaling ship Lydia, which was owned by Henry and Charles Coffin, the 343-square-foot former fish shanty is one of many similar structures built on the wharf in the 1870s to replace the original structures destroyed by the Great Fire of 1846. In the early twentieth century the tiny shacks were converted into artist studios, summer cottages, and picnic houses. The Old North Wharf is one of five wharves plus a town pier on Nantucket’s harbor front and is the only one that is residential and privately owned by individual families. The stone foundation is visible at low tide.
A stone’s throw from Lydia is the meeting house of the Wharf Rat Club, which was established in 1927 and was officially named in 1971 for the Grateful Dead song “Wharf Rat,” written by Jerry Garcia. Fishermen, sailors, and Nantucket natives first gathered there around a potbellied stove in what was then a fishing supply store to have a gam, the Nantucket term for a get-together, to swap stories and hang out. There are no membership fees, no regular meetings, and no rules. The only requirement for entry is to have the ability to tell a good story. The management operates in a shroud of mystery, adding allure to club membership. Some people have waited twenty years to become a member, and others never made it.
Nantucket Looms brings cottage charm to Lydia. The port of entry to the pitched roof rectangular structure is a welcoming haint blue—a blend of sea and sky. The latch windows and picket fence add a touch of authenticity. The paint-splattered floor is a fine example of early 1900s Yankee ingenuity and an idea borrowed from classic enamelware. Old worn floors were painted with leftover paint and then splattered to make them decorative. Near the door are vintage Nantucket Looms pieces—a tote bag and CPO jacket, which should always be kept within reach as an extra layer for warmth or as a Nantucket-style unisex dinner jacket, and an American flag embellished with scallop shells by Nantucket Looms Master Weaver Rebecca Jusko Peraner. The ship’s galley-style kitchen showcases early island curiosities, including a pennant and old Nantucket Wharf Rat Club mug. Preparations are underway for a sandwich lunch on the wharf. A ship’s light hanging from the ceiling adds to the nautical flavor of the cottage.
In the living room, a Malawi barrel cane chair and a sofa covered in a linen pinstripe fabric bring comfort to the seating area. Denim Belgian linen fringe pillows are paired with a mandala-inspired, hand-blocked linen lumbar pillow and a handwoven cashmere throw in a dune hue, adding layers of texture and color to the space. A Robert Stark Jr. highly sought-after Red Sail painting hangs on the corner wall. Stark painted his solitary-dory-with-red-sail theme paintings for forty years. Stark’s studio and gallery used to be on the Old North Wharf, and one can imagine him painting this just steps away from Lydia.
The original awning windows are a special feature. They can be open even when it’s raining to let in fresh air. The floor is covered with a custom handwoven sisal rug. On the coffee table is a rustic teak bowl filled with antique glove spreaders that were used to restore the shape of leather gloves, a comb in the shape of a fish stamped with a Nantucket quarterboard lettering from the Cloth Company days, and old clothespins. The dory model echoes the elements of the Stark painting. A classic striped well-worn Nantucket Looms cotton sweater and indigo apron complete the nautical look. These are the components of Nantucket Looms cottage style.
A John Austin painting (not seen in photograph) that evokes the Bear Street house is included in a display over a console, a new piece made to look old. A ship’s deck prism light, used to disperse light on the decks of a boat, adds a colorful bit of charm to a collection of books that includes a facsimile of Anni Albers Notebook 1970–1980. In the addition, next to the deck, a modern chair sits beneath the haint blue-painted ceiling that can be flipped down to batten the hatches in stormy weather.
The soft white-hued wall paint color was specially chosen to reflect the light and changing colors of the water and sky throughout the day. The indoor-outdoor teak stools with woven seat covers complement the weathered-pine console that serves as a table top for snacks and refreshments and also provides additional storage.
Dining can be enjoyed on the adjacent deck with a front-row seat where one can relish watching the bustle of harbor life. There’s no better way to spend a lazy summer afternoon than sitting in a deck chair on the dock with a favorite read.
