Photo by Starboard and PortErica Lea Hendrix helped give this home a modern interpretation of a Nantucket home.
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A Classic Home with a 21st Century Twist
As soon as Erica Lea Hendrix got to join the team that created this color-infused, transitional Nantucket, she knew she was in for a treat.
by Lucie Amberg
Mar 2022
When Rick Ramsey of Ramsey Building Co. and Jason Thompson of JL Thompson Design invited Erica Lea Hendrix of Erica Lea Design Studios to collaborate on a whimsical Nantucket-style home for a young family, she jumped at the opportunity.
The owners wanted a home with formal fixings, like a dining room and a living room, but they were open to modern interpretations of these classic spaces. The result is a home Hendrix describes as “updated, youthful and quirky.” She says: “For me to take a traditional frame and put something so fun and avant-garde on it was inspiring.”
Photos by Starboard and PortOriginally, the kitchen was meant to be all white. Midway through the project, an inspiration image with lots of black accents caught the owner’s eye. Hendrix segued the design with eye-catching touches like the black hood over the range. The black frames of the glass-front cabinets give the space a pristine feel with posh, boutique bakery vibes.
Photos by Starboard and PortThis classic bedroom sticks with the same color scheme, perfectly incorporating pinks and blues with a neutral background to make the colors harmonize.
Photos by Starboard and PortIn addition to being bright and airy, this space features a sectional in fabric that's bleachable and anti-microbial. It's a perfect fit for the owners' young children.
Photos by Starboard and PortHendrix says this space reminds her of a French macaron. The chairs, pedestal table and cheery window treatments evoke happy moments in a Parisian café.
Photos by Starboard and PortAs soon as you enter the home, you get a sense of the owners’ personality and zest. “It’s a breath of fresh air and just feels fun,” Hendrix says. She loves that the foyer’s focal point is something as traditional as a floral painting, but totally modernized with luxe details like a gold leaf background.
Photos by Starboard and PortThis center for the family’s entertaining features plenty of charm and wit. Elements like the painting above the fireplace, which showcases a traditional composition of a whimsical subject, play with expectations and crackle with postmodern panache. Hendrix designed the ceiling in honor of her client’s favorite color, pink.
Photos by Starboard and PortA small space like a powder room can be a fun place to experiment, Hendrix says, because it doesn’t feel like a huge commitment. She chose dimensional molding panel for this powder bath near the kitchen and painted the walls in chic black. The Deco-inspired floor continues out into the adjacent mud room.
Photos by Starboard and PortHendrix’s design for the main bathroom was all about the tile. The marble-like floor is a porcelain tile from a European artisan, the same company that created the updated herringbone on the walls of the walk-in shower. The tile patterns were made to coordinate, with a dreamy color palette that invokes seaside strolls.
