Good-by Vermont; Hello Again Nantucket

Had a wonderful few days in Vermont, but being away always throws me off my routine.  Caught up with the wash and tidying household tasks, so now I can relax a bit and return to Nantucket before a wonderful new family visit begins Saturday.

There's been a touch of autumn in the evening air this week, but I'm just not ready to bid summer farewell.  Come, think beach and warm summer days with me.

The warm Nantucket home below appeared in House Beautiful's May 2004 issue.  The owners worked with Keith Irvine and explained to him that, "they wanted something that looked as if it had been passed down by one of their grandmothers."

Hence the title - New Traditions.

Now I am not a fan of blue, but the blue in this family room is so tempered with beiges and neutrals ...

...and whites that I like it.

The living room is a bit more formal and a bit more red.

The dining room is more subtle and reminds me slightly of the dining room in Something's Gotta Give.  Do all homes on islands have a slightly common style?  I think this may be true.

Lots of blues in the master bedroom.

And lastly, the guest room.  Always loved the coziness of wallpapered dormers.

Now come back with me to August of 1990 and to this home in Architectural Digest - a seemingly more contemporary house even though from a much earlier time.

The house was designed by Edward Knowles and is situated on a sandy road among cranberry bogs on the way to Sconset.

The owners, world travelers, have peppered their home with part of their collections.

Flooring and cabinets in kitchen are pumpkin pine, and skylight affords interesting views of the sky.  I love the range even though it is from 1990.  How ahead of the time were the owners with the glass-doored refrigerator!

Part of the master bedroom which includes a jacuzzi and pieces collected in China.

Other half of master bedroom.  Cranberry bogs can be seen through the arched doors.  Well, we can't see them, but the owners could.

The deck outside the living/dining room is "a fine place to feed the fish and take in the sun," says Knowles.  Recently, I saw that this home is for sale.  Sadly, it seemed to have lost much of the charm the original owners instilled.

Next a 2011 Nantucket home with very contemporary style found on Elle Decor's website.

A much more spare and cleaner look. - a bit Jacobsen-esque.

Especially in the bath with all its white and glass.

With just a touch of orange in master bedroom.

The last Nantucket home today is taken from Traditional Home's website, and it is definitely more traditional.  The exterior is typical Nantucket shingle gray.

However, the living room lacks any of the typical Nantucket blues...

... and even the dining room opts for more neutral colors.

So too does the foyer.

Kitchen's share of neutral.

And topiaries.

The den.  Love the table here.

And the last room I leave with you today is a Nantucket kitchen.  You could probably guess it is Nantucket from the accent pieces - ships and lightship baskets.

So, today we've seen four very different houses but each of them have a very Nantucket feel to them.  If I had to, I think I'd choose the third very spare house, but make it less spare with a basket and antique of two.  And I'd lose the "touch of orange."  Which would you choose?

Before I leave you for today, I'd like to show you one of the places I visited while in Vermont last week-end - Simon Pearce in Quechee Falls.  We visit this lovely mill each time we are near, have lunch there, admire the beautiful glass ware, and try to be frugal.  Quechee Falls, like much of this part of Vermont, was hit hard by hurricane Irene - the glass-making facility in the basement was completely flooded, the first floor had two inches of water, and the covered bridge which accesses the mill was washed out completely.  Today, the Simon Pearce Mill looks better than ever, and the covered bridge should be complete by next year.  Take a peek.

To the left, you can see the mill with the rushing water that runs through the bottom.  To the left you can see what happened to the bridge when this rushing water reached road level.

New York Times Magazine

Today the mill is fully functioning again, but restoration of the bridge will not be completed until next summer.

Awe inspiring what nature can do.

A sample of how awe inspiring the chef at Simon Pearce can be.  Lunch was delish.

Next time, I will finish my Nantucket visits (for now.)  I dallied here much longer than I did in Pennsylvania, and much longer than I thought I would.  Is this dalliance becoming a habit??

Till next time with just one more visit, I promise.

b