What I packed for Jamaica 🌴

I just got back from the Tryall Club in Jamaica and had the most amazing experience there! It was a much needed getaway from the island before things amp up for the summer, plus Neil and I went with really good friends - so it was a great time. It was super relaxing, and now I am officially ready for summer weather. 

Packing is one of the most stressful parts for me in getting ready for a vacation. I am definitely a planner and like to pack ahead of time to make sure I don’t forget anything. I can say I was definitely fully prepared for this trip! Here’s a look inside what I packed for Jamaica:

  1. This midi dress is perfect for a dinner at the resort or a day trip to town! The material is lightweight so it's perfect for a warm weather trip. I also love the ruched straps on the dress. It definitely adds fun detail along with the breezy pattern. 

  2. I am obsessed with this dress! It was perfect to throw on during the day post pool. It is super comfy and lightweight. I can also definitely see myself wearing it this summer shopping around town on Nantucket. 

  3. Of course, I had to bring my favorite bikini. I have the top and bottom in multiple colors. It is super flattering and comfortable. You also can’t beat the quality for the price. Highly recommend it! 

  4. I packed this cover up and I love it! It is a cotton-linen blend so naturally it is lightweight and perfect for the beach. 

  5. As you can tell by now, I love a good dress. This dress was a no brainer for me. I’m obsessed with the sleeves and the fact that this can be worn during the day for a shopping trip or for a nice dinner out. 

  6. This tote was perfect for the beach! It fits everything I need, and the color is neutral so it goes with anything. Oh! And it comes with a matching zip pouch, so you can put your sunscreen and lip balm in it and they won’t get lost in your bag. I also used it as my evening bag.

  7. You can never have too many day dresses. This dress is perfect for a Sunday morning brunch. It’s so comfortable and lightweight. I can’t wait until the weather warms up and I can wear this again! 

  8. As you probably guessed, I brought my camera with me so I could shoot around the island. This dress definitely came in handy for that (plus I played tennis in it!) I was so comfortable exploring and scoping out where I wanted to shoot.

  9. I wore this dress to dinner one night and it was such a hit! The floral print is beautiful and you can dress it up or down depending on where you’re headed. I’m even debating buying it in the other color because of how easy it was to wear.  

  10. Last but definitely not least on my packing list is sunscreen. I wear sunscreen 365 days a year so of course this was on my list for Jamaica. This is my favorite brand of sunscreen because it’s clean and feels amazing on my skin. 

If you want a piece of Jamaica in your home, check out Wanderlust from my newest collection, “Palms & Fronds”. It comes as a shelfie, or larger sizes to fit any home! 

I can’t wait to see where next year’s trip takes us. Comment below if you have any recommendations!

Seven Serena & Lily Favorites for a Spring Refresh

I can’t believe that spring is almost here! Spring always makes me want to freshen things up around the house, and I always turn to Serena & Lily. Their breezy style aligns with the look I have in my home and all of their products are high quality. It is also a dream come true to sell my artwork in their stores!

I have so many favorites from Serena & Lily, but here are my top seven:

  1. I love these pillow covers because they’re linen and suede, and how easily you can pair these with other throw pillows because of how simple they are. 

  2. This dog bed is so cute! I love how it looks and so does our pup. Ha! Oh and the best part about it is that it's super easy to maintain and clean. 

  3. No living room is complete without a great piece of art! Serena is hanging in my home. It comes in multiple sizes so you can find one that best fits your living room. It even comes as a shelfie, if that suits your home better! (A shelfie makes an amazing gift too!)

  4. I think wallpaper changes the vibe of a room and adds so much character. I am obsessed with this island palm wallpaper in particular. It’s simple, yet striking and doesn’t overpower the room. It would be super cute in a powder room or bedroom too.

  5. I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for a throw blanket. We have way more than we actually need. This throw blanket is perfect for the spring because it’s light and airy. It would look great in any home.

  6. One of my favorite parts about Nantucket is seeing all the fun beach cars people drive. This book showcases “Beach Rides” in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. I recently got my dream beach ride, so naturally I had to get this book for my home. It’s the perfect coffee table book for your living room. 

  7. I’m obsessed with candles! This candle is one of my favorites. The scent reminds me of the ocean air on a warm summer night and there’s truly nothing better than that. 

There is currently a spring sale going on! It ends on March 28th. Use code SPRING for 20% off.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

“Put in a fiberglass pool” they said. “It will be easy”.

 

I’ll start by saying we absolutely love our pool and I am so happy that we did it – but boy, was it a process. Our pool came over on a barge and was lifted over our house with a crane!

 

In March of 2021 we ordered our fiberglass pool with the hope that we would be swimming by that summer. As everyone who tried to do anything during covid knows, “best laid plans” and all.

