6 min readOn an island where history is woven intimately into the landscape, building something new can feel a bit like a contradiction. But for designer Elaina Darden and her grandmother—who made the leap into Nantucket home ownership after renting on the island for years—the goal wasn’t to mimic the past. It was to create a space that belonged to it.
“We wanted to craft a home that felt like it had been on the island forever,” says Darden, who was tasked with transforming her grandmother, Ella’s, newly built spec cottage into something far more soulful. Set just a short stroll from historic Main Street, Darden set out to resuscitate the 4,087-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home, which was replete with modern perks like HVAC and fresh plumbing, but void of that layered, timeworn charm the island is well-known for.
With a keen eye for materiality and knack for mixing in antiques (she wanted each piece to feel like it was “collected right off of a ship in the harbor”), Darden focused on grounding the home through a sense of place, threading color and nautical nods throughout. But, rather than defaulting to the whites, blues, and foggy grays that define so many Nantucket interiors (the island is nicknamed the "Grey Lady" for a reason), Darden reached for something brighter. "The color scheme was inspired by the island on its brightest, prettiest days and is meant to cut through the fog with a ray of bright light," she adds. Every shade traces back to something found in nature on the island in summer: the blue of the harbor water, the gold of the sand, the green of the trees, the riotous color of the flowers.
With a tight timeline and minimal structural modifications, Darden relied on strategic, high-impact changes to move the needle towards something more timeless: reworking a stark modern fireplace into a more traditional focal point with antique Delft tiles, swapping out all the lighting, and layering in wallpaper wherever possible. “Each room is adorned in a floral, color, or texture that speaks to the next,” Darden notes, underscoring a design approach that was both immersive and intentional.
The result is a home that earns its name. "Garden Party" is displayed proudly on a quarterboard above the front door, pulling triple duty as the home’s offical title: a nod to Ella's lifelong love of flowers, a tribute to the charming cottage garden on the side of the house (where, Darden notes with delight, her Texan grandmother can finally grow blooms she could only dream of back home), and a preview of the floral-forward prints that burst into bloom across nearly every room inside.
FAST FACTS
Designer: Elaina Darden
Location: Nantucket, Massachusetts
The Space: A five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath home across 4,087 square feet.
BASEMENT
Darden leaned into the moodiness of this subterranean retreat.
With its own bedroom, bunk room, laundry, wet bar, and exterior entrance, the basement feels less like an afterthought and more like a private suite. Here, Darden shifted the mood, relying on a layered color scheme of red and blue for a touch of Americana charm.
The bar is outfitted with a family collection of steins, while a nearby game table functions as a spot for coffee and breakfast as well as a game of mahjong.
ENTRY HALL
A bespoke De Gournay mural depicts 18th-century ships in Nantucket Harbor.
“Even before finding this mural, the Nantucket shoreline had inspired the home’s color scheme, so this perfectly captured the blues, greens, and sandy colors we planned to use throughout the home,” says Darden. A special set of antique Nantucket stacking baskets sits on the entry table, an important nod to the island’s history of craftsmanship: one of the most famous Nantucket basket makers, Jose Reyes, lived in the 19th-century house next door, and the cottage sits on what was his side yard.
DINING ROOM
Open to the kitchen, the trim paint ties into the nearby cabinetry.
Clad in a playful yet sophisticated marigold wallpaper from Penny Morrison, the dining room is a sunny spot for family meals and leisurely breakfasts. The table was custom-made to look like an Early American farm table, with hidden leaves that extend to accommodate 12.
“The Windsor dining chairs were one of the first decisions we made. While we would have loved to find an antique set, we knew that they can be difficult to source and fragile, which was not practical for the way this space would be used,” explains Darden. Instead, she chose to have new Windsor chairs custom-made, placing two wicker green chairs at the head of the table for an approachable feel
KITCHEN
A cosmetic facelift elevated the builder-grade kitchen to match the beauty throughout the rest of the home.
The goal in the kitchen was simple: refresh the builder-grade space with as little renovation as possible. While the asymmetrical waterfall island was “nobody’s favorite,” it stayed in pursuit of simplicity, with Darden focusing much of her attention on cosmetic changes, like new cabinetry paint and hardware.
“Function was really important in this kitchen, as the main dining space is directly next to the island. The stools are beautiful and have a big impact on the design, but are also light and tuck all the way under the counter, so the island space can be used for serving a larger group,” she adds.
LIVING ROOM
A main artery of the home, the living room ties together the color scheme.
With access to the entry, mud room, and kitchen, the living room had to wear many hats, including acting as the aesthetic glue that tied together the home’s overall scheme and a spot to showcase Darden’s grandmother’s extensive collection of antique pewter.
“There are almost no solids on upholstery throughout the entire home, and we very intentionally mixed patterns in this space,” she adds. “The Schumacher large-scale floral used on the draperies pulled together the colors of the island, while a faded coral flower within the pattern adds a hint of ‘Nantucket Red.’”
POWDER ROOM
A nautical-inspired sconce hints at the home’s locale.
“We knew we wanted to use the Peggy’s Garden print somewhere in the house, and the powder room that sits off of the cheerful mud room was the perfect place,” Darden says of the wallpaper choice, which came directly from her own collection of hand-drawn wallpaper and fabric. “The yellow continues here onto the vanity, and we accented with some subtle nautical touches in the sconce and rope mirror detail.”
PRIMARY BEDROOM
The unofficial flower of Nantucket holds court in this serene retreat.
Inspired by the blue hydrangeas seen outside the bedroom windows, the primary suite is a feminine and layered escape. “The room is small, but with five windows and a tester, there is almost no wall left showing, and the walls of fabric are really impactful in the space,” says Darden. “We had a Garden Party ‘logo’ designed for the home—a Nantucket basket filled with hydrangeas—and Leontine Linens embroidered this detail onto the shams.”
SITTING ROOM
A lemon yellow daybed allows the space to double as a guest bedroom.
Located upstairs, this multifunctional space oscillates between a sitting room, office, and guest bedroom. There’s a television tucked above the bamboo desk, while the custom daybed, covered in a Schumacher plaid, converts into a sleeping spot when necessary.
GUEST BEDROOM
A pair of twin beds makes this the ideal spot for grandchildren.
Centered on the Georgie print from Darden’s fabric collection, the twin guest bedroom is designed as a home away from home for grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “Spindle beds were a specific request, so we accommodated that with a pair in a bright green paint,” says Darden. “The tiny room had few furniture layout options, so we decided to place the beds in front of the windows, then use drapery with valances to create the illusion of a bed treatment above each bed.”
GARDEN PATIO
A dedicated dining zone offers proximity to the kitchen for easy entertaining.
“Leaning into the importance of outdoor living on Nantucket, we created two zones tucked into the home’s gardens,” says Darden of the garden patio and nearby al fresco living room. “The teak pieces seen in the dining space will be left out to weather over time, as if they are part of the home’s architecture, while the living space, nestled between hydrangeas and overflowing windowboxes, is the perfect spot for an afternoon rosé.”
About the Designer
Elaina Fagan Darden is a Texas-based interior designer, textile designer, artist, and tastemaker. She launched her eponymous interior design firm and textile collection in 2022 and 2023.
After studying Interior Design at Texas Christian University, Elaina began her career with esteemed residential and hospitality design firms. She brings a trained eye and technical expertise to her practice. Elaina leans on a background in classical design to create fresh yet traditional interiors that complement contemporary lifestyles.
