Boston’s Blue Flag Partners opens its first hotel on Nantucket this summer with a treasure of interior design inspiration.
Restaurant and plenty of nooks for privacy.
More than ever, a getaway aims to deliver a state of mind—a space to marry the glories of the past with the possibilities of the present. The creators at Blue Flag Partners (blueflagpartners.com) have always seemed to understand this. Renowned for work in residential real estate development projects like Hawthorne Park and Cannonbury Lane on Nantucket, Blue Flag creates luxe daydream spaces. Earlier this winter, the Boston-based firm announced it will open its first branded hotel, dubbed Faraway, on Nantucket this summer. The 62- room space, which is reminiscent of London’s legendary Chiltern Firehouse, will also feature a 140-seat restaurant. We recently caught up with two of Blue Flag’s partners, Jason Brown and Brad Guidi, to discuss their design and decor inspiration.
What’s the mindset behind the Faraway’s aesthetics?JB: It’s a bit of revelry tucked into a historic and refined collection of buildings—like what we imagined might have happened back in the 1920s in Gertrude Stein’s living room in Paris, but on an island. We drew inspiration from a story we created of a woman who grew up on Nantucket, stole away on a ship in her teens and then arrived back on the island decades later with her own ship, a pile of treasure and stories to tell. We loved the idea of designing a space that felt as if she bought this old collection of houses in the center of it all and dropped her belongings—collected over the years on her rum and spice routes. Faraway is an oasis for people, a refined, sexy estate from which you can explore the magic of Nantucket.
What are you most excited about guests discovering here?JB: The new indoor-outdoor public space, which serves as the heart of the property. It has a coffee bar, lounge and restaurant that spills out into a redesigned outdoor patio, all tucked behind beautiful new landscaping. Throughout both the public space and the rooms, we’ve created a trove of hidden gems to explore, each reflecting a small piece of the story behind our fearless captain and the fellow travelers she encountered on her adventures.
When designing a getaway, what are one or two crucial elements to convey the idea of an escape?BG: Getaways always center around two fundamental elements to us. First, using a residential feel to convey a sense of comfort and safety, both of which are crucial for those in a new place for the first time; second, creating intimate spaces for people to feel like they can own their experience. Overall, these are key pieces of an overarching idea—using design [elements] like furniture, greenery, lighting, sound and scent to deliver profound experiences through physical spaces.
How did you arrive at your decor choices?BG: We chose furniture that echoes the storyline of Faraway—an eclectic but comfortable selection of plush couches, chairs all intertwined with a maximalist design intended to be a bit mysterious. Patterned velvets play with rugged burlaps and rattans. The common spaces are adorned with antiquities that we found scouring markets throughout the world.
What types of lighting choices did you make?BG: Like many of the recent luxury lifestyle hotels that inspire us from London to Paris to New York, we used a residential lighting scheme. We hope these allow for a bit of a cozier experience while being on a bright, vibrant summer island. Architectural lighting is used sparingly; instead, custom-crafted paper lanterns and sconces will glow throughout the evening to create the feeling of sitting in someone’s living room. 11 India St., Nantucket, Mass., 855.976.1796, farawayhotel.com
Photography by: Courtesy of Blue Flag Partners