 

Fast forward a year (and a month, but who is counting?)

 

The pool arrived on island and was sitting in our yard on April 1, 2022. I kind of thought they just dug a hole, buried the pool, added some water and voila. But alas, no – you literally need every single subcontractor on the island. Ok slight exaggeration, but that’s what it felt like.

 

You need a surveyor, an electrician, someone to move a lot of dirt, a plumber or a representative from the gas company, a stone mason, irrigation, and a landscaper. Oh, and on Nantucket you need an architect or landscape architect to get you through the HDC process (even if your pool can’t be seen from the street or the neighbors’ homes).

 

We are really lucky that we were able to assemble a fantastic team to help Future Pools get.it.done. A major shout out to Kevin Dineen of Nantucket Electrical Contractors; Neil Paterson and Scotty McIver at Neil Paterson Inc. – best stone selection around; Seth Lynn who did all of the gorgeous stonework and probably never wants to hear about pool brackets ever again; Paul Santos for making sure we “colored within the lines” of our property; Julius Pasys for helping us plan where everything should go in the backyard, so that if we wanted to do future work we could; Steve Hollister and Tom Olcott for getting us through the HDC; Yates Island Gas for making sure we had heat to the pool; Greg Raith for all of his help moving so.much.dirt; Waterworks for redoing the irrigation it felt like we had just put in (and had to chop to pieces during the install); Nantucket Lightshop for help with the exterior lighting plan; Surfside Hydrangea for having the most beautiful plant and tree selection; and Narval Marks for making our landscaping dreams come true.  

 

I also have to share this picture of Neil hand digging trenches. MVP.

 

The amazing part is that by July 1st we were swimming. Everything was planted and we had grass. Even though we had to wait 13 months for the pool to arrive (did I mention the fiberglass shortage Leisure Pools told us about after the fact?), the install only took exactly three months.

 

It went from this on April 1st….

 

To this on July 1st

 

Some commonly asked questions & answers:

 

* our pool color was graphite grey.

* pool float is by Oliver James but Frontgate as a great option as well.

* favorite beach towels are from Serena & Lily and Kassatax.

* for our coping and patio we used a granite called blue mist instead of bluestone because it is more durable in New England weather, heats up a bit less than bluestone (although it still gets hot!) and the color looked great with the pool.

* our outdoor furniture is Kingsley Bates from Arrowhead on island, and the outdoor sofas are from Restoration Hardware.

* our landscape lighting is from Nantucket Lightshop.

* the pool was made by Leisure Pools, installed by Future Pools (and the village that is Nantucket).

 

What else would you like to know?!

 

What to pack for Nantucket? All of your Tuckernuck favorites, of course.

Did you know Tuckernuck got their name from a tiny island off of Nantucket called Tuckernuck? Tuckernuck is one of my favorite online shopping destinations for outfits, accessories and home decor. They truly have it all! 

When they started carrying my shelfies™, I couldn’t have been more excited! Their classic yet modern style aligns exactly with what I look for when it comes to shopping for clothes and home decor, so it was a dream come true getting to collaborate with them!  

Now for the fun part - I’ve decided to come up with a list of my 10 favorite items from Tuckernuck. It definitely was not easy choosing only 10 pieces, but I thought it would be best to start here and share with you 10 must-haves. 

  1. My favorite thing to shop for on Tuckernuck is dresses! I am a sucker for a midi dress and Tuckernuck has so many to offer and at various price points! I love this dress because you can easily dress it up or down depending on the occasion. You can pair it with heels to dress it up for a special occasion or pair it flats for a more casual night. The weather on Nantucket can get chilly, even at nights in the summer, so I love that this dress can be easily worn with a white jean jacket on a cool summer night. One last thing - this is Tuckernuck’s brand so it can only be found on Tuckernuck!

  2. Because the weather on Nantucket can be cool even in the summer, I always love having transitional sweaters that can be worn in different seasons. This sweater is definitely a go to piece for me. I love that it is lightweight and comes in both pink and white. I find that it’s super easy to style. You can wear it simply on its own with blue jeans or layer it with a button-down shirt. Another reason why I love this sweater is the price tag. It’s so hard to find affordable, yet high quality sweaters, but this sweater is both.  

  3. If you’ve ever visited Nantucket, you know that a pair of white jeans is a must! I’m obsessed with these jeans specifically. They’re high waisted and hit right at the ankle so they’re super flattering. They’re also so easy to style. You can wear almost any top with them and boom you’re ready to go! 

  4. Of course, if you’re coming to Nantucket during the summer you need a beach bag bag. I love an item that is versatile and that’s exactly what this bag is! You can bring it to the beach, to town or to dinner and it will fit the occasion. It fits everything you need and is of amazing quality. 

