If you are planning a  Fourth of July party here are some entertaining tips:

1.Flags make the perfect patriotic decoration with a spin. Wrap them around throw pillows and simply pin at the back. Or wrap the pillows with red and white or blue and white checked fabric, even dishtowels.

2. Use red, white and blue ribbons to edge painted boxes, flower pots, or placemats as well as using the more elaborate, wire-edged ribbons for curtain tie backs.

3. If you sew, use those little flags that come on poles, remove, wash the sizing out of the fabric and stitch the little flags together to make a table cover. I like to quilt flags. It’s a cinch to stitch along the stripes and around each star. While some people might think this is an irreverent nod to our American flag I think of it as a rather patriotic gesture.

4. Here’s another party idea using flags, I borrowed the idea from a birthday party I attended last year. String little American flags on a clothesline and hang from tree to tree over your deck or patio for a July 4^th barbecue. Or, use a large flag as a tablecover.

5. Here’s the lazy person’s way to set a 4^th of July table. Assemble everything you have on hand that is red, white and blue and make a centerpiece arrangement with those items that work together. For example, you might fill a blue bowl with balls of red yarn, red cherries, red apples or flowers from the garden.

6. If you have small children, make a grouping of small toys down the middle of the table.

7. Sand pails are good for holding napkins for a buffet. Use checked dishtowels for oversized napkins for a buffet. For a messy meal such as ribs, use red, white and blue washcloths for napkins and when the meal is finished toss in the wash.

8. Group potted red geraniums in the center of the table and tie them together with a wide red, white and blue ribbon..

9. A quilt makes a wonderful tablecloth in patriotic colors.

10 Consider dying hardboiled eggs to fill a bowl.  Use the eggs as place cards with a name on each one. Use a wax crayon to mark a name on the egg before dipping it into food dye.

11, Marbleize the eggs by wrapping elastic bands this way and that around the hard boiled eggs. Mix a few drops of food color into a glass filled with boiling water and a spoonful of vinegar. Leave until color is intense enough, removing the egg with a spoon to check now and then. Once dry, remove the elastic bands to reveal the marbleized pattern left where the dye did not take. Kids will love doing this with you. Once the party’s over make egg salad. It’s the perfect way to recycle. Have a happy and safe 4^th!

Several years ago I proposed a book title, “Leslie Linsley’s Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest: Decorating with Fabulous Knockoffs” to my literary agent. I am known for “good design at reasonable prices” and this new book was to be about getting the most value for your money by choosing the best-designed items for every room in your home at a cost anyone could afford. For example, if one needs a lamp, one of the best selections of all-purpose, well-designed lamps can be found through the Restoration Hardware catalog. Their lamps, designed to work in any room, come in a variety of classic styles and in different heights. They cost in the $300. dollar range. However, every year in September the company offers them at discount for around 25-35% off the original cost. At little over $200. dollars they represent a good buy. If this is still more than one wants to spend, you can find cheaper lamps of similar design and lesser quality for under $100. dollars at Home Depot. It may not look quite as good, but good enough and still well-designed for the price. If that is still an extravagant purchase, you can buy really good replacement shades for existing lamps for around twenty dollars and your lamps will look refreshed.

The point of the book was to tell readers how to find the best designs in all areas of home furnishings, how much they cost, where to find really good copies of each of these items, how much they cost and then offering yet another option for a great knock-off at a fraction of the cost. This was not to be a comparison-shopping guide but rather a book of strategies for getting the look at a comfortable price point. Even with my track record of over 60 published books, thirty-two publishers turned down the proposal.  Most of them expressed the point of view that surely the economy was not quite as dire as predicted and was about to spike upward. We know it didn’t.  By all accounts from many of my suppliers of home furnishing goods the economy, at least in New England is getting better. Their wholesale sales are up from two years’ ago and this is a positive thing to hear.

