Designer Trevor Fulmer at Home in Provincetown

Designer Trevor Fulmer and husband Jim Mattus stand outside their Provincetown condo, which is part of a fifteen-unit association in the town’s west end. In search of a weekend getaway, they couldn’t resist the prime waterfront location; when the tide comes in, the water rushes beneath the pier the condo is perched upon.

Fulmer went heavy on blue, including this comfy sofa that matches the kitchen cabinetry, in deference to Mattus, who loves the color.

The built-in dining table can swivel ninety degrees, allowing diners to sit French-cafe style to soak in the views.

The existing built-in bar and shelving is an extension of the kitchen; the couple scored the painting by one of their favorite artists, William D. Hobbs, at a local gallery.

In the bedroom, Fulmer designed the walnut nightstands—the tops are inlaid with leather and the drawers are wrapped in grasscloth—to pair with the Williams Sonoma bed and the pièce de résistance: a Tom of Finland-inspired rug that, Fulmer says, “conjures the nostalgic era of ‘cruising’ for guys.”

To play up the nautical vibe (note the porthole window with a view of the water) in the bathroom, Fulmer added Seabrook’s Sail Away wallcovering; the artwork is by Tom of Finland.

The large deck sees lots of summertime soirees. Outdoor furniture from Westminster Teak is well-suited to both lounging and lunching. A custom-designed rug by Fulmer that spells out P-town in nautical flags grounds the space.

When Boston-based designer Trevor Fulmer and husband Jim Mattus were on the hunt for a getaway in Provincetown, Massachusetts, they scoured the listings looking for a two-bedroom fixer-upper that Fulmer could put his stamp on. But sometimes you don’t get (exactly) what you want—and you wind up even better for it in the end.

It was Mattus who spotted the listing. “He said, ‘How would you like a 379-square-foot one-bedroom right on the water?’ ” remembers Fulmer. “I was a little apprehensive…but, as they say, location, location, location!”

And the location is sublime: when it’s high tide, the entire condo, which sits at the end of a pier, is perched over the bay. A waterfront deck that essentially doubles the condo’s size and is primed for entertaining (“I can’t tell you how many get-togethers we’ve had on that deck,” says Fulmer) sealed the deal.

While the interior, which was redone in 2018, wasn’t as much of a project as Fulmer hoped, he still found plenty of ways to make his mark aesthetically. The overall vibe? “It’s like sun, sand, surf, and a little homosexuality,” he says with a chuckle.

In the petite living, dining, and kitchen area, the designer paired the existing blue kitchen with a pull-out sofa in a similar hue (“Believe it or not, we do have guests stay,” says Fulmer. “It’s like an old-school sleepover.”). Open, airy, and coastal was the aim, so Fulmer custom designed acrylic ottomans that do double duty as footrests and seats, then added space-saving ribbed-brass drink drops, wicker chairs flanking the dining table, and a gray-blue grasscloth wallcovering that gives the illusion the room is open to the outdoors.

The bedroom follows seaworthy suit with a woven seagrass-and-jute bed, porthole mirrors, a shiplap accent wall, and a painting of cresting waves by William D. Hobbs. The custom rug, designed and manufactured by Fulmer and inspired by iconic homoerotic drawings by Tom of Finland, is where the space skews fun. “We wanted things that speak to us and almost make our moms uncomfortable,” jokes Fulmer.

The rug, says Fulmer, also alludes to a sense of place. And what makes the location of this tiny waterfront condo—and Provincetown as a whole—so special. “It’s a very social, community-centric town,” says Fulmer. “It has an edge to it and a real sense of freedom.”

Interior Design: Trevor Fulmer Design