  5. Whenever I leave the island, I always love to take a piece of it with me. This necklace is the perfect way to do so. Nantucket is not only my home currently, but I grew up spending summers here, so it has a very special place in my heart. I love that this necklace is double sided and can be worn easily with any outfit. You can even layer it with another necklace! 

  6. I’m obsessed with this dress and cannot wait to wear it this summer! This dress screams Nantucket to me with the vibrant florals. It also has pockets which are always a plus. You can pair this dress with the Nantucket pendant mentioned above, as well as a pair of flats or heels to dress it up or down depending on the occasion and you’ll be ready to go for a summer night. 

  7. Speaking of flats, these are one of my favorite pairs of shoes for the summer. They’re a best seller on Tuckernuck for a reason. They come in both cognac and white. They’re super easy to slip on and pair with a sundress or jeans. I find myself wearing these multiple times a week in the summer because they look and feel great. 

  8. There’s something about a striped sweater on a cool summer night in Nantucket that just makes sense. This sweater is a transition piece and is playful, yet classic.  You can pair this sweater with white jeans, gold jewelry and you’re ready for a casual summer night. 

  9. Whenever I go to take photos on the beach, I love to be comfortable. So, if you’re like me, you love athleisure. These leggings are super cute and the gray and lilac combination is perfect for the spring and summer. You can wear these for a run on Milestone or just walking around town, either way you’ll look and feel great in them!

  10. Last but not least, my shelfie is a must for your home! It fits perfectly in any room, and you will always have a piece of Nantucket with you, even if you’re off island. Tuckernuck is featuring four of my shelfies so you can even get two or three for your home and place them together. They’re a great gift to give as well as they’re small enough that they can fit in any home! 

Like I said, it was so hard to narrow my choices down to only 10 of my favorites from Tuckernuck. There are so many more pieces that I love from Tuckernuck. Maybe I’ll do another blog post in the future, but for now I will leave you with these!

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2022 ~ ROUND TWO

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2022

‘Tis the season! Here are my favorite gifts to give (and get) this year. If things sell out, I will update these guides as we get closer to the holidays. If there is someone you would like help shopping for - please let me know. Happy Holidays!

 
 

Some of these are affiliate links by which I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

A BEDROOM REFRESH

“COZY SEASON HAS ARRIVED”

The start of a new school year always feels like the “real” new year to me. Maybe because the transition from summer to fall feels the most abrupt, with vacations ending and school starting (keep in mind I have no kids and rarely take a vacation in the summer, sooooo it must be the “back to school” photos I see on Facebook.)

My urge to nest occurs in the fall. I like to hunker down at home in the winter, so I start planning any room “refreshes” right around now.

First up is the bedroom. I’ve gotten tons of compliments on the custom bed I had built last year - but since it was designed to be assembled by the builder, and therefore shipping it isn’t realistic - I found a very similar looking one from AllModern to anchor your bedroom refresh!

My bedroom is a mix of natural oak, whites and grays; that color palette calms my mind (and helps me sleep.) To name a few of my favorites included below are: a great end of bed bench to store your grown up stuffed animals (aka throw pillows); nightstands with storage; a pom pom throw blanket for the end of the bed (which doubles as a chew toy if you have a new puppy in the house); a killer flat-weave rug; and my favorite lounge chairs.

And on my bedroom wall, I have an oversized framed version of “Tranquility” hanging :)

I would love to hear what you’re up to “refresh-wise” this fall. And I know what I really need to tackle next…organizing the kitchen drawers!

WHAT'S NEXT FOR OUR HOUSE? PART ONE.

“WHAT’S NEXT FOR OUR HOUSE?” AND OTHER THINGS A SPOUSE DOESN’T WANT TO HEAR AFTER RECENTLY COMPLETING A RENOVATION.

Turns out, I am a project junkie. Which would be cool if I was handy, but I am not. 

As you know from reading about our renovation, I had an absolute blast throughout the process. I would do it again in a heartbeat if the right opportunity came up. Selecting the flooring and windows, deciding on the width of the v-groove – and yes, even choosing white paint. Give me all of the decisions.

 So now that the house is “finished”, my attention has turned to our outdoor living spaces (maybe because we’ve been inside for 8 weeks and counting?!)

(Note: Neil did not like the quotes around “finished”).

We have an existing brick patio, and I am strongly considering whitewashing the brick. I think a more muted, neutral brick color will blend in with the landscaping, which consists of a lot of greens, purples, whites and light pinks, pea stone gravel, and blue stone steps. And the whitewashed brick would contrast well with the grey and black exterior of our house.

AllModern first popped on my radar when one of my younger sisters was furnishing her first apartment, and a couple of hours down a rabbit hole later, I had completely planned a new look for our patio and backyard.

OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE REFRESH

LAUREN MARTTILA x ALLMODERN

I’m not sure about you, but I am ready to see friends and family again, so I really want to create a space that would allow for that. 

I immediately fell in love with this outdoor sofa, chair and table set. I was drawn to the texture, and the aesthetics jived with the interior of our home. I want the outdoor living space to feel like an extension of our interior, so I added in some outdoor throw pillows as well – you can never have too many pillows.

(I also like to bring the outside in, which I did with “Grey Lady”).

If you have the space, chaise lounges are a must for outdoor reading (and naps). Bonus: these come with cushions. I’d add these planters and fill them with flowers to compliment the planted beds around the house.

Next up is a large dining table. Neil loves to cook, I love to eat – and I am really looking forward to being able to have friends and family around the table this summer. 

As a perfect way to close out the night, I envision sitting in this chair set around a cozy firepit. 

Oh, and did I mention I want to add a pool?! (See what I did there? Whitewashing brick and new outdoor furniture doesn’t sound so over-the-top now).

If you’re looking for more ideas and inspiration for outdoor living, here are a few blog posts from AllModern to get you started: Small Patio Ideas for a Year-Round Vacay | 11 Modern Backyard Ideas | 9 Small Balcony Ideas to Spice Up Your Summer.

WELCOME TO OUR RENOVATION. THE FINALE.

“THE FINAL REVEAL! (THANK GOD I LIKE IT, BECAUSE I’M HUNKERED DOWN HERE.)”

It has literally been months since I promised the final reveal “next week”.  So much has changed in that time – it is staggering.  

Many, if not all of you, follow me for a glimpse into the natural beauty of Nantucket. Some of you hung around (and humored me) while I renovated our house. You put up with the polls, questions, and virtual melt downs over white paint – all of it. If you missed any of that, it is saved in my Instagram story highlights (parts one and two).

And up until the “shelter in place” order, I was also interjecting a family member’s renovation into my normal Nantucket/home decor content. Construction on Nantucket is currently on pause – but once that can safely resume, I can’t wait to show you that project, too! (Also saved in my story highlights).

Since promising you the final reveal, our “love-you-like-our-first-born-child” dachshund passed away, and I completely lost my creative mojo. (She would have LOVED us being quarantined in the house non-stop with her.) Once covid-19 hit, I started writing again (because we can’t puzzle all day, every day).

Fast forward almost a month aaaaand here we are. 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say a final “thank you” to Julius Pasys and his crew at LithCon Inc., as well as Matthew MacEachern and his team at Emeritus. I’ve been in our home all day, every day since March 22nd and I STILL LIKE IT! 

(I’ve also planned the master bathroom renovation in my head about 100 times after deciding our shower is impossible to keep clean. I think I’ve destroyed the grout, so Neil has that to look forward to in addition to being able to leave the house. Lucky guy!)

So, what did I learn from my first renovation?

·       Get a really good referral for your builder + architect.

·       Be upfront about your budget so no one has unrealistic expectations about project scope.

·       Be prepared to make decisions in a timely manner.

·       Do not order your furniture and kitchen appliances too early. Being excited is not an excuse.

·       Trust the process (a/k/a a renovation is like watching sausage get made.)

·       A water/coffee/lunch delivery may make up for being *slightly* hyper-focused on, well….everything (jury is still out though).

·       Prioritize the big picture.

Without further delay – welcome to our home: 

(photos by Tom Olcott | courtesy of architect Emeritus | built by Julius Pasys) 


 


 

WELCOME TO OUR RENOVATION. PART FIVE.

“WE HAVE TO MOVE BACK HOME A MONTH EARLY” AND OTHER THINGS HOMEOWNERS SAY THAT MAKE CONTRACTORS SHUDDER.

PART FIVE.

Woof! Who else is still stuffed from Thanksgiving?! I hope you all had a special few days surrounded by your favorite people.

I took this opportunity (family in town) to ask my mom to help me clean my dreamy but impossible to clean Urban Electric smokebell pendants in our kitchen. To give you a mental image of what this entailed, there was a duvet cover covering our kitchen island, and Neil acted as a safety net. I’m not sure if I was more concerned about protecting the pendants, or our kitchen counters (read last week’s post for context).

Before buying anything breakable that will hang from high heights, I highly recommend you ask yourself, “How will I clean this?” You’ll thank me one day. Our electrician asked me this question after he finished hanging them.

We hosted Thanksgiving in our NEW DINING ROOM (with our framed “Grey Lady”), which was so great to finally be able to do. I only consumed one bottle of wine while kids played on/with/around our glass wall and sliding door. It survived, and so did I.

This feels like an appropriate segue because I left off last week with the install of the glass wall and sliding door, conceptualized by me, and designed and built by Simon from Surfside Glass and our builder, Julius Pasys, owner of LithCon Inc.