That said,  it is a fact – our economic situation has affected everyone, even those with high income status. It has become extremely fashionable to be money savvy. Finding ways to keep the status quo by using clever ways to do what we always took for granted in a more economical way has become a source of pride. Everyone likes to live well, to have a nice home and to decorate it with style and taste. But this may not be possible for the majority of Americans. Everyone knows that beyond basic furnishings such as a bed, something to sit on and a table, we don’t have to buy home furnishings. But over the last decade we’ve been exposed through the media and the fabulous stores and homes on the island to beautiful things and many of us have attempted to decorate our rooms like the pages of the magazines we admire. Quite simply, we have a desire to keep our homes looking good. There is always a shabby sofa that needs replacing or a room that could use a coat of paint

My readers have always expressed interest in ideas for decorating well for less so I will continue to dispense good house ideas that get the look without breaking the bank.  For example, an authentic early American blanket chest with original milk paint finish costs around $3500. This is the sort of item one finds in antique shops and from American folk art dealers. A reproduction chest looks quite similar-if one is not an expert in folk art- and will cost around a thousand dollars. And then there are copies of the reproductions that cost approximately $300-$500. This item is also available in unfinished pine from a ready-to-finish mill store for approximately $150. dollars. Almost anyone can stain or apply a milk paint finish to make this item look decent, and for this bargain it’s practical, good looking and functions in the same way as the original.

It’s amazing how removing an inexpensive but well-designed item from its environment immediately elevates it, especially if you surround it with better items.

Decorator’s Trick: A decorator I know furnished his house with very expensive, designer furniture. It is a spare, minimalist approach, therefore each accessory was carefully chosen. He found an inexpensive piece of pottery at Pier I Imports for $5. dollars and placed it on an antique table. That piece of pottery was instantly elevated to the status of good art, as no one would expect such a cheap item on an expensive table.

Sometimes the inexpensive copies are made as cheaply as the price suggests. However, an informed buyer can usually pick up on this pretty quickly. Good design prevails and it will be copied, sometimes forever. So, buy the best you can afford and use it until it can be replaced with better quality. The trick is not to overdo it so “cheap” defines the room.

Given budget restraints and a modicum of good taste, it can be an exciting challenge to come up with clever ideas and innovative solutions to decorating problems. Getting the hang of it can be most satisfying.

I’ve been living on Nantucket for most of my life and am very used to the rather laid-back pace that comes with the territory. This becomes even more evident every time I leave to spend a couple of days in the Boston store. But a couple of weeks ago I had an old childhood friend come for the weekend. She’s lived in California for as long as I’ve lived on Nantucket and all weekend long I kept thinking she was on speed. She wasn’t of course, but the train she was on was running a lot faster than mine. I’m aware how everyone talks or writes, or texts or emails in shorthand. I admit, I multitask like everyone else since there are always way too many things to deal with in a day than there are waking hours, but things have gotten out of hand.

A woman came into my shop and we got to talking about summer rentals. I asked if she’d checked V-R-B-O, in long-hand that translates to Vacation Rental By Owner. “Oh Verbo, sure” she said, shortening the name even further. I thought about this. Four syllables for V, R, B, O when two would do. Made sense to me. I like the idea of editing…. To a point,  I do not like it when I get a text message that requires a call to a five year old for translation. And I do admit that I only hire young employees for the simple reason that I am basically technnologically lazy. It’s so easy to hand the phone to my assistant and ask her to program in my most called numbers than actually do it myself. But then when some of them become obsolete I haven’t a clue as to how to delete them. And this is why I will never join Facebook, because my BFFs, will be on there forever even long after I can’t remember who the heck they are.

Given that I am basically an impatient personality type it baffles me to know that I do any craftwork whatsoever let alone decoupage. This is a craft that takes a great deal of patience. It literally slows down the world and chunks of time are gobbled up. But I have watched many super hyper employees become docile lambs after a week of cutting out intricate botanical prints. This just might be a major medical break-through for curing ADD.  At the very least, I know that crafting relieves stress, it helps to stay on a diet (you can’t eat as much when you are crafting) and the results are satisfying. Not a bad return on such a minor investment!

