17 North Beach Street
Nantucket, MA 02554
(508) 228-1515
WALLS THAT TALK
Creative island hang-outs
TOY STORE
Four years ago, custom home builder Stephen Cheney was on the hunt for a space that could double as a shop and employee housing. “When I came across this property, it checked both of those boxes, but there was also a substantial space that I thought would be great for housing the man cave,” he says. Located in Miacomet, this ideal property—a boat maintenance building—measured just over 2,000 square feet and came with 14-foot ceilings, massive barn doors and loads of versatility.
Today, it functions just as Cheney desired: employee housing with a wood shop and a space where he and his employees can explore their passions in automobiles and motorcycles or kick back and relax. “I took the opportunity to create a space so that myself and all my employees could store and work on toys,” he explains. Memorabilia celebrating all things automobile hang throughout the building—including gas station signs, neon signs, vintage bikes and a more recent addition of a Formula One McLaren nose clip. Cheney dreams of hanging a Formula One car upside down on the ceiling. “One of my favorite pieces is a neon funeral home sign because I just think it’s such a weird combination,” he explains. “You get the Las Vegas aspect of it, but then something as serious as a funeral home. It’s an interesting juxtaposition.”
In general, the space is a juxtaposition to Nantucket itself— completely leaving the nautical aesthetic behind. “In the middle of winter where you get an island that’s gray and bleak, you walk in there, you turn those neon lights on and you’re in a city from the ’50s,” he explains. Overall, it’s a space for all to come and let go, as a way to promote an ever-important worklife balance for both Cheney and his employees. He’s even hosted birthday parties there, one of which was a surprise for an employee with 75 guests. He adds, “It’s just unexpected.”
TIKI HUT
The tiki bar is open on this Nantucket property. “The inspiration was actually taken from one of my clients’ favorite spots, which was also one of Jimmy Buffett’s longtime favorites for a waterside cocktail,” explains interior designer Marla Mullen of the 300-square-foot hut, later named Sunday Funday. And yes, she’s referencing the Staniel Cay Yacht Club in the Bahamas—but with a twist. “It’s meant to feel fun and casual, and as if you are transporting yourself to a tiki bar setting in the Caribbean without leaving the magical island of Nantucket,” she says. For her clients, who are dedicated Nantucket community members, one of the biggest priorities was making the space appropriate for mixed-use entertainment. Being a larger family with children in a range of ages, they needed versatility in the mini space—one
that could allow them to host something
more formal but then casual as well. Mullen adds, “It’s an anything-goes vibe, just like
the Bahamas.”
Inside the inspired tiki bar, Mullen utilized bright colors, textures and mixed materials to make it fun and stand out. There are at least three to four wallpapers used, including a gorgeous green fringe patterned paper on the ceiling, meant to mimic the palm thatches commonly used in tiki bars, and a silly monkey wallcovering from Pierre Frey behind the wet bar. Mullen adds, “They’re all doing mischievous and silly things, making this wallpaper in particular really fun to look at over and over again because you are always finding new details.” The other walls are covered in a Thibaut grasscloth with a wide braided weave.
Two custom high-top surfboard tables are at the center and, like any of the furniture in the hut, can be moved around separately depending on the use. And from buffets to dance parties, the clients have been able to do just that. Above, a large organic light fixture made of natural reeds woven in a whirl direction makes another statement. “All of the colors in the space are bright and lively, just the way it feels drinking a notorious piña colada, listening to Jimmy Buffett and looking out at the crystal blue water of Staniel Cay,” Mullen says. “It’s designed to be transportive and different from any other experience you would have or see on Nantucket.”
TIME CAPSULE
This boathouse is the time capsule,” says owner Mason Heydt. Built over three years starting in 2000, the 3,000-square-foot dwelling features a plethora of items throughout that are all from Heydt’s history—whether it be family, career or hobbies. Take the fighting chairs, for instance, which sit in front of the upstairs fireplace. They previously were on Heydt’s father’s boat before he restored them. “When I sit down on that chair, I think of my dad,” he says.
There’s also the pool table, which Heydt’s wife gifted him on his 30th birthday; the 13-foot rainbow boat bar, which he found with his dog in a field four blocks away from his Nantucket residence; the vintage 1954 17-foot Chris Craft boat that he and his father restored 40 years ago and now hangs above the pool table; and a collection of pipes that all started with his grandfather.
Photos and illustrations of boats are on view throughout the abode, all of which Heydt owned throughout his marine career. There’s even a wall filled with photos of moments and mentors throughout his life. “Everything in that place, I’ve either earned or I’ve cherished or I’ve stored, but not purchased, so that’s the uniqueness of my facility,” Heydt explains. “I’m out there probably every day because of that. It brings back memories.”
Of course, that’s not all. Aside from the aforementioned treasures, Heydt hosts a car collection in the garage of the boathouse, featuring a 1967 Morris Minor Woody Wagon, a 1929 Model A Ford Huckster, a 1950 Chrysler Town and Country and a 1951 Chevy pickup. A reflection of Heydt’s life, the house itself consists of two bedrooms, a back room and a 40-foot-long room upstairs—best used for Sunday football parties and other family fun. Recently, he added a widow’s walk with a mahogany staircase that he built himself. Heydt says, “The boathouse is really special from a structure standpoint because I designed it and I got to build it.”
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