Sometime in May, I had to break the news to our builder that we had to move home about a month early; June instead of July. (The photo below is approximately what move in day looked like downstairs.) In hindsight, I should have delivered that news with a six-pack of beer.

The bad news was that the second floor had to be move in ready about four weeks early. The silver lining (for everyone else) was that Neil and I (and our old pup) could be relegated to the second floor while the first floor was finished.

Timing is everything for a renovation, and I especially saw that towards the end. Painters had to finish (upstairs) so everything could dry and the floor protective paper could be removed (omg the floors were soooo good when I finally got to see them). The shower tile had to be finished so we could actually shower. The post-construction crew needed to clean so the furniture could be delivered – and if you’re an inexperienced first time renovator like me, you maaaay do a couple of those final steps out of order. Lesson learned: cleaning before furniture delivery.

Living through a renovation for a month or so was like glamping. Outdoor shower? Check. Eating off of disposable dinnerware? Check. Look both ways to ensure no one is around before you pee? Double check.

A significant benefit of living through the last 4-6 weeks of a renovation (timeline is extending as we wait for our kitchen counters) is we had the shortest punch list in the history of punch lists.

As rooms were painted and built-ins completed (swoon, I can’t wait to share photos of these), up went towel hooks, mudroom cubby hardware, doorstops, and all of the other stuff I’ve heard you normally have to chase. And in an odd turn of events, our dog was in such sensory overload that she grew to be friendly at the age of 13 years old.

Unless I’ve missed something massive, next week will be the final reveal! Our architect, Matthew MacEachern of Emeritus, did a photo shoot at the house, and I’m so excited to share some of the photos with you.

Next post: The final reveal, and major thank yous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WELCOME TO OUR RENOVATION. PART FOUR.

KITCHEN CABINETS, V-GROOVE, AND GLASS WALLS - OH MY!

PART FOUR.

With the white paint decision behind me (read about that rabbit hole here) – things really started to take shape in the house, specifically the kitchen and the addition.

The second half of May was all about the kitchen cabinets – install time!

I went into this project with little to no knowledge about renovations and kitchen designs, so I wasn’t sure if it would be our architect, Matthew MacEachern of Emeritus, doing the kitchen design for us, or someone who only does kitchens.

Turns out – in our case, it was neither. Our builder, Julius Pasys of LithCon Inc., designed our kitchen for us. As I mentioned in the first post in this series, I can’t believe how much work goes into a kitchen even before demolition.

Our architect had a vision for the kitchen as it related to the house as a whole; I had a vision for the kitchen, which I gallantly shared via chicken scratch drawings and Instagram screenshots; and Neil had a vision for our kitchen (it needed to work, with minimal plumbing changes because $$). Ultimately, our builder was in charge of executing the design – so I think it was very helpful to have him so involved with the design portion.

We used a company called Barker Cabinets, based in Portland, Oregon. Their cabinets are fully-customizable and all components are made in America. They arrive in pieces and are assembled on site. (Though you have the option to have them pre-finished, we went with unfinished cabinets and had them painted on Nantucket).

One day in May, I stopped in to check things out (I’m still unsure if my surprise visits were welcome, or annoying) and I walked into music playing, excellent singing, and the bones of our kitchen!

Because there had been Good Will Hunting sketches in lieu of a CAD file, this was the first time I had seen the kitchen in 3D and it looked so gooooood.

Then came the kitchen island. I unequivocally wanted legs on the island and at least three chairs. During the chicken scratch / Instagram screen shot phase, I should have stressed just how much I wanted legs on the kitchen island, because we probably could have made the entire island a little bit bigger at that time. The problem was, at this stage, and at its current size – it wouldn’t fit three chairs comfortably if we added two legs.

I’ve decided a lot of the cool designs you see out there are born out of necessity (and yes, I just called my kitchen island design cool).  

After a lot of back and forth, we added a third leg to the island, creating a larger surface area for the countertop. This meant one of the original legs could come out a bit further, so that three chairs could fit comfortably between the original, two legs. I understand this paragraph makes NO sense. Please see photo below.

My advice about seemingly minor design details (a/k/a kitchen island legs)? If they are important to you, make sure to highlight them in the very beginning because no one is a mind reader. In the end, I like that my island is a little quirky and that it represents out-of-the-box thinking - and I got my legs.

Once everything was assembled, and I decided on Statuario Maximus (honed) by Caesarstone with a full slab backslash, it was time for the counters to be templated. The counters themselves are beautiful, and I’m happy with my decision to use a honed finish. Honed counters are a little “needier” than regular quartz counters in terms of maintenance, but they have an old-world look to them that I love.