I live on two islands. Nantucket Island has been my home for forty years and for twenty or so years I’ve spent two months in Key West. I know Key West, as an outsider, but recognize the familiar problems this island has in common with my island. Both islands lack affordable housing, suffer from seasonal traffic, no parking spaces and extra strains on the infrastructure of these fragile places.

While in Key West, my partner and I strode down to the Afterdeck at Louies’ to unwind from the pressures of finding ourselves – a writer and photographer – in the most unaccustomed position of having no assignment. Leisure time is not our forte and we have been working on this attitude adjustment for two months. A Louis’ Passion and a Marguerita at sunset have been contributing greatly toward successful achievement of this goal.

It was five thirty. Ten minutes into our self-imposed regimen we were joined by a local character, Dink Bruce, a regular raconteur familiar to most everyone here. His friend Reef soon joined us.

Our conversation turned to the subject of gentrification found in so many resort areas that, once discovered became overly populated. Dink was in rare form and ever quick with an analogy of the island said,  “Consider this island as the result of a good recipe, Visitors come and enjoy the meal but find they must alter it a bit to suit their personal tastes. So they fiddle with it a bit and clean it up, so to speak. Before you know it they’ve put in too much of this and taken out too much of that and the original recipe is no longer discernable.” Reef, a thirty seven year veteran of Key West picked up the thread, “When you hear the word ‘gentrification; it sounds positive. But if you think about it in the context of change it can mean something totally different. In fact, for us it is quite negative.” Our talk became lively with Dink taking side trips to imitate various characters he’d encountered.

The folks who came to live here so many years ago liked the laid-back nature of the place. Everyone is familiar with its appeal to artists and writers and free-thinking sorts. Today the prevailing attitude is accepting of any number of off-beat factions. It is this diversity of opinion that makes up the fabric of the island and encourages lively conversation at dinner parties. “But we are a dying breed,” said Reef and once the old timers go the island won’t be the same.”

This got me thinking about Nantucket’s gentrification, about ten years ahead by comparison. I commented on how much good had come out of the gentrification of our island in the form of improved services such as the hospital and improvements to the economy in general. But I had to admit gentrification had gotten way out of hand verging on the sterilization of our island. It’s hard to keep things a bit rough around the edges, the very sorts of things that lend character to the place. For example, in Nantucket our charming small houses are being replaced by bigger and fancier dwellings and the charm of our island is being eroded. Suburbia is creeping in. This is happening more slowly in Key West because there isn’t any land left to build on. However, there is more to gentrify here and so it will take a longer time. But this brings me back to the meaning of “gentrify”, a word that sounds pretty okay and so we often dismiss it as not being particularly threatening the way a more odious and contagious disease might alert us into preventive action.

According to Wikipedia, gentrification refers to the process in which low cost, physically deteriorated neighborhoods experience physical renovations and an increase in property value along with an influx of increasingly wealthier residents who typically displace the prior residents. Proponents of gentrification usually focus on the monetary values and benefits.

Artistic and subcultural thinkers often seek out places because of their low prices and their sense of authenticity or “grit”. As the artistic or once “bohemian” character of the area grows, it appeals to “consumers”. Eventually those sporadic consumers edge out the earlier arrivals for a number of reasons, most obviously being “no longer affordable” and lack of “grit.” Locals can’t afford to live in the community and long established businesses close making way for the homogenous chains that can afford the newly risen real estate prices. Places like Nantucket and Key West have a unique style formed by their longtime residents. As newcomers displace these residents, ideas about what is attractive change, and standards for architecture, landscaping and public behavior change as well. Quite literally the people “of gentle birth” have more influence on the place and, over time, the very character that attracted them in the first place disappears.  At first the changes are slow, but at a certain point in time an ever-expanding number of newcomers find the place acceptable for their comfort level.

Is there a solution to the problems that arise from gentrification? Maybe through social awareness. But then how does a community go about policing the rate of gentrification that is acceptable in a free society? This will probably be a subject of concern here for a very long time.

