Today’s home tour is a bit unique. On one hand, it’s a gorgeous family home in Nantucket and available to rent for your next summer getaway. On the other, it’s the unofficial showroom for nest, a New Jersey home decor shop opening this fall. The concept was crafted by interior designer Kelli Suozzo and her friend Jenny Glassberg, who just left Vanity Fair to follow her dream of opening a store. The pair aims to create a shop with an individual touch that will appeal to everyone, and it’s best shown here at Anglers Alley: subtle color, loads of texture and sculptural organic forms layer together to reflect the beauty of the region. The duo tells us more:
Tell us a bit about Anglers Alley!
Tucked in wooded enclave in the Surfside area of Nantucket, Angler’s Alley is truly a hidden gem. The 3,200 sf house, built in 2018, is perfectly designed to take full advantage of the beautiful Nantucket landscape. A short walk down a woodsy path takes guests through the beautiful surfside dunes, eventually revealing a beautiful stretch of beach and ocean. After a fun day at the beach or pool, town is just two miles away where everyone can enjoy shopping, the wharf, and amazing restaurants.
What was the design goal when you began this project? Were there any ‘must-haves’ or things you absolutely wanted to avoid?
Nantucket is such a special spot and it was important for the home to mirror that feeling. We wanted to reflect the carefree and relaxed nature of the island but in an elevated and sophisticated way. Even though it’s just a short walk to the beach, it was important that the home didn’t feel obvious or overtly beachy. A mix of furniture and accessories from nest mixed with vintage finds and local treasures were all crucial to the balance we wanted to achieve. We layered in subtle color, loads of texture and sculptural organic forms to reflect the feeling of the island and tell an interesting story inside the space.
What were some of the biggest challenges during the design process?The biggest challenge was designing a home that the family would love but also respecting that Anglers Alley is available for rent. We had to make sure that all the pieces in the home were special but liveable. Thoughtful selections of outdoor and performance fabrics on all upholstered pieces allowed us to move forward with the lighter palate we wanted while plastic wipeable Eames chairs in the Dining Room can withstand tons of summer fun! Splurging on unique lighting, wallpaper and artwork in spots that won’t see as much wear and tear creates special moments and adds an element of uniqueness you don’t typically find in a rental.
Speaking of rentals… What design elements did you include to make this a ‘renter friendly’ space?
Recognizing that Nantucket is a draw for families, and sometimes multiple families staying under one roof, we wanted to make sure that everyone had their own space within the house. The bottom level is outfitted with a bunk room and different areas for entertaining – a lounge area with a swinging seat, a ping pong table and game table as well as a TV and movie area. While the kids are taking over the lower level, Anglers Alley has a wonderful widows walk for adults to enjoy the sunset and views of the ocean. In addition, the pool is the heart of the backyard, gently hugged by the home and a separate pool house with its own mini bar, tv and lounge area so guests can escape the sun (or the kids) and take a break if needed!
The entire space is shoppable, right? We’d love to know more about how that works.
The best homes are curated with items that tell the story of your life. Many of these are found while traveling – the perfect painting, a great blanket or the amazing bowl you scored while traveling through Europe. We want guests to have this same experience when they stay at Anglers Alley. The home is a thoughtful collection of furnishings, art, and accessories that will all be available for sale through nest when we open our retail location in Red Bank, New Jersey this fall. Guests simply let us know what they love, and we will ship it to their home… no overstuffed luggage or awkward carry-ons!
All of the art is sourced locally, correct? Tell us a bit about some of the pieces here.
During the design process we traveled back and forth to Nantucket. We are so grateful we were able to immerse ourselves in the culture of the island and connect with the creatives We discovered artist Arlene Tuck who works both in oil and collage and we were lucky enough to visit her studio to hand pick pieces for both Anglers Alley and for nest. Arlene’s work can be seen peppered throughout the house, in a bedroom, in the kitchen and layered into our bookcase styling. We discovered and fell in love with local photographer Jessica Jenkins on Instagram and worked with her to select two oversized photographs for the basement and second floor landings. Another local artist we love is Julija Mostykanova whose work can be seen in the master bedroom. As we were installing, we of course realized we could use a few more items and shopped the island for some of our finishing touches at local stores Bodega, Space and Flowers on Chestnut.
Finally, any favorite nest pieces you’d like to mention?
It was so much fun sourcing product from the store and extremely helpful for us to see the products in situ. It is always hard to pick favorites, but some standout pieces are the Hugo Barbell floor lamp and the Sophia mirror from an amazing Philadelphia based company called Lostine. We also love the beads we sourced at Brimfield market – we used them through the house to add color and texture and have been calling them “room jewelry” for their ability to instantly accessorize a space! The Z1 chandelier in the master bedroom is amazing. We love how its airy and ethereal quality fills the double height ceiling without feeling overbearing. Lastly, we used three Cisco Brothers benches in the house – the foyer, the family room and the master, and love how they finish the room. All three are available in an array of different sizes and can be customized from a selection of over 200 fabrics or leathers through nest.
