Tour a Contemporary Home on Martha’s Vineyard

A screened porch resides between the house and the pool house, creating a shady spot to sit amid the property’s meadows and native plantings.

The residence is clad in Alaskan yellow cedar that will weather over time. Its singular dormer earned the home its cheeky nickname: Wink House.

A view from the garage and gym shows the pool, porch, and meadow.

The home’s foyer includes a custom-made oak console table that’s wire-brushed and painted to add texture; the landscape artwork is by Peter Roux.

In the living room, interior designer Christine Lane paired a soft gray sectional sofa with leather lounge chairs and a custom oak coffee table; the artwork is by Andrew Zimmerman.

The kitchen island is topped with Super White quartzite, and the base cabinetry is fabricated from rift white oak; concrete floors run throughout the space.

The home office echoes the outdoor palette; an oak desk complements a custom-made chair and ottoman upholstered in a gray-blue boucle wool fabric.

A woven straw bench with natural oak legs sits outside the guest bathroom.

A pendant light hovers above a vintage glass vase and a custom-made end table in the primary bedroom

The built-in daybed in the guest bedroom has views of the pond and woods outside.

The pool is strategically positioned close to the house, functioning as an outdoor room.

A linear bluestone pathway leads to a dwelling that houses the garage, guesthouse, and gym that’s carefully sited to capture water views.

Modern Martha’s Vineyard Architecture in Edgartown

The well-preserved seventeenth- and eighteenth-century homes that populate Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard inject the island with a rich architectural vernacular rooted in the past.

Architect Claudia Noury-Ello had this history in mind when a Boston-area couple commissioned her firm to design a summer residence overlooking the shimmering expanse of Edgartown Great Pond that would blend with its natural surroundings. But the designer, noted for employing a clean, contemporary aesthetic, wanted the home to go beyond the stately colonial, Federal-style, and Greek Revival dwellings on the island.

“The clients wanted something humble and unassuming,” says Noury-Ello, principal at Boston-based Noury-Ello Architects. “But they were also open to creating something unique.”

Clad in Alaskan yellow cedar that’s designed to age gracefully over time, the home is infused with a series of playful, singular design features that offer a master class in strategic whimsy.

Large openings at the rear of the property frame views of the pond, while its L-shaped footprint serves as a protective embrace for a site nestled into lush meadows. A screened porch that sits between the main house and a pool house creates shelter from the ocean breeze while ensuring the view remains unobstructed. The home’s most endearing trait—a singular dormer peeking out from an expansive roof-line—earned the property its moniker: Wink House.

“The design honors the island’s natural vernacular, but it’s not constrained by it,” explains Noury-Ello.

Native Landscape Design and Coastal Resilience

Like the architecture, the property’s landscape design harnesses an ecological mindfulness with “a deep appreciation for nature,” says landscape architect John Haven, a principal at LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects.

Native plantings like switchgrass, little bluestem, and bayberry enrich the landscape and supply seasonal interest. Linear bluestone pathways through the meadow grass provide circulation between the main house and barn, allowing the textural palette to honor the local ecology while also ensuring coastal resilience. “The woodlands and meadows gave us such a beautiful context to work with,” Haven says.

Understated Interior Design

While the landscape is energized by its natural surroundings, the interior design draws strength from understated colors, organic textures, and strong, simple forms.

A landscape-infused artwork by Peter Roux greets visitors in a foyer that includes a custom-made, wire-brushed oak console table painted in black. Leather lounge chairs and a custom oak coffee table in the living room are joined by a large sectional sofa adorned with soft gray colors that blend with the outdoor aesthetics. The home office is outfitted with fabric colors that work together with the patio and pool on view outside, including a custom-made chair and ottoman in gray-blue boucle wool fabric.

“The owner’s main house is very traditional in its style,” says interior designer Christine Lane.“We wanted something that felt a little more sophisticated but without losing the appeal of its natural surroundings.”

Those natural surroundings are what enticed the clients to turn their part-time retreat into a year-round residence, says Noury-Ello. “They love the natural beauty of Edgartown,” she explains. “It was very easy to want to live here all year long.”

Project Team
Architecture: Noury-Ello Architects
Interior design: Christine Lane Interiors
Builder: Holmes Hole Builders
Landscape design: LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects

Interior photography by Jared Kuzio and exterior photography by Keith LeBlanc