I would recommend architectural books. Are you looking for true cottages or larger houses?

I googled images of "nantucket cottage" and got lots of hits. I like to just sift through the photos at first and get some inspiration and as I narrow down what I like I get better ideas of the search terms to use. In the end the houses that appealed to me the most were called New England Revival or NEw England Farm cottage. I would never have known what to search for at first.

I am not looking for a true cottage - a home between 3,500 and 4,250 sq. feet. Thanks for the tip, Ajpl. I will try those searches. I found lots of hits too, but I have spent hours sifting through a lot of garbage, so I thought I'd run it by the experts here! Thanks.

Architecturally speaking, the style you are referring to is called Colonial which can be broken down into Early, English/New England, Dutch, French, etc. but cottages, farmhouses, etc. are building types rather than styles although they can lend a different character to the Colonial style.

A Revival style is one that borrows heavily on an earlier architectural style but interprets it differently or adapts it to a larger/different building type for a different lifestyle (Colonial Revival, Greek Revival, etc).

A true cottage is not large enough to house a family year round and it is very difficult if not impossible to increase the size of one and not lose its character. They are really summer shacks carefully maintained.

The 4 houses below are old and are all on Nantucket Island.

This house is a typical 40's Cape on the shore of Cape Cod although Capes originally didn't have dormers.

Mighty Anvil - Thank you, thank you!!! I was hoping you'd chime in and give me some direction. I am obviously just beginning the design process. I really appreciate the explanation and pics. You mentioned books - are there any titles in particular that you could recommend?

The photos above are mostly from "Nantucket" by Robert Gamble. Books like this often go out of print after a few years. I find them in small architectural bookstores which are becoming rare in the US because Amazon is running them out of business; the best I have ever found was in Paris.

I have a book on old New England houses but I lent it to the owner of the Cape in the photographs.

Try searching Google Images for "New England Colonial house"

One thing I should caution you about is that looking for a "style" and a floor plan that you like is rarely the right place to start a project. Usually it is better to start with the givens like the site and the program. It is best to develop the style after you develop the physical needs of the house rather than trying to fit everything into a preconceived style. Such issues cannot be as easily manipulated as the architectural style. I find that the restraints of a program often lead to the best opportunities for developing a unique design. Of course, this is difficult if you haven't done it before.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon

I really appreciate the advice from a professional, Mighty Anvil, and appreciate you taking the time to do some searches for me. I need all the help I can get...this process is overwhelming!

Architects have been trying to combine the charm of New England Colonial houses with modern lifestyles for the past 125 or so years. If you are unable to accomplish this task yourself or are unwilling to hire a professional designer, I recommend copying from the work of the masters of these design styles rather than the second rate versions of their imitators.

Google these guys:
Sanford White of McKim, Mead & White.
David Adler of Adler & Sullivan

Here is Adler's Crab Tree Farm for the Blair family of Chicago. I suspect he was trying to do for the Blairs what you are trying to do.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crab Tree Farm

No offense meant to Mr. Adler, but what was he trying to achieve with all of the different veneer materials?! The side with half-shakes and stone, the opposing materials on the chimneys, not to mention how the front entry completely disappears...there is just too much at odds here for this house to come together. It's a really interesting house as is, but it could still have been charming if it matched. IMO...

Thanks, Might Anvil. I will spend some time researching those individuals. I love that Adler house. He has Wisconsin roots too!

Adler, a stickler for historical detail, was being faithful to the New England tradition of centering the main entry door and not protecting it with a portico.

You can assume that most of what Adler put into his houses was based on sketches from his tours of New England; that's what architects did in that era.

The mixture of materials was a romantic idea used to make a country house appear more indigenous and suggest sequential construction. This house was the romantic alternative to a full-blown Colonial Revival mansion which had originally been proposed.

You might not appreciate everything Adler did but it would be wise to consider all aspects of it carefully before discarding it.

Subtle details like unfinished red cedar shingles on the dormers are not appreciated in today's climate of uniformity.

Correction:

David Adler was the partner of Henry Dangler.
Dankmar Adler was the partner of Louis Sullivan.

This a relatively new house on Nantucket

I have to say, I love that house (except for the wierd area on the left with stone and shingles on the one end). That is close to what I would have liked to achieve, but we were limited to a building width of about 90' (even though we have 3.75 acres) because there is an easement on one side and a stand of paper birch I didn't want to cut on the other.

I love the exterior look of many of the Royal Barry Wills houses. Have you looked at them? I haven't been in too many, and the ones I have been in seemed to have pretty low ceiling and details I consider too "primitive" colonial. Check out www.royalbarrywills.com, click Flash, and it's the first house that appears, the long Cape-style house.

Here is my compromise.

Here is a link that might be useful: It's gray now...

Now, I do love that last house posted by mightyanvil...absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for all of the eye candy...those cape cottages are amazing! :)

Capes are nice but limited in their flexibility and not all owners want to live in multiple small buildings.

Here is a house with a bit of everything. It would look great with natural red or stained white cedar shingles or painted fiber-cement clapboards.

Oooohhhh...I love that last home you posted. I am saving those pics. Thanks for following up!

House on island off the coast of maine