For this family, Nantucket summers, then and now, are their happy place. The goal was to bring that beach-house vacation feeling into their everyday: “Nothing subdued. Bring on the pinks, blues, and greens. Make it preppy and fun, but livable,” they said. Noted!

We gave their traditional four-bedroom, four-story Victorian a preppy glam makeover. With dogs and teenagers running around constantly, it needed to live (and it does), so every choice was toward a relaxed, yet elevated lifestyle. 

Loads of patterns throughout. In the primary bedroom: a custom pink bed and monkey toile wallcovering for that classic feel. Botanical wallpaper winds through the entry and powder room. Skeletal fish swim through the bar area. Plaid, an iconic East Coast vibe—yet completely at home in this Victorian. 

In the sitting room, we “dove” into the bird theme—LoCicero’s Arctic Goose above the fireplace, a sculptural feather chair, and a bird print sofa the owner has had for years. This is her room. Girls only (for the most part).

Dramatic lighting was requested, so we featured unique pieces throughout—our favorites being the oversized lantern pendant in the powder room and the pineapple pendants in the kitchen.

Abundant wall space calls for art. Art takes time. One by one, we discovered pieces or had them commissioned to fit the vibe and resonate with the homeowners. Jean Jack, Kress’ mom, is the artist behind the Nantucket landscape triptych hanging in the living room, above the custom-designed, green leather banquette with vintage dining chairs reupholstered in an over-scaled textile.

The art alone took over five years to collect and curate. As the homeowner puts it, we went “one room at a time, until the entire house was Kressified.”