Nostalgic Nantucket Escape Wins 2024 ICAA Bulfinch Award

Project Overview

The existing home came with an irregular-shaped lot, so the landscape architect’s first order of business included a land swap with neighboring homes to reconfigure the site. This allowed for an open backyard with a courtyard-feel that maximizes lawn space for the kids, while accommodating a simple, elongated pool as the central focal point.

A manicured lawn surrounds the water, along with voluptuous ‘Endless Summer’ blue hydrangeas, dense upright columnar maples, and a cedar shake fence matching the materiality of the home and pool house.

Keeping with the Nantucket architecture style cherished by the client, the different garden experiences radiate the delightful character of New England summers. Inspired by English architect Edwin Lutyens, circular steps anchor the home’s entrance and welcome visitors from the turnaround drive and guesthouse.

A gravel garden meanders between the front entry experience into the backyard, with a custom arbor gate that defines the transition.

Perennials are the star of the show as the garden dictates the experience with soft shades of blush and vanilla blooms dotted by more vibrant purples and blues.

Clusters of white shasta daisy (Leucanthemum × superbum ‘Becky’), tubular spikes of lavender blue giant hyssop (Agastache’ Blue Fortune’), and clouds of Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) create interest all summer long while embracing the hot coastal climate.

Show-stopping round hydrangeas fill the backdrop of each garden with a gradient of pink to deep blue florets that pair with a variety of soft, verdant plantings that cascade gently over bluestone steppers.