A Nantucket Home Balances Function and Fun
May 30, 2023
A design team prioritizes fun and function in a Nantucket home that went from tired to terrific.
Text by Robert Kiener   Photography by Greg Premru
âMake it comfortable. Make it fun. And make it work.â As architect Rob MacNeille remembers, these were the brief, to-the-point directives that his clients gave him when it came to renovating their Nantucket summer home. âThat was enough to get us going,â MacNeille says. âIt helped, of course, that weâd worked with them on other projects and knew what they liked and, just as importantly, what they didnât like.â
When MacNeille first saw the island home his clients had purchased a few years earlier, he immediately understood why theyâd asked for his help. âThe house was tired and definitely needed a redesign,â he says. The site and the ocean views were great, but the home didnât take full advantage of either.
Because the family occupied the island home during the summer, MacNeille and his team, including interior designer Wendy LeStage Hodgson and the firmâs custom woodworking team, tackled the project in phases, September through May, from 2015 to 2022. âThereâs hardly one square inch we didnât renovate,â says MacNeille.
The first phase of the renovation added a much-needed porch and a kid-friendly bunk room. The porch gave the family the outdoor gathering space theyâd never had and worked as a useful transition from the homeâs interior to its lush exterior. MacNeille dramatically transformed what he describes as a âplain vanillaâ over-the-garage bedroom into what became a six-bed mahogany bunk room.
Like many of the elements in the homeâs renovation, the bunk roomâs custom furniture and fittings were designed and crafted in Carpenter & MacNeilleâs woodshop in Essex, Massachusetts, shipped to Nantucket, and installed by the firmâs team of finish carpenters.
By the time the homeâs multiphase renovation was completed, MacNeille and his team had revitalized and transformed everything from the main stairway to the kitchen to the primary bedroom. They even added a new pool, pool house, and an outdoor spa area.
Recently, after hosting a summer party with a house chock-full of happy guests, the owners sent MacNeille pictures of the gathering in an email and thanked them for all their hard work. âJust wanted you to know,â the owners wrote, âthis house now works. And, as you can see, itâs fun!â
Says MacNeille, âWe couldnât ask for a better compliment.â
Project Team
Architecture and interior design: Carpenter & MacNeille
Builder: Brant Point Building & Property Management
Landscape design: Sconset Gardener
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