This charming beach house on Martha's Vineyard gets a timeless renovation

Shingle cottage exterior with teal front door and landscaped stone walkway

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This shingle-style house was beautifully updated by CWA Architect, in collaboration with Digs Design Company, and is located in Aquinnah, a town on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. When the homeowner inherited her family’s Vineyard property, purchased by her great-grandfather in 1939, she wanted the house to feel young and bright without ever feeling trendy, a balance the interior designer understood the moment she encountered the property’s picturesque water views.

The architect refined rather than reimagined the existing structure, swapping out standard windows for folding-door systems, reshaping the roofline with new dormers, and converting the second floor into a proper owner’s suite, all while working within Aquinnah’s light-pollution regulations. The result is a home overlooking Menemsha Pond that honors four generations of family history while feeling entirely, effortlessly current.

DESIGN DETAILS

ARCHITECTURE CWA Architect
INTERIOR DESIGN Digs Design Company
BUILDER Stedman Construction
LANDSCAPE DESIGN Contemporary Landscapes

A Welcoming Entry with Coastal Character

Teal front door under "East Pasture Lane" sign flanked by wall sconces

What We Love About This Home

This Martha’s Vineyard house brings together four generations of family history with a fresh, contemporary sensibility, showing that an inherited home can grow with its owner without losing what makes it feel like home. The folding door systems and reworked rooflines dissolve the line between interior and landscape, letting Menemsha Pond take center stage in nearly every room. From the playful palm-print powder room to the serene blue owner’s suite, the layered color and pattern choices feel personal rather than predictable, giving this coastal home a character all its own.

Tell Us: Would you rather live in a home that leans neutral and calm, or one layered with color and pattern like this Martha’s Vineyard house? Let us know in the Comments below!

Note: Be sure to check out a couple of other incredible home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign in the state of Massachusetts: A step inside this absolutely stunning woodland retreat on Martha’s Vineyard and A timeless beach house on Martha’s Vineyard with idyllic seaside views.

Bamboo pegboard shelf with hat and tote beside teal paneled door

Wood-paneled mudroom hallway with woven flower pendant light and console table

An Open-Concept Great Room with Folding Doors to the Deck

Open-concept great room with vaulted beamed ceiling and folding walls to bay view

Above: In the great room, a retracting door system opens to the deck, creating a wonderful indoor-outdoor living experience.

Living room chaise facing folding glass doors with panoramic water view

Living room with white sofas, woven pendant lights, and whitewashed brick fireplace

Above: In the living room, an Oushak rug by The Loom & Company grounds the space. Tailored furnishings are layered with patterned textiles for warmth. Above the fireplace, artwork by Dallas-based painter Arienne Lepretre brings in a luminous palette that softly echoes the water beyond.

Woven pendant lights hanging near floral artwork above fireplace mantel

A Kitchen Designed for Indoor-Outdoor Entertaining

Kitchen island with marble counter, rattan stools, and vaulted timber ceiling

Above: The open layout of the kitchen helps preserve sightlines from the prep space to the dining area and deck, reinforcing the indoor-outdoor flow. The painted oak cabinets were custom-fabricated by Jutras Woodworking. Beneath Swedish pendant lights, a leathered quartzite island features bronze inserts to conceal the slab’s seams. The counter stools are by Palecek.

Pass-through kitchen window with rattan stools on porch overlooking dining area

Above: A pass-through window from the kitchen out to the pool deck features Century Furniture counter stools custom upholstered in Sister Parish fabric

Kitchen range with stainless hood, red Le Creuset pots, and potted olive trees

Wet bar counter with black sink, wildflowers, and glassware shelving by window

Wood wet bar nook with wall-mounted glass shelves and ocean view through open window

Arched wood pantry cabinet with built-in coffee station and open shelving

A Dining Room Blending Tradition and Ease

Dining room with patterned green chairs, wildflower centerpiece, and built-in china cabinet

Above: In the dining room, the Highland House Furniture table has a cerused finish (hand waxing that brings out the luster in fine wood finishes). The chairs have a colorful embroidery, sourced from Chaddock Furniture Workroom.

Close-up of dining table set with colorful dahlia bouquets and patterned glassware

Vaulted wood-paneled dining area with folding glass doors opening to ocean view

A Playful Powder Room with Palm-Print Wallpaper

Powder room with green banana-leaf wallpaper, black vanity, and dark tile floor

Above: The powder room features palm-print wallpaper by Scalamandré, accented with black trim. This playful space is a nod to the homeowner’s Florida roots.

Guest Bedrooms Layered with Pattern and Personality

Bedroom nightstand with teal patterned lamp, white bedding, and diamond-pattern rug

Rattan peacock chair beside striped dresser in bedroom with patterned Roman shades

Bedroom with woven headboard, lavender quilt, and striped bamboo bench

Built-in white cabinetry with purple floral wallpaper alcove and cane door panels

Bedside table with wood monkey lamp against blue leaf and coral-striped wallpaper

Above: Shiplap paneling sets a crisp backdrop for playful pattern and upholstered comfort in this guest bedroom.

Bright stairwell with wood-paneled ceiling, blue glass chandelier, and framed coastal landscape painting

An Owner’s Suite Wrapped in Blue Chinoiserie

Attic bedroom with sloped ceiling, blue floral wallpaper, blue headboard, and striped bedding

Above: In the owner’s bedroom, the wallpaper is by Thibaut, in a beautiful blue pattern, the owner’s favorite color. Hints of pink bring warmth to the otherwise cool palette. Windows frame views of the water.

Bedroom bed detail with blue scalloped headboard against blue cherry blossom wallpaper

Reading nook with pink patterned armchairs, floral ottoman, and cherry blossom wallpaper by window

Vanity nook with cherry blossom wallpaper, mirror, and fringed patterned stool

A Spa-Like Owner’s Bath with an Arched Tub Alcove

Double vanity bathroom with scalloped blue mirrors and brass sconces on blue grasscloth wall

Bathroom vanity close-up with scalloped blue mirror, brass sconce, and hydrangea bouquet

Arched alcove tub nook with scalloped fan tile and glass shower enclosure

Freestanding tub under capiz shell chandelier framed by arched fan-tile alcove

Above: In the owner’s bathroom, a sculptural tub sits within an arched alcove, set off by a mosaic-tile backdrop.

Marble double shower with chevron floor tile and window overlooking landscape

Laundry room with cane-lattice wallpaper, front-load washer/dryer, and floral art

A Cedar-Clad Screened Porch for Year-Round Living

Screened porch with hanging rope swing sofa and blue patterned cushions

Above: The screened-in porch is wrapped in Alaskan yellow cedar, the perfect spot for lounging and entertaining. Furnishings include gray-washed wicker and a hanging swing.

Screened porch corner with woven armchair, patterned ottoman, and wooden table

The Rear Elevation Framing Panoramic Water Views

Wicker chaise lounges on wood deck beside open Dutch window into kitchen, sunflowers on sill

Above: From this angle, the cedar-shingled facade appears understated, though the dormers and folding doors offer a glimpse of the renovation inside.

Infinity pool deck overlooking coastal marshland with rattan sofa and umbrella-shaded seating