Quintessential Island Style

nyone who has spent time on Nantucket will tell you that the island has a style vocabulary all its own. Yet no house we have seen epitomizes that style like the home at Three

Sherburne Turnpike, in the island's Cliff Road neighborhood.

In fact, if one were to make a list of quintessentially Nantucket design features, such as a curved arbor, a shell driveway, a widow's walk and even an outdoor shower, it is likely that every item on the list is included in this single property. It speaks the Nantucket vernacular fluently, both inside and out.

Our tour begins a short stroll around the corner from Steps Beach on the brick pathway that leads under the arbor, past the garage with its studio above, and up to the majestic front entranceway. As you step into A the bright and airy two-story foyer, you cross a dramatic compass rose painted on the rich oak flooring that is found throughout the home. (The compass rose is a functional piece of art as well; it points to magnetic north, day in and day out, so you'll always know the direction in which you're facing.)

A few steps forward and you'll find yourself in the formal living room. This space features high, coffered ceilings, a pair of dramatic, white, square columns, a large fireplace, three floor-to-ceiling windows and a set of French doors that lead to a wraparound deck and the back yard space. To your immediate right you will find the formal dining area with twin, built-in china cupboards and room for a large table. Beyond that you will enter the kitchen.

The kitchen is a cook's fantasy come true. The appliances are restaurant grade stainless steel. The countertops are dark grey - almost black - marble. The creamcolored cabinetry is simple, solid and well crafted, and features glass fronts in the upper cabinets to show off china and glassware. In the center of the kitchen is a chunky, square island topped with butcher block which does double duty as an expansive prep space and a three-seat breakfast bar. The cantilevered butcher block top hovers over the stools with no visible support structure, creating clean, simple lines.

Tucked away behind the kitchen is a special luxury - the mother of all mudrooms. Here, you'll

find a large capacity washer and dryer, tile floors and plenty of utility and storage space. This room is convenient to the front deck and outdoor shower, which means that sandy inhabitants returning from the beach can rinse off, deposit wet clothes in the dryer and make a bee-line for the stairs to change with a minimum of effort - a godsend if you're a homeowner who hates the constant Nantucket battle against sand infiltration.

To the left of the living room is the study which sports knotty pine-paneled walls pickled with a rich and calming mustard green hue. This space, too, features a floor-to-ceiling window and French doors leading to the wraparound porch in the rear, plus plenty of space for books and seating.

Beyond the study is a powder room and further down the hall, the sunny guest bedroom suite with its own full bath. This room offers access to its own large covered front porch.

At the top of the stairs (which are fauxpainted with a star-studded runner) you reach an arched doorway that leads to the master suite. The bedroom features its own working fireplace flanked by built-in seating and storage drawers. The walk-in closet, which is larger than many bedrooms we've toured, leads to a bright, white full bath with a large glass shower and dual sinks.

In addition to the master suite there are three other bedroom suites on the second floor, each with its own full bath. One is decorated in whimsical airy robin's egg blue. Another features honey pine beams and collar ties, has a doorway to its own second floor outdoor deck.

This picture-perfect, quintessentially

Nantucket-styled, 5-bedroom, 5-bath, 2-halfbath property in one of the island's most desirable locations is offered for $7,500,000.

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