ABOUT
In celebration of its 100th birthday, the White Elephant Nantucket hotel asked Elkus Manfredi Architects to create a top-to-bottom transformation of the hotel and cottages inspired by the storied history, character, and rugged beauty of its island home. The renovation breathes new life into the property and immerses guests in a gracious and authentic experience of the island.
Re-opened in May 2023, the 54-key hotel and its 11 cottages feature custom furnishings, finishes, and design details that celebrate all things Nantucket. Bringing the outside in, the design team incorporated the muted tones and textures of the island’s windswept landscape and the deep blue of the surrounding ocean, always adding at least one stormy color that provides depth and contrast, much like Nantucket’s shifting skies. The cottages, each named after a plant traditional to Nantucket, provide moments of bright saturated color amid the overall palette, just as the island’s summer flowers bring vibrant spots of color to the landscape. An important key element of the redesign was the design team’s development of an Artist-in-Residency program that created original artwork specifically for the hotel that was inspired by the island. The results? A total of 237 pieces of art, with 187 on display in the hotel and 50 in the cottages.
The hotel’s reimagined lobby welcomes visitors with a mix of traditional New England charm and fresh modern luxury. A large contemporary painting of a woman in a rowboat gliding through the harbor – created for the hotel by artist Orit Fuchs – hangs behind the custom-designed reception desk, which recalls Nantucket’s grand ship-building history with antique brass fittings, rattan detailing, and intricate cabinetry. Painted a deep, historically-accurate Van Deusen blue in contrast with the lobby’s dark wood floors, white walls, and beadboard ceilings, the desk anchors the lobby.
In the guestrooms, wall coverings evoke island dune grasses, ceilings are painted the color of a Nantucket summer sky, corridor wainscoting +features another deep ocean blue. In recognition of Nantucket’s rich artisanal history of basketweaving and textile production, designers created the custom carpets used throughout the hotel’s guestrooms and corridors that call upon historic basketweave patterns at different scales.
The 11 cottages were fully renovated and each given an individual theme inspired by a Nantucket plant—Hydrangea, Daylily, Beachplum, Honeysuckle, Holly, Arrowwood, Marigold, Bayberry, Rose, and Snapdragon. Bold wallcoverings and textiles, curated Nantucket artifacts, vibrant accent colors, and custom upholstery, furniture, and throw pillows come together to tell a different story in each cottage. Beachplum’s airy double-height living room, green and violet botanical wall covering, and lavender door; Rose’s bright salmon-pink accents and cozy retro wallcovering of red and blue flower buds; Honeysuckle’s latched yellow door at the top of the stair decorated with original artwork of native wildflowers – each cottage is a one-of-a-kind setting where memories are made and guests will return year after year.
