The New England–style cottage in Siasconset, with its weathered shingles and white trim, was perfect.
Across from the beach, it was a short walk to the small-town center of things, making it an ideal second home for the Marblehead couple and their two children, who had been vacationing on Nantucket for years.
“When we viewed it online, we knew right away that it was the house for us,” the homeowners say. “We loved the ocean views of the open sitting, dining, and kitchen area.”
Although the cottage was in good shape structurally, it was unfurnished, so the couple commissioned interior designers Jayme Kennerknecht and Courtney Dana of Kennerknecht Design Group to design and create relaxing spaces for family and guests.
“The walls of the first floor are shiplap, so it was a blank canvas for us to curate layered finishes,” says Kennerknecht. “It was a story about texture because the color of the ocean was already there.”
The resulting design evokes the beach and a traditional, timeless New England aesthetic that is casual and durable enough for sandy feet and wet bathing suits.
The project presented several challenges, which Kennerknecht and Dana say were fun and exciting.
First of all, the family wanted to move into the house by summer, which meant that the design team had only six months to ready the property.
Because the pandemic was in full swing, supply-chain glitches forced the designers to be creative. And deliveries were an issue: Height restrictions on trucks meant that Kennerknecht and Dana sourced locally or loaded up their cars at their office and drove the items to the site, a trip that took nearly five hours. On one occasion, coffee tables had to be carried a half-mile to the house.
“We had to be nimble,” Kennerknecht says, adding that client consultations were via Zoom, and the actual setup was accomplished in only three days. “We had to work with what was available and add customized features, such as glass tops on coffee tables, and switch upholstery on chairs. But it was design without compromise.”
They let the ocean views guide their decisions.
“We wanted to feature and duplicate the view of the water,” Dana says. “We added layers of things that feel tactile with subtle and neutral coloring.”
This is most evident in the main living area, where a wall of windows frames the waves, creating a magnificent, meditative motion picture.
The sofa, upholstered in sandy, fade-into-the-background linen, is the same height as the windowsill so as not to obstruct the view. Two swivel chairs, upholstered in white, allow sitters to pivot toward the kitchen during gatherings.
The lamps, which have pale-blue translucent bases that complement the water’s hue, conjure images of sea glass; atop minimalist side tables on each side of the sofa, they appear to float on the waves.
The knotwork coffee table echoes the circular oak dining table, which is appointed with rattan chairs. Other textural touches include a large-loop rug, a circular mirror framed with ship’s rope, and a metal woven pendant in a white finish like the ceiling so it seems to disappear.
“The eye drifts to the water,” Dana says. “It feels magical.”
In the second living space, which is used as a family room, the design is more casual, with a subtle powder blue and white palette. The room has a flat-screen TV, a glass-topped coffee table, and a small round pedestal table positioned by the window that’s ideal for board games.
On the wall by the window hangs a pair of small locally sourced, white-framed paintings of water hung one above the other that look like an extension of the view.
“Our layouts provide a lot of different seating opportunities, where you can sit with a laptop while working during the day or with a cup of tea at night,” Kennerknecht says. “It’s all about creating moments.”
Although the house has four bedrooms, including two bunkbeds, the spaces are small and must multitask, expanding and contracting, depending on the number of guests.
“Throughout the house, there are many beautiful places to sit, but everything fits with the overall style and does not stand out when not being used,” the homeowners say. “There are also accessories with dual purposes; for example, the stools tucked under the console table or a soft ottoman in the media room can be footrests, seats, or tables. The sofas are very comfortable and allow people to gather but do not overwhelm the space.”
To create a perfect arrival experience for the owners, Kennerknecht and Dana styled the cottage, supplying everything from beach towels to dishes. “They arrived to a completed home a day after we left,” Kennerknecht says. “It was such a gift for us to be able to deliver a house that felt layered and lived in.”