Boston Home

Inside a New Nantucket Home with Gucci Wallpaper and No Regrets

A bespoke Brant Point build becomes a joyful, pattern-rich escape designed with fun, fantasy, and family life in mind.

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A bright living room with a white sofa adorned with multiple pillows and a throw blanket. In front of the sofa is a low, white coffee table with books, a bowl, and decorative items. Two green patterned armchairs are positioned nearby. The room features a large zigzag-patterned rug in shades of brown and beige. A vase with pink flowers and a smaller vase with orange flowers sit on a side table. A fireplace with a mounted TV above it is on one wall, and a colorful portrait painting with an orange frame hangs on another. The space has large windows with white Roman shades and a high ceiling with wood paneling and additional windows.

Photo by Sarah Winchester

This article is from the spring 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

On the outside, this bespoke Nantucket home melds beautifully with its neighbors on Brant Point. The new build, designed to remain true to the scale and charm of traditional architecture on the island, is anchored by a classic center-entrance porch. The inside, however, is much less predictable, driven by a fun-loving family of six who likes to play and entertain. Designer Marla Mullen took her client’s dreams and spun them into a colorful playground, full of pattern and personality.

“This house was so much fun to design because I was essentially given creative license to push the envelope on color and shape pairings,” Mullen says. “The clients have a great sense of humor and wanted their energy reflected in the interiors, so the goal was to create a series of expressive spaces, allowing each room to develop its own unique personality.”

Every room was meant to tell its own story, designed to encourage gathering and to feel welcoming rather than precious, even with custom, high-end finishes throughout. In working alongside the architect, Emeritus, and builder Ron Winters of Thirty Acre Wood, Mullen oversaw floor plans, elevations, and layouts, in addition to selecting finishes, furnishings, and décor.

Living room with a blue tufted sectional sofa adorned with various pillows, a round beige ottoman with a blue throw, and a textured round armchair with wooden accents. The room features a striped area rug, a geometric patterned ceiling, and a woven chandelier. The walls are covered in light wood paneling, with three decorative wooden spears mounted on one wall. Built-in blue cabinetry with shelves and drawers is on the right side, and a large green plant is positioned near a window with a blue frame and a woven shade.

In the den, coastal blues wash over the cabinetry and the Rove Concepts couch, while patterns play both below, on the custom Stark rug, and above, on the ceiling’s wallcovering by Phillip Jeffries [“Sculpted Wood: Cubism”]. / Photo by Sarah Winchester

Since the home is within walking distance to both town and the beach, everything needed to be ready for lots of foot traffic—and sand! Family-friendly materials, such as sisal and indoor/outdoor rugs, are meant for sandy feet. Mullen layered in color and pattern to achieve a “playful coastal look but not in an obvious way.”

Modern kitchen with a large island featuring a dark countertop and light wood paneling. Five wooden bar stools with brown leather backs are arranged along the island. Above the island, three gold-framed pendant lights hang from a white coffered ceiling. The back wall has white cabinetry with gold handles, a marble range hood, and a built-in stovetop. A black vase with green branches and two white bowls with fruit are placed on the island. Light wood flooring completes the space.

The kitchen island echoes the curves of the dining table chairs with arched counter legs, brass-capped feet, and a 12-foot custom counter featuring a layer of oak between the stone and custom brass seam where the slabs meet. / Photo by Sarah Winchester

“The kitchen was an absolute dream,” says Mullen, who added sea-inspired details such as a porthole door that leads to a tiled pantry. The 12-foot-long gray countertop stone “has a movement like the sand on a windy day,” while reeded drawer fronts extend the beachy feel.

Calm neutrals grace the first floor, where Mullen “held back” in the hallways to create a sense of serenity. The living room’s calm backdrop made showpieces of the custom-designed oak ceiling and the art mounted in a neon acrylic orange frame, which hangs under a custom-green Urban Electric light fixture. “Sometimes a neutral hue can play just as powerful a role in a design as a bold, statement-making color,” Mullen says in regard to restraint. “In all other rooms, however, there was absolutely no holding back—every space was full-on color and personality.”

Bathroom vanity with light wood cabinets and drawers, a white marble countertop with black veining, and two black-framed mirrors above. A black vase with green and dark red flowers is centered between two chrome faucets. The backsplash features a striking black and white marble pattern. The floor has a geometric tile design in shades of gray and white. A woven basket is placed under the floating vanity. To the left, part of a white freestanding bathtub is visible. To the right, a doorway leads to a shower area with a glass door.

For the more neutral bathroom, custom marble was flown in for its movement, creating a wave-like backsplash that rises up the mirror wall. / Photo by Sarah Winchester

Dining room with a white rectangular table supported by two ornate pedestal bases, surrounded by six light wood chairs with white cushions. The floor features a large black and beige diamond-patterned rug. The back wall and ceiling are covered in floral wallpaper with beige, black, and red tones. Three cylindrical pendant lights hang above the table. Large windows with white curtains are on the right side, allowing natural light into the room. A vase with green and purple flowers is placed on the table.

