Quintessential Martha’s Vineyard

An antique Welsh cupboard from the Charles Spada showroom sets a welcoming tone in the back entry; a coir mat recessed into the floor grabs and holds sand from bare feet, keeping the custom Perennials runner clean.

A hand-painted mural by artist Dean Barger wraps the dining room, where a Keith Fritz whitewashed dining table surrounded by cane-back chairs extends to seat eighteen.

The living room’s three sets of double doors are opened on all but the gloomiest days to forge a connection with nature. Painter Barton Kent Jr. outfitted the floor with its wide stripes in sandy hues that further the home’s beachy vibe. Sofa and chairs wear easy-care indoor-outdoor fabrics in watery shades of blue and gray.

Revamped by builder Andrew A. Flake and project manager Todd Debettencourt, the home retains its classic cedar-shingled cottage charm.

A new double-hung window brightens a corner of the living room where a game table sits below a pretty raffia pendant light from Atelier Vime.

Milk glass pendants from O’Lampia illuminate the all-white kitchen’s oversized island crafted by Martha’s Vineyard cabinetmaker Ryan Dillon.

Milk glass pendants from O’Lampia illuminate the all-white kitchen’s oversized island crafted by Martha’s Vineyard cabinetmaker Ryan Dillon.

The enclosed porch can be accessed from both the living room and the primary bedroom.

An upstairs guest room features a king-sized antique bobbin bed; the door to the right of the fireplace leads to the sleeping porch.

The enclosed sleeping porch is a favorite for guests, who can open the windows to hear the ocean all night long.

The front door opens to a foyer that holds an old telephone closet, now repurposed for storage, still sporting its original hardware and tiny glass window.

The art above the bed in the primary bedroom is by Bruno Pasquier-Desvignes through Abby Yozell’s lifestyle website choixhome.com.

A nineteenth-century whale carving hangs above a guest bed.

Cowtan & Tout fabric and wallpaper make a guest room cozy.

Barton Kent Jr. treated the wicker headboards of the twin beds in a guest room to a coat of sunny yellow paint that pops against the room’s white walls.

The Calacatta gold marble floors and vanity top give the primary bath its warmth.

The rambling, cedar-shingled summer cottage was beloved by its owners, a suburban Boston couple with two almost-grown children. But after several summers in the Martha’s Vineyard house, the two felt it was time to invest in some upgrades, both structurally and aesthetically.

They didn’t have to think too hard about the pros they wanted to transform their West Chop home. They had known builder Andrew Flake for years, and they had enjoyed working with designer Abby Yozell on the interiors of their Boston-area home.

Coming up with a remodeling plan turned out to be the easy part of the project. The bigger challenge was the owners’ desire to have all the work done in the offseason so they wouldn’t miss a day of summer fun with their many friends and extended family.

Yozell knew she’d need help to pull that off, so she called on another designer, her longtime friend Patricia McDonagh, to join the team. “We have a long history together,” says Yozell, explaining that the two met while working for Charles Spada in Boston and Nantucket more than two decades ago. “We each opened our own offices, but we’re still very attached to each other,” she adds.

The floor plan of the 1920s-built six-bedroom house didn’t change drastically outside of enlarging the kitchen and the primary bedroom, but much of the structure was stripped to the studs to upgrade wiring, plumbing, and heating.

Maintaining that character was paramount, Yozell says, a mission they accomplished in part by saving the home’s rich collection of old dark-metal hardware as well as touches like the V-groove door on the foyer’s old telephone closet.

Yozell and McDonagh created a classic beachy palette of beiges, blues, browns, and grays inspired by the living room’s stone fireplace. “It’s massive and it’s gorgeous and it sort of drives everything,” Yozell says.

“The fireplace is so strong, but our client wanted the house to feel airy,” McDonagh adds. To keep the summer vibe, the design duo kept most walls white and painted the floors a variety of sandy hues throughout.

The shades of blue transition from light to dark as rooms flow from the sky-blue accents in the mostly white kitchen to the ocean blues and grays of the living room to the moody deep turquoise of the family room. The dining room pulls the entire palette into the hand-painted mural that wraps the room. The surrounding landscape inspired Maine- and New York City-based artist Dean Barger’s dream-like design. “The colors are exquisite,” McDonagh says. “It ties everything together and creates a beautiful flow from room to room.”

Indoor-outdoor fabrics, including the pretty Holly Hunt open-weave drapes on the living room’s six floor-to-ceiling glass doors, stand up to damp, salty air, wet bathing suits, and tracked-in sand. “They rarely use the air conditioning,” Yozell says, preferring to keep windows wide open, the better to feel the breezes and hear the waves lapping the shore of the home’s private beach.

Thanks to the dedicated team of professionals, the tight deadline was met, and the happy homeowners were welcoming friends and family for summer fun right on schedule.

Project Team
Interior design: Abby Yozell; Patricia McDonagh Interior Design
Builder: Andrew A. Flake
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