When people travel to other parts of the country and beyond it is their habit to shop for items that remind them of their travels, or perhaps the things they can’t find at home. Tourists buy everything from t-shirts to souvenirs. It’s easy to mock those who flock to souvenir shops for anything sporting the name of the place they are visiting – until we find ourselves doing the same thing. This is the situation I found myself in during a trip to Florence, Italy.

When I travel anywhere I’m more attracted to flea markets than the shops. The timing for a trip to France several years ago was planned around market days in several different towns, including two consecutive Saturdays, coming and going, at a flea market unrivaled by any I’ve been to in thirty years of scrounging.

What makes a flea market find more interesting than newly purchased items is the serendipity factor. The process of finding the unknown is quite special. It’s usually something we weren’t looking for, but at the moment of discovery it is endowed with qualities it may or may not have had.  For flea market aficionados (in antique parlance “pickers”), that item becomes particularly meaningful. It has survived the process of previous picking through lots of “junk” and deemed to be the pearl. Perhaps it was purchased with a bit of clever haggling, and a feeling of satisfaction unlike that of our country’s early gold diggers.  Once we take the item out of its environment it becomes even more valuable to us. We reflect on our good fortune for having discovered it and the item often becomes more unique by virtue of ownership.

It was with these feelings of expectation that I approached a little flea market of sorts in Florence. It was made up of individual shops, more like rows of attached lean-to’s selling mostly lighting fixtures and chandeliers, in need of repair and thus, frightfully overpriced.  It was here at stall #15, identified with a numbered tile, that I first spotted them – the ceramic doorknobs that I hoped would adorn my new office doors.  They were oval with softly curved edges from years of use. Their once white color was now discolored and aged to a soft cream. The underside had a slight curve that, when grabbed fit one’s hand so it felt right and you noticed this. There were 4 sets and I needed 3, but I wasn’t sure we could get the mechanical parts needed to make them work at home. Besides they were more costly than I wanted to spend. But I coveted them.  I didn’t buy them on that day, or the day after, or the day after that, although I kept going back to see if they were still there. I dreamed about them and romanticized where they had once resided. I was obsessed with those doorknobs,  On the second Monday all the vendors were closed. The next day it rained and #15 was closed on the three excursions I took to the place. We checked the prices and availability of new knobs in a hardware store. They were cheaper but didn’t compare -too white, too perfect, too American.

I went back again and asked, “Quanto costa?”. Then how much less for three?  We communicated on a calculator, she punching in her obstinate figures, me with a come-back. There was no give. I left  determined to win this waiting game, sure that I could out stay her. Days passed and I couldn’t stop thinking about the knobs. If they were sold, I told myself, it wasn’t meant to be. If they were still there (and they probably had been for years, but that is something the “stalker” never wants to think about) I would buy them at whatever the cost and forget about it in the scheme of things.

The three sets of knobs are now in my home. I paid full price. They are even more beautiful on this side of the world than they were when I first spotted them, rusting, dripping from rain, thrown upon a heap of tools, locks and assorted non-descript items.

I like to imagine they were once on some massive wooden doors in a 15th century villa, similar to the one in which we stayed. Every time I open the French doors to my office the knobs feel good in my hands. Imagining where their existence started and is ending and how they were found among the detritus of everyday Italian households is somehow symbolic. I have taken home a piece of Florence to add to the enjoyment of my home here.

The photographs we took with Michelangelo’s David looming behind us, another in the Duomo, at the Uffizi, of the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, fill our photo album.  We looked at them from time to time and then hardly at all. We have many purchases that somehow got misplaced or used up but, I am reminded of this trip many times over as I slide my hand over those doorknobs every single day.

