Home Is Where the Heart Is
Many of us dream of building our own home, of creating an oasis where we can find solitude from the hustle and bustle of life. We envision a home located on a favorite piece of land near the mountains, desert, ocean or nestled in a forest. It would be filled with our favorite things and designed to reflect our tastes and lifestyle. While this may remain a dream for many, it has become reality for Trudy Dujardin, ASID.
In designing her own home, Dujardin combined two of her great passions-a love for Nantucket Island and a deep concern for both the quality of her personal environment and that of the surrounding natural environment. The result is a home that reflects the beauty of Nantucket while showcasing the ability to create a residence built mainly of non-toxic products.
"The Nantucket house is my dream home," Dujardin states. "I spend as much time there as possible and will likely retire there one day. In designing the home, I wanted it to convey the history and beauty of the island while creating a healthy environment for myself and for my guests."
Dujardin has allergies, so a key design requirement was making the house as non-toxic as possible. Since the house was completed, she also has learned that she is chemically sensitive, so the thought put into materials used in the house has become even more important.
Dujardin collaborated with Lyman S.A. Perry, an architect with extensive experience on the island, to design the two-story, 6,500-square-foot residence, which features a living room, dining room, a home office, butler's pantry and a combination family room and kitchen on the first floor. The second floor accommodates a master bedroom suite with outdoor balconies, another bedroom and a bath. A guest apartment, also located on the second floor, consists of two bedrooms, a sitting room and a bath.
The exterior architecture is clearly Nantucket-a naturally-colored shingled residence with white trim that sits beautifully on the site, which was formerly home to a 20th-century cottage. Design details reflect century-old homes found on the island. The fenestration on the house was maximized, allowing as much daylight into the interior as possible while maximizing views of the ocean and the family's gardens. "Perry clearly understood my goals for the project and helped us to translate those goals architecturally," Dujardin notes.
Dujardin and Perry spent a great deal of time discussing the project's environmental focus. At his suggestion, Dujardin used pau lope or ipe wood, which has the properties of teak, for the outdoor decks, a tropical hardwood that is not endangered and that will withstand the weather without being chemically treated.
While great care was given to the exterior environment, the home's interior is where the greatest attention to environmental details is evident. Perry recommended a heat exchange system for the house. "Contaminated" air from the inside is used to heat incoming outside air. The system requires less energy to keep the house at the desired room temperature and contributes to a "purer" air system.
Other environmentally-driven design decisions included the use of Medex medium-density fiberboard for the walls, floors and cabinets, which is formaldehyde-free, and paints that are either citrus-oil or water-based rather than petroleum-based. Stains also are water-based. Fiberglass was used for insulation and was boxed in behind walls and enclosed in an airtight plastic-vapor barrier.
"Non-toxic products typically cost more," Dujardin says, "but creating a healthy environment outweighed the higher costs. I chose to invest more in this area." Dujardin notes that prices for environmentally friendly materials and products continue to become lower. She believes that these products do not need to cost more, sometimes 10 to 15 percent more than traditional products. It is her hope that as demand for environmental products rises, manufacturers will expand product offerings while lowering prices-the old supply and demand equation.
The interior design, done by Dujardin, is light and airy, a continuation of the outdoor environment. From light colors used primarily throughout the house, to deep hues used in the dining room and study, one continually feels the influence of the sea. Materials, design details, colors and the many paintings and artifacts found throughout the house reflect Dujardin's connection to her island home.
At its base, the interior is simple and clean, which only accentuates views to the outside environment while also focusing attention on Dujardin's collections that are located in numerous locations. In the foyer, a special niche, capped by a scalloped shell, contains antique treenware and lightship baskets. Similar niches are found in the dining room and living room. An art gallery on the balcony overlooking the living room rounds out the home's display spaces and showcases seven original watercolors by Robert Newell.
The gathering room, a combination kitchen and family room, is the most used room in the house. The view to the sea invites guests to congregate there. Dujardin or her guests can dine at a small glass-topped table in front of a bay window or grab a quick bite while sitting at a counter that separates the kitchen from the family room.
Dujardin's design expertise is evident throughout the house, and her working relationships with local craftspeople were applied to the design of specific applications. Christian Thee, a trompe l'oeil artist, created a large mural of a trompe l'oeil rose arbor in the vestibule. Lighting designer Gary Novasel supplemented the natural light with a variety of light sources to accent the house's architectural features and to create special moods in individual rooms.
Cherry was used for the floors, library cabinets and in the kitchen for the countertops. The wood appears naturally except in the sun room porch adjacent to the living room. In this room, the floor was bleached, hand-rubbed with a French patina and then stenciled with three-dimensional shadow boxes to make the room as bright as possible. This and all other floors were sealed with Skan-var, a water-based sealant.
The dining room sets opposite the ocean side of the house and has access and views to a terraced garden. The oval dining table and chairs in the dining room were designed by Dujardin. Alcoves, again topped by a scalloped shell, hold special pieces that have been collected over the years. The room is warm and inviting, a stately yet comfortable setting for formal dinner parties.
Fabrics and finishes were selected to withstand frequent use, another indication of Dujardin's sensitivity to form, function and efficiency. All seating was covered with replaceable white slipcovers; fabrics were selected for their durability and their contribution to the overall design theme.
"My guests tell me that they feel invigorated when they are here," said Dujardin. "I believe that the environmental considerations I adhered to contribute greatly to those feelings. But it's also because the design of the home encourages people to interact both with each other and with the surrounding natural environment."
Dujardin hopes that clients and other designers will learn from the lessons she gained in designing her own non-toxic home. "My hope is that I can pass along the knowledge that I gained to others that want to create healthy environments. As a designer, that's part of my responsibility."
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