Project Name: Martha’s Vineyard Beach House

Location: Martha’s Vineyard (Chilmark, Massachusetts USA)

Interior Designer: Liz Stiving-Nichols (Founding Principal Martha’s Vineyard Interior Design)

Architect: Matt Cramer for Hutker Architects

Every detail of this 11,000 sq ft summer home was thoughtful and purposeful. The overall design is a beautiful balance of understated luxury and a modern agrarian aesthetic. With expansive views of the Vineyard Sound and the beach dunes, the perennial elements of the property were the main source of inspiration for the materials palette used throughout the house.

Scale was a critical component in space planning as each piece had to stand on its own in such a large open space yet not compete with the next. The restraint of a neutral colour palette combined with the layering of many textures create a sun-bleached palette that reflects the language and lifestyle of the Vineyard. Wide plank reclaimed white oak with a semi-translucent matte white stain, created a floor indicative of driftwood. The impressive timber frame, custom grey stained western red cedar walls and the hand masoned fireplace using stones indigenous to the island, make this newly constructed home look as though it has always been a part of the island’s history.

To reflect the client’s lifestyle and personal style, Martha’s Vineyard Interior Design’s concept was to create a design that evoked a laid-back elegance. Light weight slipcovers, Belgium linen upholstery, weathered finishes, vintage finds, hand woven shades, natural fibre rugs, bleached burlap wall covering, and raw metal details were used throughout the interior of this home. The designers created the 18’ dining table, game table, and the kitchen and screen porch tables. Each handmade with the most the beautiful reclaimed woods. Each piece of wood was hand selected by the craftsman and each lot of wood was accompanied by documentation of its previous life. The dining table was part of an old ship, the screen porch table a fallen water tower in the Midwest.

“We feel it is a true privilege to assist in creating the spaces our clients call home. Home is where we often long to be, feel most comfortable, and where ones style is most evident. ” Liz Stiving-Nichols, Allied ASID