PROPERTY PROFILE

There was a time when charming beach cottages could be found all over Nantucket, but many of them have disappeared. What a pleasant surprise to find one that was updated in 2007 but still retains its character. What an even better surprise to find one that is very close to town and so combines the best of simple beach living with being conveniently near to most everything the island has to offer.

The cottage at 29 Jefferson Avenue is tucked away behind hedges and trees, affording maximum privacy. To enter, you go through a cut in the hedge, cross a brick patio and step onto a small porch.

Once inside, you find yourself in the traditional beach cottage great room, the place where the occupants live when they are not enjoying all that the outdoors has to offer. With a high ceiling, crossed by two great beams, the room functions as living area, dining room and kitchen all at once; the model subsequently adapted for most upside- down houses. The white beadboard on the walls and on the ceiling between the open studs adds to the feeling of spaciousness. The painted, wide board floor brings a pleasant element of color to the room.

To the immediate right is the living area with a built-in book case and media center. To the left is the dining table. The centerpiece of the room is the fireplace with its brick hearth.

The kitchen area is to the rear right of the room. It is set off from the rest of the space by a two-tiered island which serves as both breakfast bar and food preparation space. The wooden countertops provide a pleasant accent. The appliances are all virtually new and of the highest quality.

The opposite rear corner is opportune for an office area or a couple of extra chairs in which to curl up with a book or the newspaper as the early morning sun streams in.

A hallway provides access to the two bedrooms. One is the master bedroom with its private full bath. The builtin bed provides underneath storage space. The stacked washer and dryer are cleverly concealed in a closet off the master bedroom.

At the other end of the hallway is a second bath with a shower and the second bedroom.

A doorway at the rear of the great room leads to a secluded flagstone patio and garden. The outdoor shower is around the corner. The side lawn is irrigated.

A large studio with sliding glass doors and large windows faces the patio. With its natural interior finish, open studwork and exposed brick fireplace, it is a perfect hideaway. It could serve as an office, but its current set-up as a sitting room with a daybed makes it another wonderful living space. The studio has its own half-bath.

Should you require more room than the cottage and studio currently provide, a second floor could be added to both. Plans have already been prepared and approved by the HDC.

This charming, "old Nantucket" beach cottage, within a stone's throw of Cliffside Beach Club and Jetties Beach, and a short walk or even quicker bike ride to downtown, with two bedrooms, two and one-half baths, is offered for $2,695.000.