This Martha's Vineyard Home Showcases The Natural Landscape

By Madeline Bilis

This modern refuge on Martha’s Vineyard rises from a singular landscape.The geometric rug from Warp & Weft compliments the MDF Italia architectural table from Casa Design Group in the breakfast nook.

THE PRIORITY
When the clients bought this pastoral tract of land on the south shore of Martha’s Vineyard, it was almost completely untouched. The meadow not only overlooks a pond, high-piled dunes and the sparkling waters of the Atlantic, but it is surrounded by conservation land and distant undeveloped plots. Phil Regan, design partner at Hutker Architects, knew the site could remain undisturbed—and intensely beautiful—with a light touch. His goal was to build an unassumingly stunning abode that sat below the treeline. “We weren’t interested in doing some glorious house that said, ‘Look at me,’” Regan explains. “We wanted something that was tethered to the natural landscape. And if you went out onto the dunes and looked back, you could barely realize something had been constructed on the property.”

A pop of color in the kitchen.

THE CHALLENGE
Without question, the natural beauty of the land would be put on display. But windswept oak trees punctuated the meadow, growing horizontally rather than upward because of the site’s unique exposure. Rather than alter the trees and their extraordinary twisting branches, the team at Hutker resolved to build the house amongst them, framing exquisite views from each room in the home.

Photo by Michael J. Lee

To do that, they divided the house into several separate wings, with one comprising public spaces: the kitchen, living room and dining room; one for the primary suite; one for a guest suite; and another with two bedroom suites for the client’s sons. A freestanding red barn and a pool house beside the outdoor pool complete the ensemble.

District Eight wood chairs, Alivar metal armchairs and a Living Divani sofa with leather accents sit harmoniously in the living room.

THE DETAILS
The home’s color palette takes cues from the native plants and grasses that blanket the landscape, which shift in hue and vibrancy throughout the seasons. “We were able to boil this project down to four predominant ingredients: Alaskan Yellow Cedar, walnut, limestone and patinated steel,” explains Tom Shockey, the project’s designer and manager. “They’re all very sophisticated, clean, cool-toned materials. The way the exterior-to-interior experience played with these materials almost takes a backdrop to the changing landscape coloration.”

Contrasting lines from the imposing table by Fern, the Knoll chairs and the Merida rug strike a balance in the dining rooma

Inside, the full spectrum of colors, from muted greens and blues to ambers and reds, can be glimpsed in fabrics, furniture, art and accents. A periwinkle wet bar in the living wing and dusty blue tiles in the primary suite’s bathroom nod to the ocean, while sculptural lights dotting the ceiling in the kitchen recall the shoreline.

The property’s freestanding barn and pool house.

Another standout feature is the roof deck crowning the primary suite. From there, it’s possible to see both the sun rise in the east and the sun set in the west. “The view from the roof deck is stunning,” says Regan. “It’s undisturbed and there’s no sense of development in any direction.”

The lighting from Bone Simple Design steals the show in the bedroom.

THE OUTCOME
The result is a striking home with a remarkably subtle profile, much like the heritage farmhouses of Martha’s Vineyard past. The property reverts the focus to its unparalleled ocean views and one-of-a-kind vegetation. “It’s just a really special place,” Shockey says. “The clean and soft tones of the material really play forward that experience between the art, the architecture and the landscape.”

Views from every room in the house showcase the untamed landscape.