A 19th Century Nantucket Home by Thomas Jayne

Interior designer and decorative arts historian, Thomas Jayne, is a favorite of mine, so when I stumbled upon this 19th century Nantucket summer home he designed in 2008, I just had to share. Thomas is a traditionalist and the author of Classical Principles for Modern Design: Lessons from Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman’s The Decoration of Houses. Using these principles, he creates interiors that are truly timeless, including today’s tour of one of the iconic “Three Bricks” homes of Nantucket.

Built in 1838 as a wedding present for a son of Joseph Starbuck, one of the island’s most successful businessmen, the house is notable for its distinguished proportions and scale. Later it was owned by Jane Engelhard, the great patron of American arts and letters.  Thomas was tasked with bridging the beautiful Federal-style architecture and the client’s collection of American painting and antiques into a fresh, viable family home for modern living.

“Our firm’s credo: It is often better to first adapt to an old house before adapting it to you” said Thomas.
 “Luckily, our clients were committed to adjusting their way of living to the historic architecture of the house rather than trying to make it fit with contemporary taste.” Let’s take a look inside!

To read more about this beautiful historic home, please visit Thomas Jayne’s portfolio. I also highly recommend his books, Classical Principles for Modern Design: Lessons from Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman’s The Decoration of Houses and American Decoration: A Sense of Place.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Readers should note the ivory button on the newel post in the third photo. This is known as a mortgage button and signifies that the mortgage had been paid. Supposedly, the document was rolled up and placed in the hollow post. This is seen throughout New England especially in Nantucket. While this is a wonderful romantic notion, evidently historians believe it has no basis in fact. Mortgages as we know them did not exist until 1934 when the FHA was created. Prior to that time, real estate was sometimes used as collateral for loans of 3 to 5 years, sometimes these loans were interest only that were rolled over at maturity. The US banking system was established at the very end of the 18th century. In the 19th century, banks did not make offer any loan instrument resembling a modern mortgage loan.

    • Dear Rosemary,

      How interesting, I had not heard this before! Thank you so much for sharing!

      Xx,
      Andrea
      The Glam Pad

  2. Utterly charming. So glad that the owners understood that old style furniture and floor plans adapt perfectly to modern life. And the house looks ‘right’ with that style. Love the use of colour and wallpapers. Very satisfying.

    • Dear Cynthia,

      Completely agree, and Thomas Jayne was a wise choice for such an important historic home!

      Xx,
      Andrea
      The Glam Pad

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