The Dance between Old and New: Choosing Art for a
Nantucket
Home
Story by Quinn Frankel
Whimsical and eclectic with a pared-back tranquility – Nantucket home decor reveals a playful, varied mix of traditional island craftsmanship and contemporary artwork, speaking to homeowners’ desires for self-expression, modern comfort and a local feeling to be channeled into their homes.
Decorating an island home is deeply personal. Objects aren’t chosen to merely fill space, but often as gateways for imbuing rooms behind waves of cedar-shingles with a sense of intimacy, individuality and connection to Nantucket.
Modern impulse and experimentation across artistic mediums has given new life to the marriage of island tradition and contemporary design. Residents aspiring toward choices that uphold tradition and history in particular are faced with striking the perfect balance between old and new.
Time has loosened the grip of early stylistic affiliations that once defined island tastes: Quakerism’s austere doctrine of functionality and trim furnishings carved from local pinewood, maritime antiques brought back from whaling journeys, old ship paintings, models and sailor’s valentines illustrative of a seafarer’s way.
Still, the legacy of craftsmanship, artistry and whimsy born from these artifacts remains, lingering steadfastly through engagement with local artists and in design decisions where traditional decor is revived through small accent pieces, artwork or maritime antiques as nods to history.
For multi-generational islanders Bess Clarke and Liz Winship, the mother-daughter duo behind Main Street institution Nantucket Looms, understanding Nantucket’s history plays an important role in becoming part of the community.
“People might choose whether or not to incorporate certain aspects of Nantucket’s history in their home, but I think it gives the house character if they embrace the history that surrounds them,” Clarke said.
“At the same time, part of what is distinctive about Nantucket
interiors and how Nantucket Looms designs homes has to do with making the spaces reflective of homeowners. The collections they bring or artwork that speaks to them is ultimately what makes the space meaningful.”
“Homeowners have a chance to spread their wings here. There’s no pressure to completely ascribe to a certain look. It’s more about the magic of what happens when you take the old and the new together. That’s really when a house becomes a home,” Winship added.
Upholding a sense of Nantucket’s history in one’s home doesn’t have to mean the inclusion of maritime artifacts or realist-leaning landscapes.
Nantucket style transcends material possessions. It is more of a feeling, carried out through collecting niche objects, supporting island artists and finding meaning in the things homeowners choose to
“
Nantucket is about a feeling. And that feeling, of course, has something to do with place, but it also has to do with an emotion, a spiritual journey that people are compelled to take when in the presence of such unique, transcendent beauty.”
– Photographer Michael Gaillard
Facing page and above: Michael Gaillard photographs in a Sconset home.
are stricter in order to ensure the preservation of saltbox and Federal style homes, architectural styles common around the time of the American Revolution and into the Federal period (1740-1840).
“With houses in town, you’ve got lower ceilings, smaller walls and a bunch of little windows,” said Lindsay Ebanks, director of Cavalier Ebanks Galleries, a traditional and modern art gallery on Federal Street.
Many of these homes were built by carpenters and craftsmen who were shipbuilders, often expressing characteristics akin to a ship’s design, like simple trim, transoms above doorways, paneled walls and doors with slanted tops.
“These architectural features lend themselves to smaller, collectible antique items such as miniature sea captain portraits, lightship baskets, small gems that represent both the history of the home and the island,” Ebanks said.
“As you get further from town you’re opened up to bigger homes and new construction that gives way to big white walls and ample open spaces. Here, we’re seeing clients wanting to go for more modern representations of the island and its history: large-format photography that mirrors either the homeowner’s view or an emotion they feel when they’re on the island.”
Paintings by artists like Cavalier’s Adam Umbach have become popular in these homes, where traditional Nantucket subjects and scenery channeled by 18th century artists are given a playful, modern take.
In the face of architectural regulation, homeowners might enlist local artists, designers and gallerists like Lee Milazzo of Centre Street’s contemporary art gallery Samuel Owen and Ebanks to help imbue interiors with a feel and aesthetic that parallels their modern lives and tastes.
“What’s amazing about Nantucket is that, because of the HDC rules, all of the houses look similar on the outside. But when you walk in, it can feel like you’re walking into a New York City apartment in how modern they are,” Milazzo said.
This can also mean full-stop leaning into more contemporary art and or even targeting a paredback minimalism that lends itself to atmospheres defined by openness and tranquility.
But even a minimalist approach might include works that channel the nostalgic and wondrous sense of place tied to the Nantucket’s landscape and, in so doing, more subtly uphold island tradition.
Photographs often heighten the engagement with the natural world.
“Once (a photo) lands on a client’s wall, it becomes part of their lives, evolving with them over time,” Gaillard said.
One Sconset home features two Gaillard photographs exquisitely employed to elongate the
“What’s amazing about Nantucket is that, because of the HDC rules, all of the houses look similar on the outside. But when you walk in, it can feel like you’re walking into a New York City apartment in how modern they are.”
- Lee Milazzo
A playful sculpture of a dancing hippo by Danish artist Bjorn Skaarup animates a homeowner’s Nantucket garden.
interior space into the open and varied landscape.