Gucci’s “Lillies” grace the dining room wall beautifully; however, in an effort to add a layer of irreverence, artist Paulina of Patina Designs spray-painted atop the paper: “This ain’t the Ritz Carlton.” / Photo by Sarah Winchester

The dining room is outfitted with Gucci wallpaper and contrasting black trim and white drapes. “It’s pretty wild and so unexpected—for Nantucket or anywhere really,” Mullen says. “It’s one of the reasons we decided to spray paint over it ‘This ain’t the Ritz Carlton,’ as a reminder not to take anything too seriously, because there’s nothing more precious than gathering together and making memories with family and friends.”

Leaning into this carpe diem spirit, Mullen let loose in the bedrooms and bathrooms. The color-saturated bunkroom sports ultrahigh-gloss sheen with custom antique brass ladder side rails and a graphic wallcovering matched to the Roman shades.

Modern bunk beds with a dark gray frame and wooden ladder, featuring blue and white bedding and a variety of patterned pillows. The wall behind has an abstract blue, white, and black design, and the ceiling is dark gray with a hanging light fixture.

In the bunkroom, a gray Lego tile inspired the use of Lindsay Cowles’s “Flamands” motif, which makes a graphic statement on the wallpaper and window treatments. / Photo by Sarah Winchester

A cozy bedroom features two twin beds with floral-patterned headboards and matching bed frames. Both beds are dressed in white bedding with scalloped pink edges. Between the beds is a red nightstand holding a terracotta vase filled with blossoming branches. The room has beige walls, a ceiling with a whimsical cloud and arrow pattern, and yellow trim. A woven, fringed light fixture hangs from the ceiling. The floor is covered with a textured, diamond-patterned rug in natural tones. Red and white chevron curtains frame a window on the left side.

The girls’ colorful bedroom began with Kelly Wearstler’s “Citrona” for Farrow & Ball as the accent hue, which then led to a pair of custom scallop-shaped headboards with custom fabric and contrast welt from Scout Design Studio. / Photo by Sarah Winchester

Bedroom with blue paneled walls and floral wallpaper on the slanted ceiling. The bed has a light beige quilt, blue and white striped bedding, and decorative pillows in blue patterns. A wooden headboard with a woven cane design is behind the bed. A neon sign on the wall reads "it was all a dream." A window with a blue and white patterned Roman shade is on the left wall. A wooden bench is beneath the window, and a gold-colored lamp with a yellow shade is on a nightstand next to the bed. The ceiling light fixture has a leaf-like design in a metallic finish.

One bedroom gets a little hip-hop with the Biggie lyrics “It was all a dream” splashed in neon above the electric-blue wall. / Photo by Sarah Winchester

For the girls’ bedroom and en suite bathroom, Mullen used Kelly Wearstler’s “California Collection” for Farrow & Ball on the trim and doors and cupid cloud wallpaper on the ceiling. Two custom, scallop shell–shaped bed frames are upholstered in a bold palm fabric with contrasting lime-green cording and pink drapes with pompom trim.

And the pièce de résistance is the blue bedroom where a neon sign, inspired by a quote from rapper Notorious B.I.G., hangs happily and humorously over the low-profile bed, stating: “it was all a dream.”

“These were some of the most fun clients I’ve ever worked with—open to taking chances in every room and fully embracing bold design choices,” says Mullen, adding that creative trust is what made their collaboration so successful from pattern on pattern to rebellious spray paint. “I can’t tell you how many times I said, ‘Are we actually doing this?!’ I’m not sure I’ll ever have an experience like that again.” Hopefully, this kind of work will be a recurring dream.

A bathroom corner featuring a blue ribbed sink with gold faucet handles and a beige towel draped over the edge. Above the sink is a wooden-framed square mirror with turned wooden side supports. The wall behind has a tropical leaf wallpaper in shades of green and blue, with a textured dark blue scalloped tile halfway up. A brass and blue wall sconce light fixture is mounted above the mirror.

The powder room gets twice the fun with two wallcoverings: Arte Samal’s “Camber Deep Ocean” on the lower half and Scalamandre’s “Hinson Banana Palms” above, plus a concrete sink and a custom Dunes and Duchess mirror. / Photo by Sarah Winchester

A built-in wet bar with navy blue cabinetry and a dark wood countertop. The left cabinet door features a decorative gold metal grille. The bar includes a small sink with brass fixtures, a shelf holding colorful glassware, and a few bottles. The backsplash is a light beige tile. The wet bar is set under a staircase with light wood steps and white walls.

Architect Emeritus
Builder Thirty Acre Wood
Interior Designer Marla Mullen Designs
Photo Stylist Sean William

First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Spring 2026 issue, with the headline “Living the Dream.” 

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