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A Martha's Vineyard Treat: Meg Ryan's Beach House

I'm back from a great weekend in Florida visiting my grandfather. As the weather starts to cool down around here (thank goodness) I am reminding myself not to wish away the final days of summer...but I can't help but get excited for the fall--my favorite season of all!

So in order to keep focused on the dog days of summer, I thought I would feature one of my all-time favorite beach houses...which just happens to be Meg Ryan's home on Martha's Vineyard featured in Elle Decor!

I love the simplistic feel of everything...while still staying warm and inviting. There is nothing sterile about this home even though most everything is white. I always shy away from slipcovers, but she pulls it off beautifully. (scroll to the bottom to see design tips from Meg Ryan herself)


I want this Flowers vintage sign. I love how the proportion makes such a large room feel so whimsical and sweet.


On my wish list, after black framed windows...you will find barn door on rails!



If you are debating on either hard wood or tile for a bathroom...here is the perfect example of using both! I lovvvvvvvve this!!!!!


Beautiful shots of eggplant/plum brighten up the mostly white and dark wood spaces!

So jealous! This is why I will never feel sorry for celebrities...look where they get to live!!!

Photographer: William Waldron


Here are some tips from Meg Ryan herself...


Design philosophy
“The whole idea is to keep things as simple as possible; I like everything pared down to its purest form.”

Live in a place before making any decisions
“I lived here for a year before I did anything to the house, which I think is a smart thing to do before you renovate. You want to see how people move around the house, where the traffic is, and where people like to be. 

Practicality rules
“There’s nothing easily broken in my house. There are no side tables in any of the bedrooms, just shelves that stick out from the wall. The outside is so beautiful—the simpler the inside is, the more you are going to stare out the window.”

Make the most of a few materials
“I just went around putting in painted-brick and bluestone in the bathrooms. And I found some old sinks in upstate New York, including a huge soapstone farm sink that I installed atop stacked painted-bricks.”

Look locally for inspiration
“I went to a fantastic old Vineyard house—full of painted-brick and cast iron in the kitchen. I took tons of pictures of that, and that became thematic for my own home.”

White is right
“I used a combination of different shades of Farrow & Ball white paints—there are several whites on the walls.”

Textures soften a space
“I wanted the furniture to be comfortable and not hard-edged, and the gray mesh curtains soften all of the angles of the room. There’s a mix of textures—masculine and feminine; soft and hard.”

Never stop looking for inspiration
“I do nothing but rip pages out of magazines. One idea leads to the next.”

—Interview by Ingrid Abramovitch