left to right: Panel Moderator, Susan Zises Green, on the panel (from left to right) Christopher Drake, Brian McCarthy, Alessandra Branca, Jamie Drake and Alex Papachristidis. courtesy of Nantucket HIstorical Association.
CTC&G: This year you moderated the Designer Panel at the Antiques & Design Show can you tell us about this event?
SZG: Three years ago a Designer Panel was organized for the Antiques Show. I was invited to participate along with Victoria Hagan and Kathleen Hay, a local designer. The following year I was delighted to be asked if I would take over the panel, as I have been an interior designer for more than 30 years and know many of the designers in the industry. I felt I could create a panel that would become an integral part of the Antiques Show. To my delight, the last two years has been a sold out crowd. And through the panel the design concept is growing and there will be more design concepts added to the show.
CTC&G: Who was on the panel this year and explain how designers were chosen?
SZG: Lets start with the previous year so you can see how the panel has developed. Last year I invited David Easton, Todd Romano, Arthur Dunnam from Jed Johnson Design, Thom Filicia and John Fondas from Quadrille Fabrics. And this year’s designers were Jamie Drake, Alex Papachristidis, Brian J. McCarthy from New York, Chris Drake from Boston and Alessandra Branca from Chicago. I am now working on next year’s group of designers and I am looking forward to again having a star-studded group! The designers were selected both for their diversity of design style and personality to create a panel that would not only be informative but entertaining as well.
Connecticut based Dawn Hill Antiques created a booth filled with beautiful accessories for your island home at Antiques & Design Show this past August. courtesy of Nantucket HIstorical Association.
CTC&G: What do you collect and are any of your collections specific to Nantucket?
SZG: On Nantucket I collect sailor’s valentines, which are pictures made of tiny shells created within octagonal wooden frames, whalebone artifacts, as well as stitched needlepoint samplers by Susan Boardman. I have taken classes on creating sailor’s valentines and truly appreciate the work that goes into making them. One wall of my living room is covered in them. The whalebone artifacts vary from letter openers to beautiful handbags. Some have scrimshaw paintings on them, as well as beautiful baskets made of whalebone. Susan Boardman is a well-known stitchery artist whose work I have collected over the years. Susan is a fabulous stitchery artist and her work is much in demand.
CTC&G: Was there a piece at the show that caught your attention and why?
SZG: There was a fabulous wooden sculpture of a blackbird with a four-foot wingspread, which I knew would have pride of place for a home I am building on Nantucket. It had incredible drama and presence and it just spoke to me! Things that I buy and I encourage clients to buy are items that capture the imagination and make you smile.
CTC&G: Where do you like to shop for the home on Nantucket?
SZG: There are beautiful stores, an auction house and garage sales—Nantucket is a shopper’s mecca!
CTC&G: Tell us about your favorite place on the island?
SZG: My home. For me it is paradise. It is a sea of tranquility, whimsy, I think beautiful, with meaningful collections surrounding me. I enjoy my gardens and love creating floral bouquets to have in my house. While I am working in my gardens I enjoy the blue sky and the fresh sea air, which is utterly intoxicating!
Don’t miss Susan Zises Green’s beautiful Nantucket home in the November 2013 issue of CTC&G!
For information about Antiques& Design Show of Nantucket, visit www.nha.org.