This morning I sat at the kitchen counter pouring over one of the myriad of home catalogs that arrive daily. I was looking for a shelving unit and came upon what I thought would be perfect. Made of chrome it looked sturdy enough to hold the plates I had in mind. The dimensions were just right for my space, but the clincher was the words, “Easy assembly, no tools required.” My life has always been one of “assembly required”. It doesn’t matter what I do, it seems to be more labor-intense than the finished project warrants no matter what it is. So, I was relieved to find a product offering instant gratification. At least that’s what I thought as I dialed the 800 number, credit card in hand. (I like to make personal contact when ordering anything.) Not so easy. Upon second examination of the description, I found that there was too much space between the shelves, which would have been fine had I wanted it to hold books or large items, but totally wasted for holding flat plates.

While I was put on hold I noticed the copy said the shelves were adjustable in one-inch increments. The operator (or rather, “sales associate”) was most helpful when I asked if I could order extra shelves and trotted off to wherever they go to find out if this was possible. The Musak was pleasant enough and her southern accent, when she returned, made the answer more palatable. “We don’t have the number of the manufacturer and therefore can’t ask the question. Perhaps you can find it on the Internet.” I thanked her and immediately lost interest in the project. So it seems that “minimum assembly required” is fine if all things are perfect. I consoled myself with the knowledge that assembling the parts was not going to be so easy after they were spread out on my living room floor and probably a screw or some essential part would be missing and, contrary to stated myth, a tool was indeed needed and it was not included and not an item carried at my local hardware store because the product is made somewhere other than the U.S. Worst of all, the instructions undoubtedly would be written in Japanese or Chinese.

I am more comfortable with “Assembly Required” when I’m familiar with a product or a process. This is the current slogan for the Craft and Hobby Association, of which I am a member. They are most surely under the misguided assumption that there is a world of do-it-yourselfers out there that actually respond in a positive way to this sort of challenge. On a basic level I understand this way of thinking. It’s the way I’ve lived my entire life, a curse passed down to me by my mother and my grandparents. If I can do it myself it gets done, if I have to call someone else to do it, it doesn’t.  Those who like to jump in and get your hands dirty know what I’m talking about. We don’t have to have any life experience with the task we’re about to tackle, but on some base level we have confidence that we can figure it out. This is fine with most things, but assembling an item that comes in a zillion pieces with directions written in a foreign language is not. Parents of small children know this better than anyone from pulling Christmas Eve all-nighters.

If the do-it-yourself approach is what makes you tick than you’re pretty much stuck with it. You’re lucky and cursed at the same time. It takes a concerted effort to turn this attitude around if you are so determined.  For example, taking the shelf incident, most people would find the shelving unit that came closest to suiting their needs and order it. But the “assembly required” person looks for ways to make things difficult, if only on a subconscious level. We look at a product that might serve to make our lives easier and then go about the business of thinking how it could work better. Most of the people I know are like this because they are born of a creative nature and thrive on problem-solving, whether they know it or not. We simply can’t accept life on a simple, need–to-know basis. .

Sometimes household problems are solved in unusual ways resulting in an interesting outcome because the obvious is not all that exciting for the do-it-yourselfer. For example, in a “call in someone” household, a badly stained wooden floor would be professionally sanded and re-polyurethaned. In our house it gets painted and sponged or spattered or stenciled because we know how to do that and the obvious and easiest solution isn’t always as appealing. The problem with the do-it-yourself approach is that it takes a long time to solve the problem.

Buy it or make it? That is the question. Do-it-yourself or get someone to do it for you?  Fixing a squeaky door, planting a garden, ,painting walls, caulking tile,, redecorating, refinishing an old dresser, fixing a drain pipe, hanging curtains – any one of a hundred things can seem like a nightmare or a creative challenge. Maybe a little do-it-yourself and a little let-someone-else-do it is the best of both worlds. For now I’m stuck with “assembly required”.

Leslie gives you a tour of the Nantucket store and the special gifts for the home available in both Nantucket and Boston.

