Nautical Notes: A Martha's Vineyard Mariner's Cottage

Good Morning on this fine Blue Monday ! Today, I thought I would take you on a tour of my cousin's former summer home in Martha's Vineyard and that I would also hook up with Met Monday (for the first time). While I have some nice blue shots for Sally's Blue Monday group, I only have the "afters" in the metamorphosis. Trust me, it underwent a complete makeover. So I hope my word counts, Susan! ;-) If not, the home was featured in Renovation Style Winter 2008 issue as the cover story, and they do have some of the "before" shots in the article. It was quite the transformation, and I am very proud of all the architecturally sensitive design work my cousin did on this project!

When we visited Dudley on a trip through New England a few summers ago, the skies were this blue on Martha's Vineyard the whole trip (except for one rainy afternoon)!



The photograph above is a view of the right side of the house. There are wood shakes on the back of the house and on the dormers, a wood shake roof, and clapboard siding on the front. He remodeled it extensively and expertly as he is an architect and does this for a living.

The house was originally a mariner's cottage with a 250 square foot section dating to 1834 and other sections dating to later renovations. Dudley actually tore off the main addition that was poorly executed and reconfigured the bulk of the house on the back. He also added other areas on the right side. Please feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge them for details...

Here is another shot of the front, and it's every bit as immaculately remodeled as it looks...



Here is the detail on his front portico which he remodeled after a design he found on another home in the area. The arch is a Moorish detail known as an ogee arch, and the only reason he used it is because it was previously introduced on an historic property nearby. There are stringent requirements for remodeling in Edgartown, and it pays off because the town is just pristine. It's one of my favorite towns in the United States. That is the storm door standing open on the porch... oops! ;-) Not sure (he told me, but I can't remember) why he chose a Moravian star hanging fixture for the porch except I know that the design for the star was first executed around the time the house was built...



I love his pool...



And I also love the fencing in the yard...



He added both to the property. We took these shots long before blogging existed for me. Had it been after, I would have gotten a good shot of the lovely hydrangeas in the yard. Hydrangeas bloom in profusion in Edgartown. Dudley had white hydrangeas to the side of the outdoor living room. I clipped them off completely in this next shot. Oops...



The outdoor living room is wonderful because it has a fireplace for chilly New England nights outside. Note, too, that is has the quintessential blue porch ceiling as well as teak furniture that weathers well...



There is a second story sun deck that affords a view of the pool...



And also a view of a private club next door...



I loved watching these people play in period tennis attire...



We were there to visit just shortly after the floors dried and the furniture was placed. I only have shots of the public areas (our computer crashed with the others), but this will give you an idea of the inside. Bear in mind that this is a summer home and was decorated as such. It gets pretty cold on the island in winter.

Here is a shot of what Dudley has termed the reception hall, standing just outside the sitting room and looking toward the living room...



I think the rugs in the house are from Dash & Albert, and they are fun wool stripes in blues and neutrals. They also have wonderful hanging lanterns throughout the reception hall.

Now if you turn right a little further into the reception hall, there is the dining room. Off the dining room is a sun room with lots of windows. This room parallels the outdoor living room/porch which is off the breakfast room in the back section of the house....



Returning to the reception hall, notice the handsome wood paneling. The front door is to the right and the living room straight ahead...



Here's a little closer shot of the antique cane-bottom chairs that flank the fireplace. They were my favorite pieces in the house, and this is my only shot of them. Go figure! Maybe one day, I will learn how to enlarge my pictures...



This is a shot as you peep into the living room and look left. He had quite a bit of blue and white porcelain in here. This is also prior to him making final decisions on window treatments...



Then a shot of the living room as you look back toward the reception hall and the front door. I love the fish prints over the sofa (you can click on the picture to enlarge and see them better)...



Here's a shot of the fireplace and a coffee table with some carpet bowls (remember my lecture one Blue Monday???) on the table. The bench in front of the fireplace is pale blue and matches the stripes in the rug. And Joni, if you're out there, he had this rug custom cut to fit around the fireplace. You're right about it giving a room a custom, finished look...



Here's a shot standing in the living room doorway and looking at the staircase and back toward the reception hall that leads to the sitting room/kitchen/breakfast room area...



This is a shot of the sitting room...



The sitting room, kitchen, and breakfast room all open into each other. Through the French doors in this next shot is the outdoor living room and pool...



The breakfast room also has a view of the pool. That is a basket of faux Osage oranges on the table...



This is a friend of Dudley's who came over for lobster dinner with us. Immediately behind her, you see that the walls in this area of the kitchen and breakfast room were wood and so neat. And look how tall the windows are...



Here's a shot of the kitchen. Dudley would kill me if he knew I showed this because he was making a funny face grimace when Mr. Magpie snapped the picture, but I wanted you to see the cabinets. I cut out most of the grimace,LOL!, but you can still see the subway tile around the stove and the glass front cabinets that flank the main ones. Oh, and Dudley could have gone to the rooster party in Blogville with his rooster up there...



That little pewter sand bucket on the counter was our hostess gift to Dudley (who had on his Blue Monday shirt in this shot). The little bucket is actually an ice bucket we purchased at a great shop in Ellsworth, Maine. Dudley likes toys, too! ;-)



I guess the metamorphosis here is Dudley himself, who people have mistaken for Harrison Ford (minus Harrison Ford's earring) and who is smiling in this next shot...



But who wouldn't be smiling with an ice cream cone in one hand and a backdrop of the nearby Atlantic Ocean and a blue sky overhead, particularly when you're summering on Martha's Vineyard??? It's my idea of paradise...





Thank you for visiting me today. I look forward to visiting you in return. :-)

I'd like to thank our lovely hostesses, Sally and Susan, for hosting these fun events. Please join me also in visiting them and their friends. You may click on the event titles (not the logo pictures) to get to the blogs: Blue Monday and Met Monday!





Warmly,

Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)