This Marblehead Neck Cottage Swaps Nautical Neutrals for Coastal Whimsy
A former North Shore summer escape finds functionality, fun, and joy as a forever home for a Massachusetts family of four.
Photo by Sean Litchfield
This article is from the spring 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.
It was love at first sight. Never mind that the circa-1920 summer cottage on Marblehead Neck lacked proper insulation; it absolutely oozed charm. Sarah Crawford knew it was her family’s forever home. Although she and her husband, who have twin teenage daughters and two French bulldogs, invested in some improvements early on, it was nine years before they undertook a full renovation. “We wanted to increase the functionality while preserving the original integrity,” she says. “It needed to make sense for all phases of life and reflect the seaside setting.”
Crawford, whose efforts in reimagining the interiors helped land her a job with designer Courtney B. Smith, describes the aesthetic as coastal whimsy with feminine flair. This is no squared-away, white-and-navy nautical scheme. Rather, Crawford revels in color and curves. “When you walk in, you know a bunch of girls live here,” she laughs.
Photo by Sean Litchfield
Getting Quirky with Color
“I leaned into colors found in the sea but not typically identified as coastal,” Crawford explains. She points to a marbleized wallcovering by Beata Heuman as her jumping-off point for the ocean blues, sea greens, and shell pinks. “There are so many colors in it that for me, it’s a neutral,” she says. The paper lines the arched niche of the dining room built-ins, painted a soft seafoam green. The pattern reappears in velvet on cushions in the living room, where Crawford drenched the original woodwork and coffered ceiling in an easygoing blue-green and covered the walls in teal grasscloth. Pink makes appearances all around, from the rosy coral sectional to the couple’s powder-puff-pink upholstered bed.
Photo by Sean Litchfield
Celebrating the Sea
In case the unconventional color palette leaves any doubt of Crawford’s thematic intentions, the seaside motifs seal the deal. Vintage furniture with Palm Beach panache—a coffee table with giant plaster clamshells and clamshell-backed dining chairs scored on Etsy and eBay—anchors the living and dining rooms, respectively. Wave details, scalloped silhouettes, and seaweed stripes are interwoven throughout, be it in the lighting over the kitchen sink, the rattan bench in the bedroom, or the dining room drapery. Textiles with shells and sea creatures abound, and there’s mermaid wallpaper in the girls’ bathroom doubling as a cheeky nod to their twindom.
Photo by Sean Litchfield
Divide and Gather
To enhance the home’s curb appeal and provide a buffer between the entry and living room, architect Anthony Roossien designed a modest bump-out. The added square footage allowed for a vestibule with window seats on either side. One is a tiny mudroom. Crawford outfitted the other with a game table and a Slim Aarons photo of a poolside Scrabble game. (Crawford is a self-proclaimed Scrabble champ.) A new half wall cordons off the main seating area, which centers on the original fireplace with built-in benches. “The inglenook is the heart of the home,” Crawford shares. “The space feels very open, but there are these wonderful destinations within it.”
Photo by Sean Litchfield
Transcending Trends
Crawford approached the kitchen a bit differently than the rest of the rooms. “I will likely never have the opportunity to design my dream kitchen again, so it had to be truly timeless,” she says. That said, boring isn’t in Crawford’s design vocabulary. She paired Danby marble with sooty-black cabinetry for a classic yet dramatic effect. Unlacquered brass hardware and brass Nickey Kehoe scallop sconces are the jewelry. “There are sight lines to the living and dining rooms, as well as to the pantry with John Derian shell wallpaper,” Crawford says. “That’s how I get my color.”
Photo by Sean Litchfield
Architect Roossien Architects
Builder M. Beane Construction
Kitchen Designer Shelter Interior Design
Photo Stylist Kerryn Connelly
First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Spring 2026 issue, with the headline “Reimagined with Whimsy.”