If you’ve read between the lines of my countertop zingers, or hung in there with me in real life while I compared Steamship ferry waitlist reports to ETA texts from the countertop guy, you know that this was the only part of the renovation that wasn’t fun. During the approximate six-week delay, thousands spent on takeout, and 10 lbs gained from eating takeout for three meals a day every day, I learned that Neil has the patience of a saint. So this is basically a love story. And I should probably pivot and write a take-out guide… 

But, like I said: if you don’t have one hiccup, did you even really renovate?

Here’s one sneak peek of the finished kitchen. (Photo credit Tom Olcott, courtesy of Emeritus.) And I almost forgot: The cabinets are Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore (lightened by 20%) and the island is Wrought Iron by Benjamin Moore. (Major thanks to All Sorts Of for sharing this color combo!)

Now, on the other side of the house – gorgeous things were happening. Vertical v-groove was installed along the walls of the addition – and I decided which print I was going to hang in that room. The v-groove also went on our ceiling, as well as beautiful oak beams from East Wood Trading Company – and, one of my favorite details in the entire house – and one I knew I wanted from the beginning – was installed: the glass wall and sliding glass door. This piece, separating our living room from our new dining room, was the brainchild of our builder, Julius Pasys, and Simon from Surfside Glass (and the engineer at Emeritus to ensure the house would stay up!)

I’m originally from New York City, so this is a little bit of NYC in Nantucket. Progress shots below. More photos to follow in the final reveal.

WELCOME TO OUR RENOVATION. PART THREE.

ALL WHITE PAINT LOOKS THE SAME AND OTHER LIES YOUR FRIENDS TELL YOU TO KEEP YOU SANE.

PART THREE.

To catch you up since the last post, we are now in April and our house is weather tight (thank goodness because April showers and all) – and the wall between our original house and the addition had been knocked down. That’s called burying the lead. Guys, the wall was gone! There were big plans for that space, and I’ll get to that in the next post.

The exterior shingling brought out the contrast I wanted with our black Andersen windows, which are a prominent feature of the design Matthew MacEachern of Emeritus did for us. When the windows were first installed, they blended in with the black under-shingle paper (that is the super official name for it in case you were wondering), but once the white cedar shingles went up – the windows really popped.

Moving inside and upstairs: the flooring went in faster than I could have imagined, and before I got to see it, it was covered in protective paper. It was two months before I got to see those floors (but who’s counting?) I’m not still smarting from that or anything. Did I mention Neil got to see them, and I didn’t?


Downstairs, a lot of prep work was happening for the kitchen: electrical, plumbing, drywall, and plasterwork. I was busy picking kitchen cabinet hardware because I thought the house was going to be finished early (insert taped audience laughter), and I wanted to be prepared.

May rolled around, and it seemed like all of the work done in April was giving way to the good stuff. The interior trim went up around the windows, and it is one of my favorite details in the house. Apparently it wasn’t overly complicated to make – but it was exactly what I wanted. (Photo to follow once I reveal the paint job).

Also, our ugly, metal, baseboard heaters got a facelift. Our builder, Julius Pasys of LithCon Inc., designed and fabricated covers for them, and they look SO good. I was inundated with questions about them when I shared a photo of them on Instagram stories. I’m surprised this “design challenge” isn’t talked about more frequently. We’ve all been suffering in silence – until now!

Now comes the most controversial part of any good story: white paint. I read alllll of the white paint guides out there, including ones by All Sorts Of and Studio McGee. I figured if I could pick red wine for Neil based on the descriptions taped to the wine rack, I could pick paint that way, too.

Wrong. The blogs were supremely helpful for narrowing down my choices, but there is a reason each white paint guide ends with suggesting you try out samples in your own home.

My next step was to purchase samples from Samplize. If you haven’t heard of the company, its product is pretty cool: peel & stick, 12x12 paint samples made with real paint on one side and a repositionable adhesive backing on the other side. This allows you to stick the squares on multiple walls and in various lighting situations.

Quick aside for everyone who asked about kitchen cabinet paint colors. I’ll delve into that later. Maybe when I talk about the countertops – aka much later in this story. (I’m cracking myself up.)

Ok, back to white paint. On some of our walls, I loved Simply White by Benjamin Moore. And on other walls, I was drawn to Super White. Then I went to a house to deliver some framed pieces, and I noticed the paint in the client’s house. The white was perfect!

The client tracked down the paint color (totally normal of me to ask him, right?) and it was Benjamin Moore White OC-151. I told our builder I had made up my mind, but he suggested I pick up a sample pot at Marine Home Center so he could paint a few patches on our walls for me to look at. This was like feeding the beast! Wouldn’t everyone around me be happier if this white paint saga ended?