My new book “Aged To Perfection” is finally in bookstores throughout the country. It’s a Country Living book about adding rustic charm to your modern home inside and out. One of my favorite chapters is on retro collections under which I have a section called “Kitsch.” Of German origin, the word kitsch came into use in the nineteenth century and has been used to categorize art that is considered to be a tasteless copy of an existing style. It was originally associated with art that is sentimental. Today, garden gnomes and other lawn ornaments are often considered kitschy, as is a collection of Cupie dolls. Such items, while looked down upon by serious art collectors, are highly desirable among retro collectors. I think of these items as particularly appealing to Key West homeowners as it seems to go with that style of decorating. It isn’t that the houses are tasteless, it’s that I think of Key West, more than any other place, as expressing a sense of humor and appreciation for high camp.

Most items from the fifties seem to have a fine-tuned kitschy quality. Pottery pieces in turquoise, bright yellow, orange, coral and aqua, colorful vintage tablecloths and chenille bedspreads are considered kitschy, along with Pyrex bowls and aqua painted canisters. Not enough time has gone by as to make them true antiques, but they have a retro value that is appealing for their nostalgic design.

When you put a collection of these things together it makes a statement. It can be interesting and useful at the same time. For example, a painted china cupboard filled with green glass pottery like a juice squeezer, glasses, vases, bowls and canisters imbue a room with personality. By keeping everything of one color, material and era the collection, which in and of itself doesn’t cost much (these items are easy to find at junk shops and yard sales) makes a downright quaint display that’s sort of warm and fuzzy. An open shelf might hold a plethora of turquoise pottery that includes McCoy pieces or Fiestaware. When you go antiquing, fine-tune your vision so that anything from the fifties pops out at you. It’s far enough back there to be of interest but not so old as to be expensive.

This summer Rafael Osona auctioned off a metal dinette set, typical of this era. If you think about it, this fifties artifact is almost industrial-looking which, in a modern home or even an early antique home could be almost as interesting as a piece of sculpture. Things from the past have great appeal when they are placed in an unlikely environment.

Everyday items from the past make great accessories. For example, as a collection, old boxes which have been used as storage since Early American times, not only lend character to shelves or a desktop, but they are handy. They even look great piled on the floor.

Before glass jars, tin cans, and commercially packaged foods, wooden boxes made by local carpenters served almost every household need. Candle boxes, matchboxes, and boxes for sugar, cheese, cornmeal, grains, and butter were a dime a dozen (or rather two to fifteen shillings).

Other everyday items make great collectibles as well. Vintage kitchenware, including pots, pans, and smaller cooking tools and utensils, creates atmosphere simply hanging from a space-saving rack. My friend Jean Doyen de Montaillou gave a plant stand new life as a plate holder with a fresh coat of white paint.

Cast-iron cookware was highly valued in the eighteenth century. It is basically iron that is poured into a mold to create useful implements, such as pots, pans and muffin tins. And here’s a bit of trivia: George Washington’s mother thought so much of her cookware that she made a special bequeath of her cast iron in her will. Lewis and Clark indicated that their cast iron Dutch oven was one of their most important pieces of equipment during their expedition in the Louisiana territory in 1804.

Early graphic signs made of wood, tin, or paper hung as art provide visual interest and are often consider “kitschy”. America’s golden age of sign making occurred from the last quarter of the eighteenth century or the mid-nineteenth century. Signs were usually hung on storefronts and advertised the businesses within. They were often comprised of a large image and a few words. Antique shops dealing in folk art are the best source for wooden trade signs. Early tavern signs are the most plentiful and are among the favorites. They often depict an American eagle, a bull, or a horse. Beware! The date on a tavern sign represents when the innkeeper received his license, not necessarily the date the sign was made.

So, if you are in the “sprucing up your kitchen” mood try a little bit of kitsch, mixing early cookware and kitchen implements with old signs. Hunting for these items might be a fun winter activity.

