Charm Abounds in This Nantucket Cottage

Artwork by Mary Maguire got prime placement throughout the cottage, including above the mantel in the living room; “she captures the spirit of the home,” says Rabun.

The quartet of birds is also by Maguire, and the swivel chair is from Century Furniture.

Just past the Dunes and Duchess table and woven-rush dining chairs by Redford House, architect Vallorie Oliver added a pair of double doors and new windows to facilitate indoor/outdoor entertaining.

Rabun opted for a large-scale tile backsplash so it’s visible from across the open kitchen, dining room, and living room; the indoor/outdoor woven basket-weave-and-teak stools are from Made Goods.

The new blue mudroom—the handiwork of kitchen and cabinet designer David Devendorf—is a handsome spot to hang your (sun) hat.

The pretty powder room sports a star-patterned wallpaper by Molly Mahon for Schumacher, a nautical brass wall sconce, and a vintage shell mirror.

Blues were the starting point for the cottage’s overall palette, but “yellow plays so nicely with blue,” notes designer Kendall Rabun, explaining the impetus behind this sunny guest room. The twin headboards are by Maine Woodworks, and the table is vintage.

The primary bedroom, which opens to the wraparound deck, features a Galbraith & Paul fabric o

While renovating the guest bath, Rabun sought a spin on a porthole mirror; “the small red ceramic mirrors nailed it for me,” she says, “and Kathleen.

In the blue guest room, “the mix of colors and patterns lends a ‘collected over time’ feel to the space,” says Rabun.

In addition to an interior that had a certain “snap,” as she calls it, Kathleen had another important request of designer Kendall Rabun as they renovated the Nantucket cottage Kathleen and her husband had just bought: she wanted a large dining room table. Really big, in fact. One that seats twenty-four.

“Kendall kept saying to me, ‘Are you sure you want one that big?’ I said, yes!” remembers Kathleen.

The table, an expandable custom beauty with capstan pedestals from Dunes and Duchess, was a symbolic first purchase. Nantucket is synonymous with family for the couple—and they wanted a table that could accommodate three generations for summer potlucks and grill nights.

Kathleen’s Nantucket roots run deep. She fell in love with Siasconset back in the sixties as a teenager vacationing with her grandmother, and then it became a family affair. Today, she and her husband’s cottage abuts houses owned by her daughter and son; the three backyards connect, enabling the five young grandchildren to run free.

In 2020, when the couple purchased that third piece of the family puzzle, Kathleen immediately turned to Rabun for a refresh. With the able assistance of architect Vallorie Oliver and builder TL Halford, Rabun first addressed a handful of larger projects: adding walls to create a second office, taking a few rooms down to the studs to layer in lighting and adjust door placement, creating a new powder room/laundry room, and turning the existing laundry area into a welcoming bright-blue mudroom.

With the structural changes complete, Rabun set out to transform a dated interior without making things look too new. “That squeaky brand-new vibe was not what we were going for,” says the designer. Rather, she sought to incorporate “lots of small-scale mixed patterns [note the tiled fireplace surround, the powder-room wallpaper, and the upholstered headboards and throw pillows] so it feels thoughtful and layered, along with vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces.” A favorite find that Kathleen scored is the early-twentieth-century impressionist rendering of a nostalgic Nantucket scene that hangs in the primary bedroom. “She was texting me from the auction,” remembers Rabun happily.

All these sweet touches that nod to a sense of place are, of course, balanced by a nothing-is-too-precious vibe. After all, it’s summer, and it’s time for the adults to open a bottle of rosé and the grandchildren to grab a seat at the (wipeable) kitchen island stools while they wait for the table to be set for another memorable gathering.

Project Team
Interior design: Kendall Rabun, Kendall Rabun Interiors
Architecture: Vallorie Oliver, Val Oliver Design Builder: TL Halford Construction