By Leslie Linsley

Author of “Nantucket Island Living” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

July 2024

Summer is finally here and the living is easy. With beach picnics, barbecues on the patio or deck, sharing island life with out-of-town guests, extending evening gatherings around the fire pit, lingering after dinner with casual conversation that lasts until the candles are burned low, giving yourself permission to be lazy. With a little bit of pre-planning you can enjoy the luxury of being on vacation in your own island home. And btw, the new fire pits in the Garden Center are super good-looking. A great way to extend evenings under the stars. 

Company’s Coming!

To guarantee a summer that everyone remembers as “the best summer ever!” take stock of what you’ll need before we’re in full-blown summer mode. Visit the newly imagined Home Furnishings Department and replace old beach chairs with jazzy Telescope, easy to transport over the dunes, beach chairs. Fill a good-looking laundry basket from Housewares with rolled up, ready-to-grab, sumptuous Matouk beach towels, the ones with the statusy ACK monogram. Make sure everyone has their own waterproof Scout beach bag in a different color scheme.

Must Have: A portable Yeti cooler, comes in all sizes. For picnics on the beach or by the pool, the Lucite “glassware” is unbelievably superior to any others in looks and feel, at an affordable price. I introduced the flute glasses in last month’s blog when I used them for serving Mimosas and holding votives.

Your guest bedroom should be a welcoming retreat. A good mattress is the first step. Take a test drive on the carefully curated selection on the second floor of Home Furnishings where manager, Mike Flanagan is a fountain of information to help you choose the right one. Impress your guests with the ultimate pampering -Italian sheets from Signora Firenze– every bit worth the investment. When did you last buy new pillows for the guest room? You may want to  keep the super comfy Peacock Alley pillows for yourself. Add a John Robshaw duvet cover and your guests will sleep until noon. As I was leaving the Bed & Bath Department, a stack of not-yet-on display Periwinkle towels caught my eye behind Bed & Bath Specialists, Lili Goldberg’s desk. There isn’t a better color for a Nantucket home, and I knew if I didn’t get them at that moment, they’d be gone the second they went on the shelves. I don’t need new towels, but remembered what my grandmother told my grandfather each time she brought home a new pair of shoes. He would ask if she needed them. “What does need have to do with it?” she’d state emphatically. I may have to repaint my bathroom to go with the towels. Benjamin Moore’s Summer Blue is the perfect background. It’s also a happy color for inside the linen closet. 

All In The Details!

Entertaining island style is casually elegant and so easily achieved when you set the table with placemats and napkins from the new Sferra line. The gray/green sea foam or periwinkle blue are the perfect reflection of the ocean and hydrangeas - just right for a Nantucket setting. For a July 4^th party add red with food, like a bowl or cherries or strawberries. For picnics and barbecues I like to elevate everyday items by using them in creative ways. For example, the striped, soft cotton dishtowels make pretty and perfectly practical napkins. Tie each one with elegant ribbon and tuck a sprig of fresh mint under the tie, or pull the towels through the gutsy wooden, knot-shaped napkin rings (Housewares). An easy, affordable detail. 

Create a quintessential summer table with a centerpiece of  3-4 hydrangea blossoms in a Lightship basket. Then use the color of the petals and green of the leaves to create a stunningly beautiful Nantucket table.  It’s hard to imagine a prettier symbol of our island. Add lots of candles to encourage lingering conversation long after dessert has been consumed. Pick the scent you love best. They’re all refreshingly subtle. Save one for the powder room.

Nantucket is a patriotic place. Treat houseguests to a walking tour of town so they can take pictures of the flags flying outside private homes and public buildings. Look for flags on Nantucket’s earliest homes, on Wharf cottages laden with roses, and flags proudly displayed on the brick mansions on upper Main Street. Different size flags and flag poles are available for your own home near the check-out counter in the main building. And while you’re at it, welcome guests with a handsome and practical doormat. I didn’t know how much I needed this item until my daughter gave me one for my back door. Now the sand stays outside when I return from the beach. 

Happy Summer!