I’ve been writing a weekly column about home style for over twenty years. So it isn’t unusual to encounter readers on the street or customers in my store who ask how I come up with a topic each week. My standard answer is that I’m working on it in my head at all times and my antennae is up, always aware of what style changes are in the wind. Most weeks I have no problem coming up with an idea, but there are those Friday mornings when I sit at my computer wondering what in the world to write about. This is one of those mornings. What to do? It doesn’t take long to find inspiration, especially when you’re surrounded by much beauty and creative activities on the island. For example, in June our local film festival was practically played out right under my nose, as my store is directly behind the Starlight Theatre where most of the films were presented. I had a lovely week talking to film buffs about their favorites, both past and currently being shown. It got me to thinking about the films I most enjoy and was surprised to find that period pieces like those produced by Merchant/Ivory are among my favorites. I love to see lavish sets and can watch films like Gosford Park or Remains of the Day, over and over, finding details of design I hadn’t seen before.

While decorating a Nantucket home isn’t exactly like decorating a movie set, we can always find inspiration in the details to be translated and reinterpreted. Another area of inspiration is in many of the tastefully decorated houses and public buildings here on island. For example, my favorite place to feel pampered is in the dining room of the Jared Coffin House. I don’t think breakfast can be more of an event than in that room. While the new owners will surely update it, my hope is that they will maintain that wonderful old-world feeling one gets the minute you step foot across the hallway threshold. Everything about it, including the fact that it was “done” many years ago and therefore showing signs of age and fading that I find particularly appealing. It makes you feel as though you have stepped back in time, a gentler more refined time, and it is possible to linger for two hours before reentering the onslaught of summer energy. This room has inspired many designs that I have incorporated into my creative projects.

And this is my point. Creative ideas come from everywhere and can be found in the minutest details. Last April while having Sunday brunch in the J.C. dining room I was inspired by the print on the tablecloth for a design that resulted in a room screen that I now feature in my shop. The entire time I was working on that project, I kept reliving the experience of that dining room, The finished project is far from the original inspiration, but it was the jump-start I needed. If you are having trouble with a decorating design or direction it’s easy to give yourself over to the project by consciously forgetting about it. Put it on a back burner and allow yourself to look around wherever you are, be it shopping in Marine Home Center for paint (a color might be the thing that sparks your imagination) or trying on clothing in Zero Main (a certain fabric might suggest a direction). Working in the garden is probably one of the best ways to find inspiration. Nantucket interior design works best when it relates to the outdoors and the most successful rooms are decorated to allow the beauty of the island, no matter where you live, to be highlighted rather than obliterated. The island is part of the decorating scheme although I’ve noticed that many houses ignore this fact and decorate in a way that might be found anywhere in America. But fortunately this is not the norm.

Over the years I’ve watched many lovely Quaker houses in my neighborhood become transformed on the inside to accommodate modern living. They are completely gutted while leaving the outside intact according to HDC rules. It seems a shame not to try in some way to reach a compromise so that the history of these houses remains intact. A good way for a new island homeowner to gain insight into how to decorate might be to take some time to visit as many homes as possible. Fortunately this is not as hard to do as might at first appear. We have several house and garden tours throughout the year and this summer the Nantucket Garden Club will be featuring one of their annual charity events. It has always been a wonderful way to see some of the most exquisite homes on the island and will surely serve as inspiration for your own home whether on island or away. Even if you come away with one small idea it will be worth the entry ticket. Even though I know in my heart of hearts I will never have a drawing room or parlor as opulent as a Merchant/Ivory production (I don’t even have a parlor), I can copy the pattern in the curtains for a decoupage project. If that doesn’t work there’s always that wonderful silk tassel treatment I might just use on my throw pillows.

tags: films,newspaper column,decorating,Quaker influence,house tours

“If you wish to relate the distinctive heritage charm of Nantucket and words are failing you, take along this book.”—Bill Tramposch, Executive Director, Nantucket Historical Association

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“What I fell for when I first came to this island was the sense that I was a million miles from everywhere else I knew. This book captures that joy as well as the unique history and style of this island. Nantucket may have changed over the years, but flipping through these pages reminds me that you cannot change the core of Nantucket that has charmed so many of us.” —David Gregory of NBC News, Nantucket Home Owner

• 220 color photos by Terry Pommett
• 22 Nantucket creative home interiors
• Hardcover
• Autographed
• Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang/Abrams
• 11.2 x 10.3 x 1 inches