SUMMER HOUSE

KENNERKNECHT DESIGN GROUP CREATES A TIMELESS NEW ENGLAND AESTHETIC ON THIS SMALL ISLAND 30 MILES OUT TO SEA.

- Nancy A. Ruhling

THE NEW ENGLAND-STYLE COTTAGE IN SIASCONSET, with its weathered shingles and white trim, was perfect.

Across from the beach, it was a short walk to the small-town center of things, making it an ideal second home for the Marblehead, Massachusetts, couple and their two children, who had been vacationing on Nantucket for years.

"When we viewed it online, we knew right away that it was the house for us," the homeowners say. "We loved the ocean views of the open sitting, dining, and kitchen area."

Although the cottage was in good shape structurally, it was unfurnished, so the couple commissioned interior designers Jayme Kennerknecht and Courtney Dana of Kennerknecht Design Group to design and create relaxing spaces for family and guests.

"The walls of the first floor are shiplap, so it was a blank canvas for us to curate layered finishes," says Kennerknecht. "It was a story about texture because the color of the ocean was already there."

The resulting design evokes the beach and a traditional, timeless New England aesthetic that is casual and durable enough for sandy feet and wet bathing suits.

The project presented several challenges, which Kennerknecht and Dana say were fun and exciting.

First of all, the family wanted to move into the house by summer, which meant that the design team had only six months to ready the property.