Sailing Into Nantucket Harbor
There is nothing quite like the moment the boat rounds Brant Point and the little red-and-white lighthouse comes into view — the shingled cottages set into the bluff, the sailboats bobbing in the anchorage, the hydrangeas already blooming behind a picket fence. This is the outfit for that moment. A cobalt-and-ivory printed sundress with a smocked waist that catches the harbor breeze, a pair of navy Lauren Ralph Lauren canvas monogram slides that look as good on the teak deck as they do on the cobblestones after, tortoise butterfly sunglasses with a whisper of turquoise on the inner rim, and a tiny 22K gold-plate Nantucket Lightship basket on a delicate chain — the island, worn on your collarbone. Our navy Stars & Stripes Boat Tote rides at your side, packed with a sweatshirt for the ferry back, a paperback, and a bunch of blue hydrangeas from the farm stand. It is the arrival outfit, the harbor-side lunch outfit, the take-a-photograph-in-front-of-the-lighthouse outfit. Blue, white, and unmistakably Nantucket.
Nantucket Stars & Stripes Boat Tote
Our navy-and-natural canvas boat tote with a hand-tied red star-spangled bow, an 'Entering Nantucket' patch, and embroidered sailboat, hydrangea, and life-ring details — the harbor-side bag I'd sling on the deck for the sail in and again on the walk down Main Street.
If you only bring home one piece from this room, begin here — it sets the palette, the scale, and the mood of everything that follows.
View This Piece →The Nantucket Formula
Every layer that makes this room work — and why.
- 01A Blue-and-White Printed Sundress
A cobalt printed mini with a smocked waist reads instantly Nantucket against a shingled cottage, a hydrangea hedge, or the rail of a sailboat.
- 02Navy Canvas Monogram Slides
The preppy little Lauren Ralph Lauren slide that walks the teak deck, the cobblestones, and the ferry ramp — polished, quiet, and never fussy.
- 03Tortoise Butterfly Sunglasses
Warm tortoise frames with a whisper of turquoise on the inner rim — the summer sunglass that finishes every blue-and-white outfit in the closet.
- 04A Little Gold Lightship Basket
A tiny 22K gold-plate Nantucket basket pendant with an etched lighthouse lid — the island souvenir you actually wear, every day from Memorial Day to Columbus.
- 05The Navy Stars & Stripes Tote
Our natural-and-navy canvas boat tote with a hand-tied red star-spangled bow — the spirited Americana bag that carries the sweatshirt, the paperback, and the hydrangeas home.
Blue, white, and unmistakably Nantucket.
Complete the Look
Every piece was chosen to work beautifully with the next. Build the room in three chapters — foundation first, then layering, then the finishing touches.
Foundation Pieces
The largest pieces that establish the room — furniture, rugs, lighting, artwork. Begin here.
Finishing Touches
The small details that make the room feel collected — candles, bowls, trays, greenery.
Nantucket Stars & Stripes Boat Tote
Our navy-and-natural canvas boat tote with a hand-tied red star-spangled bow, an 'Entering Nantucket' patch, and embroidered sailboat, hydrangea, and life-ring details — the harbor-side bag I'd sling on the deck for the sail in and again on the walk down Main Street.
Lauren Ralph Lauren Canvas Monogram Slide Sandals — Navy
Ivory canvas slides with a navy leather trim and the embroidered LRL monogram — the preppy sandal for the teak deck, the cobblestones, and the porch-side rosé that follows.
Ralph by Ralph Lauren Tortoise Butterfly Sunglasses with Turquoise Interior
Warm tortoise butterfly frames with a soft turquoise inner rim and a whisper of gold RL detail at the temples — the polished sunglass that finishes the blue-and-white dress and every ferry crossing after.
Nantucket Basket Pendant with Etched Lighthouse Top (22K Gold Plate, 18" Chain)
A tiny gold-plate Nantucket Lightship basket with a hand-etched lighthouse scrimshaw lid — the island, worn on a delicate 18-inch chain from Memorial Day right through Columbus.
Complete the Look in Stages
The best rooms are never finished in a weekend. If you're building this room slowly, here is the order we'd bring things home.
- 01Foundation
Begin with the anchor — the sofa, the rug, or the bed. It sets the scale and the palette for everything else.
- 02Lighting
Layer the light next. A pair of lamps and one small warm bulb do more for the room than any wall color.
- 03Textiles
Add the softness — pillows, throws, a runner. This is where the room begins to feel like yours.
- 04Accessories
Bring in the ginger jars, the trays, the framed watercolors. Style in vignettes of three.
- 05Finishing Touches
Candles, greenery, the small found thing. The details that make the room feel collected, not decorated.
Editor's Notes
Cobalt, ivory, and a little tortoise
The whole harbor is already blue and white — an ivory-and-cobalt printed dress reads instantly at home. Warm tortoise sunglasses and a gold pendant keep it soft and un-costume-y.
One little souvenir, worn forever
Skip the shot glass. A tiny 22K gold Lightship basket on a delicate chain is the souvenir you'll wear for twenty summers.
The tote is the outfit
When the dress is quiet blue-and-white, the boat tote does the storytelling — the red bow, the navy base, the embroidered patches are the whole postcard.
Best For
- The sail into the harbor
- Brant Point photographs
- Lunch on Straight Wharf
- Ferry-day arrivals
- Every blue-and-white summer morning
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The Coastal Cottage Styling Guide
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