Larger white walls characteristic of homes further from town are used as canvases for creating an interwovenness between Nantucket’s natural landscape and a home’s interior.
Taking up the larger portion of a white wall, a photo of an island stream funnels the viewer’s senses outward from between the walls of the home and into the surrounding landscape.
In island homes, Gaillard’s photographs reveal how assessing Nantucket style with any sort of material specificity might be a fruitless endeavor.
“It’s more of a vague sense of being, a feeling that’s hard to promote in a specific fashion,” he said.
More so, Gaillard’s work incites an interaction between spaces – inside and out – that blur the boundaries of place.
“Much of the interest in my work over the years, especially the work made in the Nantucket landscape, has very much been bound to place,” he said.
“My practice began as an honest depiction of my native home in a way that only I could achieve in the sense that it was a perspective that was born of my deep and abiding love for the island and its environment. I think people gravitate to work that comes from an honest, personal place, and that’s how it’s been with my work. People were drawn to my work partially because of its beauty, but also because of how accurately it depicted the essence, that ineffable quality that makes Nantucket special to them.”
Photos like Gaillard’s and those of Nantucket-based photographer Nathan Coe often reflect the kinds of reflective, peaceful atmospheres that immerse homeowners in the nostalgic, contemplative and emotional experience of place that is constantly shaping and re-creating personal relationships to the island.
Photographs can also add a contemporary feel to island homes that would otherwise lean more traditional, lending further to the spirit of eclecticism that pervades island tastes.
For Milazzo, the market for contemporary artwork transcends place. When
Above: A painting by Cavalier Ebanks Galleries artist Adam Umbach serves as the centerpiece in the dining area of a Nantucket home.
Below: A painting by the late island artist John Lochtefeld hangs on a pastel yellow wall, with a lightship basket accent below.
Traditional and Mediterranean homes
Traditional and Mediterranean-style homes often feature rich colors, classic furnishings and a sense of warmth.
These spaces call for lush, timeless floral displays that can stand up to their strong character.
Classic blooms like roses, lilies, hydrangeas and peonies are right at home here, as they exude elegance and history.
In a Mediterranean-inspired interior – think terra-cotta floors, archways and sunny color palettes) – incorporate flowers that thrive in sun-kissed climates – cheery sunflowers, bougainvillea, or geraniums in pots – and lavender sprigs can all evoke a Mediterranean garden atmosphere indoors.
Larger arrangements suit these styles because traditional rooms often serve as formal gathering spaces.
Consider a lavish bouquet of roses and hydrangeas on the dining table or an entryway console, which immediately conveys abundance and hospitality.
Deep jewel tones such as burgundy, emerald foliage and royal purple, or warm Mediterranean hues like sunny yellows and terra-cotta oranges, enhance any room.
Consider placing a vase of greenery or olive branches on a kitchen countertop to evoke the sunlit outdoors. These informal touches pair well with the Mediterranean’s earthy essence.
In feng shui, yellow flowers like chrysanthemums or daisies foster warmth and cheerfulness, which aligns with the welcoming vibe of family-centric traditional homes.
Don’t shy away from fragrance where you can tolerate it and it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Classic scented blooms such as jasmine or gardenia can enhance the sensory richness.
Mediterranean interiors often blur the lines between indoors and outdoors, so leverage natural light by placing pots of blooming orchids or peace lilies near windows or on balconies to connect with nature.
Entryway blooms are essential. A bouquet by the front door not only looks gracious but also invites good energy into your home.
Coastal homes
I almost didn’t include this type of home, but I thought it would be rude not to, given where we live. Coastal interiors naturally align with the water element in feng shui, symbolizing abundance, relaxation and flow.
For those who don’t know, I have a complicated relationship with hydrangeas. I don’t enjoy them as cut flowers, and I dislike designing with them due to their bulbous, heady nature.
But, there’s just something about blue flowers like hydrangeas or
delphiniums in a coastal home that enhances the water energy, encouraging calm and introspection.
White blooms keep the space feeling light and open, and incorporating a few living plants or fresh flowers helps balance the yin energy (cool, passive) of coastal homes, preventing them from feeling too cold or empty.
Ultimately, in a beach house, flowers should feel like they belong to the tides and breezes: effortless, soothing and free. Incorporating color in your vessel, like using a matte blue, or a chinoiserie pattern, is an easy way to elevate your arrangement.
Tanya J. van Rensburg, “The Perfect Pairing: How to Choose Flowers That Complement Your Home Decor.” SampleBoard, March 10, 2025, sampleboard.com
“Guide to Matching Flower Bouquet Styles with Interior Design Styles.” BLOOM & SONG (Hong Kong), Dec. 18, 2024. bloomandsong.com
• Sasha Thomson, “The Flourishing World of Feng Shui: Selecting Blooms That Foster Equilibrium and Serenity.”
Lily’s Florist Blog, April 26, 2023
“A Guide to Using Flowers for Attracting Good Feng Shui at Home.” Petal & Poem (HK), Nov. 17, 2024. petalandpoem.com
• Caroline Picard and Hadley Mendelsohn, “60 Flower Arrangements That’ll Instantly Cheer Up Any Room.” House Beautiful, Jan. 9, 2023
