Nantucket Red: The Timeless Coastal Hue with a Story to Tell
|
|
Time to read 4 min
What is Nantucket Red?
Nantucket Red, is it pink, is it an orange-red or is it a vibrant red? Our research shows that Nantucket Reds were originally based on “Breton Reds” a style of pants worn in Northern France. Breton Reds eventually became popular among sailors on the East coast and voila! They became the staple item of Murray's Toggery Shop on Nantucket (image 5). Murray's officially trademarked the term “Nantucket Reds Collection™”. The Official Preppy Handbook included the Nantucket Red Pants as the official coastal inspired attire.
All across the East Coast and beyond, Nantucket Red has become a classic and popular color that feels coastal, nautical, and authentically Americana. This faded red hue can be found naturally weathered by the elements on light houses, buoys, boats, and of course has become a favorite for men's shorts and pants that instantly give off East Coast summer vibes.
Is Nantucket Red a Fashion Statement or an Interior Classic?
A long time favorite color, the Design N° Five team recreated the “look and feel” of Nantucket Red by painting the walls of the living room at Laughing Gull Hill, our late 1700s Sea Captain's home which houses our studio, with Benjamin Moore's Drop Dead Gorgeous and then used a pumpkin glaze to give the washed Nantucket Red look.
It's become a tradition to always have a "red room" in our homes, and nothing felt more right than the bright comfort Nantucket Red brings to our sitting room. With the washed glaze on the walls, we chose to double the impact by painting the window trims Nantucket Red as well, but leave them without the glaze to enhance the color.
How to Bring Nantucket Red into Your Space
If you're not in the mood to paint a whole room in Nantucket Red, there are so many options! You can keep it classic with crisp white beadboard as the neutral backdrop: then let color do the talking—think about adding accents with a fun hand-sketched Mermaid's Purse printed pillow in Nantucket Red on 100% natural Belgian Linen or upholster a chair for an eye-catching pop.
When selecting your coastal colors, here are some things to consider:
1. Function of the room - Our cocktail room with a built-in bar conjures up fun and casual living. It's nothing fussy - totally comfortable and inviting. A room where everyone is welcome - even in bare feet! To keep the room feeling fun and casual, we embrace indoor/outdoor living and use our durable 100% Belgian linen fabric on our chairs and pillows.
2. Traditional Coastal Colors - For timeless appeal and easy mixing with other pieces of furniture, you can opt for traditional coastal colors. Lean into blues, whites and reds - very Americana. Play with various hues to add a twist - washed sky blues, mariner's navy, weathered off-whites, and of course our favorite Nantucket Red.
Ready for a modern twist? Add in sandy hues like our Honey Brown or Flax which you can find in our wallpaper, pillows, or fabric by the yard.
3. Sight Lines - This is a term referring to what one sees as you stand in any room, determining how cohesive a design feels. For example the sight line from the cocktail room to the “red room” reflects the Nantucket Red in each room for a beautiful flow. You'll even see that we like to continue Nantucket Red in our sight lines all the way out to the patio where we'll often feature our Painterly Stripe fabric in Nantucket Red as a lovely table cloth.
4. Focal Point - Deciding if it's color on the walls or colorful accent pieces OR both. In the cocktail room at Laughing Gull Hill we opted to add custom-milled 8" beadboard installed horizontally; with 4" beadboard on the ceiling. This creates a clean backdrop with a bit of texture to lay the canvas for our focal point: the Nantucket Red Mermaid's Purse Belgian linen on our reupholstered chair.
Want an easy way to achieve this at your home? Check out our beautiful Nantucket Red pillows in our Painterly Stripe or Mermaid's Purse patterns. Looking for something a little bit more custom? We have fabrics to match, so you can create your very own custom upholstered chair, drapes, roman shades, bench cushion, or anything else you can dream up.
Add a touch of Nantucket Red to your home.
More Ways to Bring Nantucket Red into Your Coastal Home
Another option for bringing in beautiful pops of red can be seen in our kitchen at Laughing Gull Hill. With the perfect coastal palette of washed navy, clean white, nautical brass, and warm wooden tones, our red stools pop beautifully against their backdrop. Small accents can be found throughout the kitchen on our Wolf range knobs, tea towel accents, and whenever we can, through the natural red hues of whatever fruits, vegetables, or flowers are in season.
Don't be afraid to mix and match your color accents. We have a wide range of 100% Belgian Linen Pillows to suit your coastal design needs. Have fun with mixing patterns and scales like we did with this reupholstered vintage chair with tiny stripes, contrasted with our Nantucket Red Mermaid's Purse pillow. Whatever you do, have fun with it!
The Author : Beth Odence
Beth Odence is the owner and designer behind Design No. Five. With a background in interior design and home staging, she is no stranger to finding strikingly beautiful ways to incorporate colors and patterns into cohesive spaces. Her home and studio at Laughing Gull Hill are testament to her keen eye for design.
Related readings
