What is a rusticator, anyway?

IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY, families from Philadelphia, New York, and Boston came to Mount Desert Island in Maine, a huge oblong hunk of granite jutting out into the North Atlantic. They were called rusticators, from the Latin word country.

What brought them to this craggy coast was a desire to live more simply. Here they built elegant cottages on the edge of rugged ocean cliffs and secluded tranquil ponds — and used them as launching pads to hike, sail, play, entertain, and recharge with friends and family. More than a hundred years later, the island has changed, but the rusticator way of life remains.

Taking these summer pioneers as her inspiration, Boston-based interior designer Laura Keeler Pierce has assembled a collection of furniture and home decor that embodies the simple island beauty and vibrant community traditions of the rusticator lifestyle.