All I can say is, thank goodness we sampled. I had never seen OC-151 in my house (it wasn’t one of the colors I ordered from Samplize) and for reasons I can’t explain – it read totally grey on my walls.

Chantilly Lace was on my radar thanks to all of you - I received a lot of notes on Instagram that said things like “the only white paint I ever use is Chantilly Lace.”

Finally, our builder had his painter take me to a completed house to see a few more white paint examples, which included Chantilly Lace. (My white paint deep dive was getting to everyone. I had been foisted à la Curb Your Enthusiasm.)

So, I went back to Marine and picked up more sample pots, including Chantilly Lace, Simply White and Super White.

For the amount of pressure I felt to pick “the right” white paint, this feels really anticlimactic, but – drum roll, please – we went with Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore!  And – if I had picked the white paint based on the description (like I pick red wines), I also would have picked it. “As delicate and refined as the lace it was named after, this crisp, clean white evokes images of pure silk, soft linen and simpler times.”

Next post: Kitchen cabinets, v-groove, and glass walls – oh my!

WELCOME TO OUR RENOVATION. PART TWO.

A RENOVATION IS LIKE WATCHING SAUSAGE GET MADE.

PART TWO

Welcome back. We left off last week with some packing tips (take full advantage of the construction dumpster).

For reference, it is late January, and we were living amongst plastic bins filled with all of our possessions. I packed us each a suitcase (I’m a control freak), which I unpacked for a sense of normalcy (still a control freak). Over the course of the next four months, we barely even reached into the plastic bins for other stuff.

You may be asking yourself “they wore the same clothes in May as they did in January?” And I would ask you,  “have you ever experienced spring on Nantucket?”

Also, we mayyyyy have moved back home a month earlier than we originally told our builder, Julius Pasys, owner of LithConInc., that we would need to (#DreamClients). So there’s also that.

February was a transformative (read: messy) month. A friend warned me, “A renovation is like watching sausage get made”. At the time, I had no idea what he meant. Now I do.


During February, the kitchen was demolished, our old pine floors were removed, new closets were framed, some of the new windows and doors were installed, excavation and foundation work was done for the addition, and – the addition was framed.  When I saw the addition framed, I knew our architect, Matthew MacEachern of Emeritus, had nailed the design. Visits to the house in February involved a lot of  “oooh, ahhh, no turning back now” comments. (Follow Emeritus on Instagram here).

Thank you to everyone who purchased art in February, because I had literally and figuratively taken a sledgehammer to our biggest asset – and that was panic attack inducing.

It rained a lot in February and early March, and I was worried about our addition “getting wet” before it was weather tight. I learned how important the AdvanTech subfloor system is, why it could be exposed to the elements, and how it would ensure we wouldn’t have squeaky floors down the line. Kate Rumson of @the_real_houses_of_ig is using it in her new build, and shares a ton of details about it if you want to know more.  Neil has stopped reading. Don’t be Neil.

By mid-March, you could stand inside our addition and get a real sense of what it was going to be like in a few months. (The rest of the house? Sausage mid-stuff. The flooring for our entire house was stacked in the guest room, the walls and ceiling were being plastered to remove the “texture”, and by the very end of the month – all kitchen cabinet materials had arrived).

Despite the organized chaos, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the construction process. Sure, I spiraled a few times (white paint decisions anyone?!) but everything was relatively on time and on budget (anyone who has ever renovated is calling BS right now.)

Every time we stopped by the house, something new had been done. I know some of you would disagree – but I found the renovation process checked that “instant gratification” box. There was very little of that “two steps forward, one step back” dance.

By the end of March, the Andersen windows were installed in the addition, and the wall between the original house and the addition was knocked down. When Neil and I visited and saw that for the first time, my jaw dropped, and Neil smiled. Neil won’t admit this – but I saw it. And captured it with a photo.

April showers bring May flowers, and much is the same for the work done to the house in April. I’ll leave you with that questionable analogy until next time. Check back soon.

Next post: All white paint look the same and other lies your friends tell you to keep you sane.

WELCOME TO OUR RENOVATION. PART ONE.

DIANE KEATON HAD PINTEREST, I HAD INSTAGRAM.

PART ONE.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to renovate your home? I had. I dreamed about tweaking ours for years. The biggest challenge? Convincing my husband, Neil, that it was time. (In hindsight, I am glad we waited. Seriously, my Pinterest board from 2012 needed to mature).

Photo Credit: Tom Olcott. Image courtesy of Emeritus.

Photo Credit: Tom Olcott. Image courtesy of Emeritus.

My photography is inspired by home décor, and I shoot with your home in mind, so I’m always thinking about aesthetics. After seeing so many of your gorgeous homes when I delivered your framed pieces, and when you shared your #LaurenMarttilaAtHome photos on Instagram, I was so inspired and sure of what I wanted for our own home.  But I quickly learned, we needed to bring in the pros.

