This Monday through Thursday, July 13 to 16, the Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) celebrates a milestone as Nantucket by Design marks its 10th anniversary with four days of inspiring conversations, exclusive gatherings, and world-class design programming. This annual fundraiser has become one of the nation’s premier summer design events while providing critical support for the NHA’s mission to preserve and share the island’s remarkable history.
Launched in 2016, Nantucket by Design was introduced under the leadership of its inaugural event chair, Maureen Fennessy Bousa, as a new way to celebrate the island’s unique architectural and decorative arts heritage while raising funds for the Nantucket Historical Association. The event has evolved from an ambitious regional gathering into an internationally recognized destination for interior designers, architects, landscape designers, collectors, artisans, and design enthusiasts. Previous chairs, including Phoebe Tudor, Kelly Williams, Stacey Bewkes, Olivia Charney, and current co-chairs Marla Mullen and Bill Richards, have continued to expand the event’s reach and prestige.
This year’s theme, Etched in Time: Signature Design Stories, explores the enduring influence of interiors, architecture, landscape design, and the decorative arts. Just as scrimshaw once carried the engraved signatures of sailors’ lives and journeys, today’s designers etch their own mark through craftsmanship, innovation, and artistry. Presented in dialogue with the Nantucket Historical Association and the traveling exhibition, The Wider World and Scrimshaw, this program highlights design as both a personal statement and a cultural legacy — a signature etched in time.
One of Nantucket by Design’s defining characteristics is its ability to attract many of the industry’s most influential voices. This year’s roster includes internationally recognized designers, architects, editors, entrepreneurs, landscape designers, authors, and tastemakers whose work has shaped luxury residential design across the country.
Among the 2026 luminaries are Aerin Lauder, Alexa Hampton, Bunny Williams, Corey Damen Jenkins, David Netto, Fernando Wong, Marshall Watson, Margot Shaw, Sarah Wetenhall, Nell Diamond, Wayne Maness, Josh Young, Jennifer Mabley, Austin Handler, Tori Mellott, Jo Saltz, Tom Kligerman, Doug Wright, Tim Adams, Julie Murphy, Tiffany LeBlanc, and Michael Luft Weissberg.
The 2026 schedule offers an impressive lineup of keynote conversations, panel discussions, master classes, and special events. At press time, tickets to some events were still available but going fast! Reserve your seats at NantucketbyDesign.com before it is sold out.
The week opens on Monday, July 13, with a timely discussion titled Beyond the Buzz: How Design Businesses Are Actually Using Technology, featuring Julie Murphy, Michael Luft Weissberg, and Tiffany LeBlanc, moderated by Dustin Hayes. The panel will examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping the design profession while preserving creativity and craftsmanship.
Later that morning, Sarah Wetenhall, owner and CEO of The Colony Hotel and The Hedges Inn, will join acclaimed AD100 designer David Netto for a conversation about preserving history while reimagining celebrated hospitality properties.
From 1:30 to 3:30 pm on Monday, Eleish van Breems Home at 14 Easy Street is hosting special Design Week events with Mary Lacoursiere, NHA’s Artistic Director of Heritage Craft. Stop by for Nantucket Basket Weaving and Sailor’s Valentines. This event will also be held Wednesday, July 15 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm.
A Designer Home Tour will be offered on Monday afternoon, featuring three rarely seen and uniquely historic homes on different streets in downtown Nantucket.
Ticket holders will close their first day by gathering for a festive opening night party and dinner.
On Tuesday, July 14, internationally acclaimed landscape designer Fernando Wong will discuss his vision for restoring the historic gardens at the NHA’s Hadwen House on upper Main Street. Later in the morning, one of the event’s most anticipated sessions pairs celebrated designers Corey Damen Jenkins and Alexa Hampton in a Design Duet moderated by Marla Mullen Sanford, offering insight into their celebrated careers and distinctive approaches to classic and contemporary interiors.
Eleish van Breems Home has another Design Week event planned at 14 Easy Street on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 am to 5 pm, when they host designer Johanna Howard for a trunk show of dresses with a Scandinavian aesthetic.
Tuesday finishes with a screening of Street Theater, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the career of legendary design editor and stylist Robert Rufino, followed by a Legacy Circle Dinner.
Wednesday and Thursday highlights include a panel discussion by Wayne Maness, Nell Diamond, Josh Young, and Aerin Lauder; Flowering Outdoors: Gardens & Parties featuring Margot Shaw with an introduction by Bunny Williams; and Brushes & Blueprints: Interpreting Historic Nantucket, featuring Tom Kligerman, Doug Wright, and Tim Adams, moderated by Stacey Bewkes.
In addition, a special event celebrating design will be hosted by The Hostetler Gallery all day on Wednesday, July 15. And from 1 to 3 pm that day, eittem Founder and Creative Director Erin Saluti will meet design aficionados and show her new palette of Nantucket pastel bags at 42 Centre Street.
Nantucket by Design 2026 concludes with a popular Design Luncheon featuring Cordelia de Castellane, Artistic Director of Dior Maison and Baby Dior, and celebrated interior designer Tom Scheerer for an intimate conversation exploring the people, places, and influences that have shaped their distinctive creative worlds. Guided by Veranda Editor-in-Chief Steele Marcoux, the discussion will offer a rare look at the ideas, aesthetics, and experiences behind two of today’s most influential design voices
Proceeds of Nantucket by Design helps to support the preservation of the NHA’s museums, historic houses, collections, educational programming, and research, ensuring that Nantucket’s unique cultural heritage will continue to inspire future generations.
