Living Green

DINING ROOMThe dining room floor is a hand-painted harlequin pattern created by a Nantucket artist. OPPOSITE PAGE: On the tabletop is a pair of ChineseExport underglaze blue large moon flasks with figures, c. 1860-1880, atribute to the China trade that once drove Nantucket’s economy.

WOOD CHEST IN DINING ROOMThis antique Biedermier wood chest is circa 1820, a perfect choice for thisroom. Above the chest hangs a piece by George Muendel, well-known American Impressionist.

“We create a space that is drop-dead gorgeous that also supports personal health and well-being.

It’s a win-win for everyone.”

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Erik Rank

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LIVING ROOM WITH WINDOW VIEW

The living room is made for comfort, with upholstered furniture coveredin 100% natural materials and filled with a cotton/wool organicblend. The window covering is a 100% cotton blind that drops downfor light control.

Du jardin, when translated from theFrench, means “of the garden,” andthere is perhaps no better metaphorthan a gorgeous Nantucket gardenin full bloom to compare to the work

of one of the most talented interior designers to ever grace our shores.

Trudy Dujardin, a member of the American Society of InteriorDesigners who is licensed to design interiors up to 5000square feet, has been working as a design professional since1976, and began her own design firm – Dujardin Design Associates – in 1987. At the time she was starting her ownfirm, words like “organic” and “sustainable” were terms mostof us associated with obscure farms in far-flung places populated by an odd assortment of folks. Trudy, however,knew then that there was something to the organic movement.

In other words, like Barbara Mandrell, Trudy was organicwhen organic wasn’t cool. She ate organic food wheneverpossible and began to nurture her own sustainability spark.“People thought I was loopy back then,” she recalled. But thatmindset stayed with her, and it carried over into her professionallife. As she said recently, “I just couldn’t stop looking at the

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LIVING ROOM WITH FIREPLACE VIEW

A natural wool rug by Earth Weave beautifully anchors the livingroom, filled to the brim with interesting artwork. Over the mantel isa painting by Michael Keane, the world-renowned marine artist, andto the right is artwork representing Nantucket (three rowboats) byMark Petrovic. An ivory cane on the mantel is another Nantucketpiece; to the left is a Han Dynasty Chinese puppy.

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BOTTOM RIGHT: KITCHEN

These cabinets were original to the home; once they were repainted with no - VOCpaint - they happily became another green addition to the house. The center islandis made with Rock Maple wood, and no - VOC painted insets.

TOP LEFT: BREAKFAST ROOM

A model of the ship The Flying Cloud provides a focal point here; framed menu covers from Bastille Day celebrations at the famed Chanticleer restaurant bring backfond memories of wonderful meals enjoyed with friends.

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world and thinking that there was a link between these containers where we put people and their health. ”She spentfive years researching environmentally friendly building anddesign techniques. She learned a great deal about the harmful effects of many of the common products designers use; she said of her education, “What I know now,I’d never go back to using that old stuff. It’s such a chemicalburden to put on the body when you use all these chemicals.”She eventually acquired her, LEED certification (Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design), an internationally-recognized green building certification system. Not one to experiment on her clients, however, Trudy made it a point toperfect her green building techniques on her own home first.That initial project – her Nantucket summer home – was laternamed the “House of the Year” in “Cape Cod and IslandsHome Magazine”. Not bad for the first time out of the gate.

When working with a professional who sets the bar as highas Trudy does – her firm has won numerous awards for theiroutstanding design work – one anticipates having to pay asum equivalent to the GNP of a small country. Trudy shakesher head and smiles. “If a client asks, I say, ‘You can affordme. We’ll make it work.’”

The first meeting with a client is, she explained, something ofan interview process for both parties. Trudy wants to makesure her abilities are suited to the wants of the clients andclients want to make sure that Trudy is the best designer fortheir project. Assuming the answer from both is a yes, thenit’s on to the planning phase.

Trudy walks through the home room-by-room, listening to theclient. She learns about the client’s likes and dislikes. She getsa feel for who the client is, what they’re really passionateabout, what their ideal room will look like when she’s donewith it. Then she works to create a floor plan that reflects theclient’s desires. “I really just love to work with people,” shesaid of her job. “I love to help them furnish the spaces theylove.”

