Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1544634
The main living space is anchored by a large custom sectional sofa ("wildly upholstered," as Sara puts it) — a decision that set the tone for the rest of the room. Made by Marroquin Custom Upholstery, the sectional's bold pink and green stripes do the heavy lifting, with layers of pattern building across the room's two distinct territories — one side given over to the sofa and a Nickey Kehoe wingback chair; the other, organized around a game table ringed by coral-printed chairs with aqua contrast seats. Sara chose Roman shades in a subtle stripe by Carolina Irving to create continuity between the two spaces without overpowering. A shark carved from small blocks of wood — abstract, almost pixelated — hangs above the fireplace, a jolt of wit in an already spirited room. It was spotted by Jennifer and Corbin on a shopping trip, both rounding a corner at the same moment. "We looked at each other and said, 'We have to get that,'" Jennifer remembers. Given that Jaws was filmed on Martha's Vineyard, the discovery felt like fate. Jennifer claimed a small alcove off the main bedroom as her private retreat — somewhere to read, put on makeup, and slip away when all five kids descend on the house. The inspiration came from a trip to Marrakesh, where Jennifer had toured Villa Oasis, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé's legendary Moorish-style home, with built- in banquettes tucked into every nook and cranny. The rooms were alive with intense color and layered pattern — and Jennifer wanted all of that. Sara's answer was Schumacher Modern Toile in indigo, designed by Johnson Hartig of Libertine — a large-scale, room- enveloping pattern based on Renaissance drawings, its mystical imagery populated with nude figures and sun faces. "It's got a little bit of edge to it," Jennifer says. In a space this small, Sara reasoned, full commitment was the only option, with walls, ceiling, and built-in banquettes wrapped in the same blue-and-white pattern with red trim. "It is my room and my room only," Jennifer says. The finishing touches came together the same way much of the house did: by instinct, and often by accident. Sara found the reeded bamboo desk on a subsequent trip to the island, stumbling across it while shopping for something else entirely. It fit the niche perfectly. The antique shell mirror, found at Nick Brock Antiques in Dallas, made the long journey to the island in one piece, which Sara describes as something of a miracle. The mirror, along with other small nautical touches — a rope sconce and a shell-shaped pewter sconce by the English brand Collier Webb — moor the room to its island setting. (Continued) 56