Recently on Pinterest I stumbled upon the former Cape Cod home of the late Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon, which was redecorated by Kathryn Ireland for its current owners and featured in the May 2016 issue of House Beautiful. The 7,000 square foot, nine bedroom, nine bathroom home is located on a 26-acre waterfront property in Osterville, Massachusets on a gated peninsula called Oyster Harbors. The property features a tennis court, beach house, greenhouses, artist’s studio and dock. The Mellons had many residences, but this was one of Bunny’s favorite. It is where the Mellons would host family and friends including Jackie and John F. Kennedy who would visit when they were on the Cape.
When the new owners commissioned Ireland to design the interior, she was mindful of the home’s rich history. “I believe that when you buy a house, you have to respect its past, and we wanted to show that we could totally respect the previous owners. For example, Bunny always had a tiny table in the window for her and Paul. So we have a small table by a window in the dining room,” Ireland told House Beautiful. “All the painted floors are original, and they are ravishing, especially in the hallway, which we kept intact. And we left the kitchen practically untouched.”
“Some of Bunny’s baskets and the odd piece of furniture were left in the house, and we kept those. There were also some sofas and upholstered pieces that were just too big to fit through the tiny old doorframes, so it was easier to keep and re-cover them. We bought pieces where it was necessary, like in the living room, where we needed new upholstered furniture. But most of the furnishings are from the owners’ storage facilities,” said Ireland.
Eager to learn more, I uncovered images from when it belonged belonged to Bunny… and it turns out the home is also available for rental! Images below are via House Beautiful, Sotheby’s, and TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor

The hallway’s painted floors are original to the house. Ireland used her Paisley Stripe linen in Bunny on the Roman shade.

“Bunny always had a tiny table in the window,” says Ireland, who, in a nod to the former owner, placed one at a window in the dining room. The curtains are in the designer’s Downton hand-printed linen in Multi. The Beehive tassel trim from Scalamandré was an inspired last-minute addition.

TripAdvisor

In the dining room, a sea-grass rug covers the floor. Ireland reupholstered the owners’ Gustavian chairs and had the matching table made by the Lief gallery.

TripAdvisor

In the living room, which opens onto the garden and the beach beyond, the decorating is understated so as not to compete with the view. Ireland’s Belmontet sofa is slipcovered in her Abu linen. Sheer curtains are made from the designer’s Leno Weave fabric in Smoke Blue, and the pouf in the foreground is covered in her Moroccan Weave linen in Red. The walls are Snow Sky by Barry Dixon for C2 Paint; the coffee table on the right is custom, as is the rug from Vandra Rugs.

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

“I always like a tiny bit of red in a room,” says the designer. “It could be on a lampshade or even in a painting.” Here in the family room, it appears on the tablecloth, in Ireland’s Keltic Stripe linen in Aubergine, and on the seat cushions, in her Wildflowers linen, on the Lloyd Loom chairs. The wallcovering is Ireland’s Duden Lodge in Blue and the floors are painted in Snow Sky by Barry Dixon for C2 Paint.

TripAdvisor

Revving up a nook with pattern, Ireland upholstered the daybed in her Greta linen in Chester and covered large pillows in her Tangier 1 linen in Cherry Red/Natural.

TripAdvisor

The kitchen remains practically untouched from when it belonged to Bunny. (TripAdvisor)

TripAdvisor

Wicker twin beds in a guest bedroom are topped with mosquito-net canopies in Ireland’s Roses linen in Pistachio. Throw pillows are covered in her Ithaca linen in Mauve/Lavender/Pistachio.

TripAdvisor

Greta wallpaper in Reverse Green adds charm to a guest bath. The slipper chair is covered in her Roses linen in Red.

TripAdvisor

In the master bedroom, Ireland’s Sheer Stripe linen in Blue is draped from a coronet that the designer found at McKinney & Co. in London years ago. The headboard is covered in her Abu linen.

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

On the porch of the beach cabana at this historic Cape Cod estate, Los Angeles-based designer Kathryn M. Ireland sets a casual table, using her Kirkbean linen in Red & Turquoise for the tablecloth and pillows.

Designer Kathryn M. Ireland arranges hydrangeas in the house’s flower room. The zinc sink is original.

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

The estate enjoys nearly 1,000 feet of shorefront as well as breathtaking views of the Seapuit River, Sampsons Island and Nantucket Sound. image via TripAdvisor

The path to the beach leads through an untamed landscape.
Images below are from Bunny Mellon’s interiors

Bunny Mellon’s dining room showcases a Raoul Dufy sailboat painting; the mahogany trestle table “added a nautical feel to the room, and Mrs. Mellon liked that,” says decorator Bruce Budd. (via Architectural Digest)

Mellon ordered multiples of this painted-metal canopy bed for her homes. (via Architectural Digest)

Sotheby’s via wynnenator

Sotheby’s via wynnenator

Sotheby’s via wynnenator

Sotheby’s via wynnenator

Sotheby’s via wynnenator

Sotheby’s Catalogue

Sotheby’s Catalogue

Sotheby’s via wynnenator

Sotheby’s via wynnenator

Sotheby’s via wynnenator

Sotheby’s via wynnenator

A pavilion reproduces a rubbing-down house for horses that was depicted in an 18th-century George Stubbs painting in the Mellons’ collection; germander edges the planting bed at right. (via Architectural Digest)

Sotheby’s Catalogue

Jackie Kennedy and Bunny Mellon in Osterville, Massachusetts, August 1961.
For more articles from The Glam Pad on Bunny Mellon, please see below… And if you are still looking for inspiration for your Fourth of July celebration tomorrow, please click here!

Bunny’s taste was impeccable.
Hi Cynthia,
She was such an inspiration! I can spend hours poring through the old Sotheby’s catalogues from her auction 🙂
Xx,
Andrea
Fabulous post! Bunny had the best style ever! Happy 4th!
Thank you, Lance! She was the best. 🙂 Happy Fourth of July to you and yours!
Xx,
Andrea
I like Bunny’s version better 🙂
Hi Irina
It’s impossible to improve perfection, but I do think Kathryn did a lovely job! 🙂
Xx,
Andrea