“We’re very detail-oriented and we work long hours,” Trudysaid of her staff. “If a client sends an email late at night witha question, more often than not that email gets answered before six o’clock the next morning.”

Increasingly, clients are coming to Trudy with a combinationof requests: They want a beautiful interior that is also environmentally friendly. In other words, many of today’sclients want exactly what Trudy thrives on. “It’s the best of bothworlds,” Trudy explained. “We create a space that is drop-dead gorgeous that also supports personal health andwell-being. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

STAIRCASE

The staircase boasts three wooden lighthouses, all fiber- optically lit with softly changing colors. An interior window to the right allows sunlight to flow from roomto room. Low voltage fiber optics also light the threewall niches, displaying 18th Century Oriental temple carvings. In the umbrella stand to the left is a collection of walking sticks, including fine whaleboneand ivory examples.

LANDING

The console table is constructed of solid wood by a contemporary craftsman. Thepainting above is a sea scene by artist Richard Loud. Two blue glass baskets displayed on the console are by Dale Chihuly, the foremost glass artist inthe country today. The floor is made of glass tiles inset into wood to produce thecolor and texture of a carpet. The doors are made of textured glass, ingeniously placed to allow light to flow from one area to the next; the wafflepattern ensures privacy.

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Acquiring green design and building products has becomeeasier over the years, due in large part to the old equation ofsupply and demand. As more consumers look for productsthat aren’t detrimental to their health, more and more companies are making the products available, which hasmade them less expensive in recent years. “People today aredemanding green products,” Trudy explained. “A lot of myclients come to me with so much knowledge about the materials, it’s amazing.”

Though she is extremely passionate about green building,Trudy doesn’t try to push her clients in that direction. “I don’tdo hard-sell. I’m just not a salesperson,” she explained. “Instead, I present them with the information and let themmake their own educated decisions.”

When it comes time to actually acquire the furniture for therooms she’s designing, Trudy relies on both the Boston andNew York City Design Centers for stock pieces, but she alsoregularly commissions custom-made pieces in places wheresustainable materials and methods are used. She also loves touse antique pieces when she can. “Antique furniture is the ultimate sustainable product. It already exists, so they don’thave to cut down any trees to make it, and what’s more, a lotof the chemicals they use today in furniture production didn’t

LIBRARY

In this welcoming library, Trudy opted fortrompe l’oeil painted walls, reproducing thelook of grass cloth with no-VOC paint. Thecocktail table is a French 18th century campaign chest, famed artist Robert Newall’swatercolors hang on the walls, and a lighthouse lens holds pride of place on the endtable. Of note is the whale board on the wallto the right; it was commissioned by Trudyfrom the late Charles Sayle, a renowned island and maritime historian, and a friendof longstanding.

exist before World War Two, so older furniture doesn’t haveall that stuff in it.” And as for thinking locally, Trudy buys fromlocal merchants whenever possible: “I am a huge, huge supporter of hiring local craftspeople to do the work whenever possible,” she said. “Supporting the local economyis itself a sustainable act.”

Spending winters in Fairfield, Connecticut, Trudy splits her timebetween design work and teaching a course on sustainabledesign at Fairfield University, the first university in the countryto offer that type of course. But it’s the design work that is trulyher passion, and there is nothing she likes more than designing homes on Nantucket. “My soul is on Nantucket,”she said. “I don’t feel like I’m working on Nantucket. I feel likeI’m playing.”

That said, playtime doesn’t come without its price. Those of uswho live on Nantucket year-round know all too well about thepitfalls of travelling back and forth during the stormy winter months. Oftentimes the boats don’t run because of highwinds and the planes are grounded due to inclement weather.And when that happens, Trudy – just like the rest of us – isstuck. But, as she was quick to point out, there are certainlyworse places to find oneself stuck than Nantucket.

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BEDROOM

A pristine environment ensures a good night’s sleep. The bed is covered with all organic cotton sheets, pillowcases and coverlet. Themattress is filled with organic cotton and wool, and made withoutchemicals. Two paintings to the right are by artist George Muendel.

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