The first thing we did was to enlist the services of Matthew MacEachern of Emeritus. Emeritus is a design, planning and development firm based in Nantucket, Massachusetts (with offices in Boston, too!) Matt listened to our needs (hello dining room, goodbye 1980’s kitchen layout) and designed us a beautiful addition to our traditional, New England saltbox home. Working with Matt and his colleagues Anton and Courtney (and mascot, Lucky!) was FUN.

Next up: hire a builder. We worked with Julius Pasys, owner of LithCon Inc. (During our renovation, I tried to get him to start an Instagram account, but to date – he is too busy building awesome homes to manage an account). I can’t say enough good things about working with Julius and his crew, and he is subsequently renovating my mom’s home. Thanks guys!

Before we even packed up and moved out, we decided on the roof, windows, flooring, and kitchen layout.  We could only move out of our house for so long, so I tried to make as many decisions in advance as possible, so things could be ordered right away. I knew inevitably there would be a delay somewhere along the way (cough: countertops), and I didn’t want it to be because of my indecisiveness.  

For the roof, we went with architectural asphalt shingles. I would have loved to do cedar roof shingles, but I didn’t want to blow the budget immediately out of the gate.  This type of restraint is why Neil and I still speak.

Next decision: windows. We used Andersen A-Series windows, and I am especially happy with this decision. If you are going with a darker exterior color (we did black for our exterior, and white for the interior color), ask your builder why the A-Series may give you a sleeker look. The majority of our windows are double hung, but we have picture windows lining the sides of our addition – they almost look like black steel windows from the outside. Swoon.

Next up was flooring. We landed on a light, natural colored oak called “Campania” – and I’m in love. The flooring decision was relatively quick and easy. Neil liked the ones I liked. (He is smart).  Also, please don’t fact check with our builder my declaration that I picked our floors quickly.

Matt, our architect, had a vision for our kitchen, which included a door to the backyard. This would give a line of sight all the way through our house to the backyard from the moment you opened our new front door. With that direction, Julius, our builder, proceeded to design our kitchen cabinet layout.

I learned just how much work goes into a kitchen, even before you take a sledgehammer to 1980s blue tile countertops. The mathematical equations on the walls looked like something out of Good Will Hunting (and I never once saw a calculator, so I was worried).

Meanwhile, there I was – ready to help: I don’t cook, and I was armed with saved Instagram photos of kitchens four times the size of ours. A lot of our kitchen design discussions started with “Well, when Neil is standing here cooking, he often reaches over here for xyz.” I’m pretty sure I also mimed those actions.

I love how our kitchen came out, and I will write a separate, longer post about all of the kitchen details. It will include things I learned, like: “being excited is not an excuse to order kitchen appliances three months early, because everyone will have to work around them. And one of the burners for your stove will go missing and you’ll waste a day until you find it hidden inside a couch you also ordered too early.”

That said, there is a good chance it will take me as long to write a detailed kitchen post as it did for our countertops to arrive. Zing! (I should note, the delay was through no fault of Caesarstone or anyone mentioned here. The counters are beautiful. And really, if you didn’t have one hiccup along the way – did you even renovate?)   

It was around this time (finalizing the kitchen design) that we packed up and moved out. Packing was awful. No way around it. My only tip is to order moving boxes on Amazon because, surprise – they arrive in another, bigger box.

I watched Marie Kondo’s show on Netflix in preparation for getting rid of stuff I didn’t want to pack, but she has nothing on a dumpster showing up in your driveway. If this sounds like something you would also do, tell your builder to pad your landfill fee budget line item in the estimate.

Check back soon for what happened once we handed over the keys. Hint: demolition.

Next post: A renovation is like watching sausage get made.


A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND.

Welcome.  And thank you for finding me and my work. 

Lauren Marttila beach.jpg

Standard beach gear, right?

Beach appropriate clothing: Milly & Grace

Photo: @theneoprenebanker

One question I am asked a lot is “what do you like to photograph?” I seek out simplicity and negative space so you can see yourself in the photos.

Second most frequent question: “what is your favorite time of the year to photograph?” September + October for the win! Why? We get amazing surf; sunsets at a time I can actually stay awake for; and sunrises that aren’t torturous to wake up for.

I get my Vitamin D through my work. For real. Winters on Nantucket require you get all that you can when the sun sets at 4:15 p.m. Most of the time my husband and I are literally racing to the beach to catch either the surf, sunset, or sunrise - so when you see my work - I hope you feel that breeze in your hair (and don't see any of mine in the image - ooph, nothing ruins a good photo faster than forgetting a hair tie).

More to come. Goodnight @ 8:22 p.m.