COMMUNITY
This Is No Pottery Barn
Island Designer Gil Walsh Frames a Theme, and Then Some
by Amelia Smith
A single piece of pottery, coaxed out of clay by the potter’s skill, with water and fire, can encapsulate colors of sand and sea, evoking the natural world its materials came from. A pitcher and a bowl, paired on a table, inform their surroundings in turn. The red-brown of the clay body harmonizes with the varnished wood of the antique reproduction table it sits on. Matte, cream-colored glaze on the pitcher reveals the texture of the clay beneath and echoes other natural and woven textures in the room.
An accomplished potter and her husband own this Vineyard Haven summer house. Gil Walsh, Gil Walsh Interiors, worked with the couple to build the house’s décor around the wife’s artistic aesthetic and her pottery collection. She also has a pottery shed with a kiln in her own studio.” The studio is a compact two story tower which overlooks Vineyard Haven’s outer harbor, the yard, and the main the entrance to the house, which leads directly into the living room.
The living room spans the width of the house, from the small entry foyer to the oceanfront porch. It’s a cozy space, with chairs and sofa facing the fireplace. A television screen hides between paneled doors which blend seamlessly with the architectural detailing around the fireplace, the work of architect Patrick Ahearn. At the far end, a reproduction Americana chess table sits in a bay with French doors leading out to the porch. Three tall stoneware jars, some of the owner’s work, set on the table. Matchstick blinds shut out the glare off the sunny ocean outside.
To one side of the room, glass French doors open into the study, allowing the owners of the house to see what’s happening in the living room, but work relatively undisturbed by their grandchildren’s activities. Antique children’s arm chairs sit on either side of those doors, rich red paint against the pale linen shade of the walls. The owner is making needlepoint seat cushions for these chairs, and has done other needlework around the house. Opposite, behind the fireplace, the living room adjoins a combined kitchen and dining room space.
Cushions on the celadon blue sofa coordinate with the upholstery of the chairs, a cream and rose plaid, and a pattern of peaches and foliage. An antique quilt, draped across the back of the sofa, pulls together all the colors of the room, with intricate stitching articulating its patches. “The quilt was something the owners had purchased years ago,” Gil says. “Those are her colors, she’s carried those colors throughout her life.”
“All the colors that were selected for this home were selected from the organic colors she uses in her pottery,” Gil continues. “They tend more to the gray-blues and the turquoise colors, to the beige tones and the sand colors. She likes the salmons, the soft terracottas, the soft blues and beige tones. It’s nature, so it’s harmonious.” The colors suit the harborfront setting, and the house’s role as a casual getaway from the mainland.
“They come to the island for family, friends, recreation,” Gil says. “She has pottery throughout her house, in her bookcases and the Welsh dresser in the living room. Her pieces are displayed there, on table tops, in the dining room. She displays a lot of her work in the various spaces, so she, her family and guests can enjoy it.” The art in this space is not limited to the owner’s own work. Pieces by Island artists Rachel Paxton and Leslie Baker flank the study doors. Blown glass balls from Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks set on the Welsh dresser, complementing the pottery displayed there. The owner has given shows at their home for other acclaimed potters.
Gil thoroughly enjoyed working on this project, from the foundations of the building she was working with to shopping the island’s flea markets with her client. “The builder was Peter Rosbeck. He, his staff and crew were excellent,” she says. “The architect was Patrick Ahearn. We came in late into the program, but Patrick had already established the look that the client wanted. It was a really well thought-out use of space, with excellent architectural detailing inside the house. Patrick is very sensitive to interior design, so he handled all that beautifully. It was a wonderful project for us because everything was just done perfectly.”
Pottery centers the design of this room, and although the décor accommodates and centers around art, it’s primarily a living space, not a hands-off gallery. “They wanted their home to be a relaxing home for their family and friends to come and enjoy.”
An accomplished potter and her husband own this Vineyard Haven summer house. Gil Walsh, Gil Walsh Interiors, worked with the couple to build the house’s décor around the wife’s artistic aesthetic and her pottery collection. She also has a pottery shed with a kiln in her own studio.” The studio is a compact two story tower which overlooks Vineyard Haven’s outer harbor, the yard, and the main the entrance to the house, which leads directly into the living room.
The living room spans the width of the house, from the small entry foyer to the oceanfront porch. It’s a cozy space, with chairs and sofa facing the fireplace. A television screen hides between paneled doors which blend seamlessly with the architectural detailing around the fireplace, the work of architect Patrick Ahearn. At the far end, a reproduction Americana chess table sits in a bay with French doors leading out to the porch. Three tall stoneware jars, some of the owner’s work, set on the table. Matchstick blinds shut out the glare off the sunny ocean outside.
To one side of the room, glass French doors open into the study, allowing the owners of the house to see what’s happening in the living room, but work relatively undisturbed by their grandchildren’s activities. Antique children’s arm chairs sit on either side of those doors, rich red paint against the pale linen shade of the walls. The owner is making needlepoint seat cushions for these chairs, and has done other needlework around the house. Opposite, behind the fireplace, the living room adjoins a combined kitchen and dining room space.
Cushions on the celadon blue sofa coordinate with the upholstery of the chairs, a cream and rose plaid, and a pattern of peaches and foliage. An antique quilt, draped across the back of the sofa, pulls together all the colors of the room, with intricate stitching articulating its patches. “The quilt was something the owners had purchased years ago,” Gil says. “Those are her colors, she’s carried those colors throughout her life.”
“All the colors that were selected for this home were selected from the organic colors she uses in her pottery,” Gil continues. “They tend more to the gray-blues and the turquoise colors, to the beige tones and the sand colors. She likes the salmons, the soft terracottas, the soft blues and beige tones. It’s nature, so it’s harmonious.” The colors suit the harborfront setting, and the house’s role as a casual getaway from the mainland.
“They come to the island for family, friends, recreation,” Gil says. “She has pottery throughout her house, in her bookcases and the Welsh dresser in the living room. Her pieces are displayed there, on table tops, in the dining room. She displays a lot of her work in the various spaces, so she, her family and guests can enjoy it.” The art in this space is not limited to the owner’s own work. Pieces by Island artists Rachel Paxton and Leslie Baker flank the study doors. Blown glass balls from Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks set on the Welsh dresser, complementing the pottery displayed there. The owner has given shows at their home for other acclaimed potters.
Gil thoroughly enjoyed working on this project, from the foundations of the building she was working with to shopping the island’s flea markets with her client. “The builder was Peter Rosbeck. He, his staff and crew were excellent,” she says. “The architect was Patrick Ahearn. We came in late into the program, but Patrick had already established the look that the client wanted. It was a really well thought-out use of space, with excellent architectural detailing inside the house. Patrick is very sensitive to interior design, so he handled all that beautifully. It was a wonderful project for us because everything was just done perfectly.”
Pottery centers the design of this room, and although the décor accommodates and centers around art, it’s primarily a living space, not a hands-off gallery. “They wanted their home to be a relaxing home for their family and friends to come and enjoy.”