17 North Beach Street
Nantucket, MA 02554
(508) 228-1515
Nantucket Eclectic
Transitional and traditional design meet in this Polpis home.
HOME & GARDEN
story by Antonia DePace
photography by Kit Noble
On an island where nautical often meets traditional in interior design, there sits one home in Polpis that defies the norm. Think traditional and transitional aesthetics with a touch of whimsical character, where each room is layered with color, texture and something made by the owner herself.
Purchased before COVID-19, the Cape-style home was originally built by Stephen Cheney of Cheney Custom Homes. When the new family, who had been renting on Nantucket during the summer season, purchased the property, they went back to Cheney to apply their personality to the home. They called upon Sydney Wachhorst of W Design for inspiration to create a one-of-a-kind interior.
This is the eighth project Wachhorst has worked on for the owners, who are West Coast-based. Once their children graduated from college and settled on the East Coast, they wanted to find a permanent vacation home where they could all be together with enough space to host their extended family.
The homeowners and decorator worked hand-in-hand to layer colors, textures and patterns, as well as bringing personal touches into the home like homemade needlepoint, decoupage and knitting. Wachhorst adds, “The layering factor is a really important part with all of their houses.” Look to the tub room as an example, which is a favorite of the wife’s. Originally, the house did not have a primary bath, which led the team to convert a storage closet in the basement into a place for her to sneak away for restoration time. Inside, a freestanding tub from Shropshire sits atop a custom arabascato-honed marble floor juxtaposed by a Timorous Beasties wallpaper in shades of pink, purple and green. The bathroom is reminiscent of space you would find in a Newport mansion, adding to the whimsy of the house.
Also in the basement is the Faraway Hotel-inspired bunk room, which was constructed to be a space for the homeowners’ children and friends to escape to, all while still being in the same house. Cheney and Wachhorst called upon local architects Joe Paul and Chris Belanger of BPC Architecture to help. A celestial Mind the Gap wallpaper used behind each bed was the launching point for the design. Also adding personality to this room are custom-fabricated brass railings, antique lighting, Pierre Frey drapery to divide the room, Soane Britain linen drapery on the bunk beds for privacy, Misia headboard fabric and plush bedding.
Other family-oriented moments show up throughout the home through the wife’s homemade projects, like needlepoint pieces and knitted throws.
“She brings in a lot of things about the kids that they love or about the family, but not in a traditional monogrammed way. It’s
much more creative,” Wachhorst says. She notes that the husband is also an avid art collector and purchases all of those works for their homes.
But even through all these changes, both Cheney and
Wachhorst note that the clients tried to prevent being wasteful
in a lot of the updates. For instance, the original countertops and appliances in the kitchen were kept and antiques were strewn throughout. “The initial inclination is often tear it out [and] start over and the client is very thoughtful,” Cheney explains. Other updates to the kitchen included adding two windows (there were none prior) and installing an organic, warm green backsplash from Ann Sacks. Three bespoke pendants were also added to give a coastal feel to the space. Wachhorst concludes, “The project was a lot of ‘how can you take
these bones and work with them to add the defining character.’” She adds, “They never really gave me a set of guidelines. She just said, ‘Make it us.’”
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