Brooklyn-based Home Studios has refreshed a trio of hospitality spaces on Nantucket that includes a bright restaurant and a subterranean lounge that immerses guests in an “cinematic” underwater scape.
The Pearl restaurant, The Boarding House bar and Below the Rose lounge are all located under one roof at 12 Federal Street, Nantucket – an island off the coast of Massachusetts that is popular with summer vacationers.
After 30 years, the establishment changed hands and was in need of updates, so Home Studios was enlisted to rethink the interiors while retaining some familiarity for regulars.
“The Pearl and its offshoot spaces are beloved Nantucket institutions, so Home Studios identified the goal as continuing the existing story and tradition: to reinterpret it, not rewrite it; polishing and refining its origin story,” said the studio, which took two years to complete the project.
The aim of the interior design was to create an individual look and feel for each of the three spaces, yet keep a level of visual cohesion across the connected rooms.
“There’s an immersive, cinematic experience across the board,” studio founder Oliver Haslegrave told Dezeen. “However, each space is distinct in its material and colour scheme choice.”
Renovating The Pearl involved “polishing” the main restaurant, private dining rooms and patio area.
In the light-filled restaurant, warm white and beige tones are complemented by cooler blues, and glossy tiles that clad the chimney stacks introduce texture and sheen.
The white oak tables and chairs have soft, contemporary shapes that contrast the rigid, colonial-era architectural details.
Behind the stone-topped bar, floral patterns including a mural by Lukas Geronimas Giniotis and mirror art by Paul Clifford add flourishes.
Darker earth tones decorate one of the private dining spaces, which includes a lounge area with leather and bouclé seating, and a selection of vintage furniture pieces.
For The Boarding House revamp, Home Studios looked to the island’s maritime history for influences.
Many of its original elements were kept, including the bar, back bar, and stone floors, while the interiors were updated to present a contemporary take on the building’s federal-style architecture.
“With The Boarding House, we sought to create a space built to withstand the trials of life at sea, and the place to host the exuberant celebration of one’s return,” Haslegrave said.
His studio also designed a new dark and moody lounge in the basement, named Below the Rose, where a different take on the oceanic theme was applied.
Envisioned as an underwater scape, the deep blue hues across the walls and ceilings feature a mural of aquatic creatures – also by Geronimas Giniotis – to make guests feel like they’re submerged below the waves.
“We approached the spatial design as if it were an ocean filled with unfamiliar creatures, textures, and forms,” said Halsegrave. “It’s dark and moody, and full of character and unique detailing.”
Richly grained wood wraps the cased openings and the base of columns, and forms arches across the back bar that frame more mirror artwork by Clifford.
Rust-coloured bar stools, dark brass sconces and champagne-toned glass flush mounts all stand out against the darker hues.
The lounge is starkly different in atmosphere to the dining spaces above, but together they bring a storied local institution back to life.
Home Studios has multiple hospitality projects under its belt, ranging from the refresh of the Daunt’s Albatross motel in Montauk to the design of the Laurel Brasserie and Bar in Salt Lake City.
Founded by Halsegrave in 2009, the studio has also created a Mediterranean-influenced hotel in Los Angeles and converted a Wisconsin train station into a restaurant.
The photography is by Matt Kisiday.
