HOME PORTRAIT
Designing For One’s Self
Designer Judy King Showcases Her Modern Barn in Menemsha
By Tessa Permar, Photos by Tom Grimes
Growing up in Philadelphia, Judy King was immersed in sophisticated art and style from an early age. King’s mother Kathleen Jamieson was an interior designer and an art broker. King began to develop her eye for art and design, and in the early 90s she established her own interior design practice. In 1995, she opened Judy King Antiques in the heart of Princeton, NJ, a home design store where she collected and sold 18th and 19th century antiques as well as brands like Designer Guild, Nina Campbell, and Bunny Williams. Simultaneously King launched her high end interior design business Judy King Interiors.
From the start, King cultivated strong relationships with clients, reflecting their personalities and design goals in her confident color schemes and one of a kind furniture pieces. Her projects range from historic Princeton renovations to contemporary business design, from coastal Florida escapes to dramatic showhouses. King does not rest comfortably in one aesthetic; her lifelong knowledge of design and art enable her to create impactful designs within many different aesthetics and eras. What makes a Judy King design is her eye for quality and character. King’s eyes light up when she discusses the hunt for a rare wallpaper or the discovery of a remarkable local artist. Her spaces are luxurious and full of personality. It’s no surprise that she has developed a loyal client base in Princeton, Philadelphia, Florida, and New York City. With a new home now in Menemsha, King plans to bring her design work to clients on Martha’s Vineyard.
King first came to the Vineyard for a job at The Charlotte Inn during her college summers. Known for its collection of artwork, The Charlotte Inn displayed the work of portrait and watercolor artist Carolyn Blish. Blish introduced a teenage Judy King to Gery Conover, owner of The Charlotte Inn, and that summer King found herself polishing brass, booking reservations, and refreshing rooms. The hard work didn’t dissuade her, King kept coming back. As she got married and started a family, King brought them to Edgartown each summer for a few weeks of Vineyard bliss. Despite being a North Water St. regular, when it came time to purchase her own spot, King was inspired by a close friend who lives in Menemsha. King shares, “the older my kids got, the more I realized that they were into surfing and love fishing. They are into gardening and farming.” When she began to look for a property that would welcome her children and grandchildren throughout the year, King found a spot in Chilmark that was the perfect fit. She purchased the property in 2018 and decided to demolish the existing structure in order to build a winterized home.
King worked closely with Architect Brad Bellows, a long time friend of her husband Rob Moreno.
We wanted to make sure we had a view [of the ocean], and I knew I wanted a modern barn,” shares King. What they created is a contemporary barn-inspired structure that cuts a sophisticated profile from the outside–and inside–is pure light. “We wanted to design a house that could give us the maximum amount of space and height possible.” Guided by the specifications of the non-conforming lot, they designed a three floor home with a below-ground game-room, three bedrooms and two baths on the first floor, and shared kitchen, living, and dining on the top floor. A two-story barn door bisects the gray vertically clad building which is separated in two halves by a wall of windows. These strategically-placed windows transport sunlight straight through the building and frame those famous Menemsha sunsets every night. “I wanted to give a sense of openness,” says King, “It was important to allow for natural light.
In addition to opening the home to light from all sides, King wanted to bring that feeling of spaciousness and air throughout the house. “I wanted to have the glass floating staircase as a way of bringing the three levels together without feeling closed,” notes King. “That’s the first feature you see once you walk through the large 21 foot sliding barn door in the front.” Fine sand-colored wood steps appear to float upward to the second floor: an open kitchen, dining, and living space that mixes island-centric design with modern architectural features. To achieve the modern barn look, builder Ed Motuzas with Milford Land Development spanned the ceiling with antique reclaimed barn beams, adding custom two inch tie rods for an industrial flourish. She chose bleached wooden floors and nickel gap vertical boards on the walls, incorporating modern lines with a coastal feel.
King uses art to infuse her own personality and taste into the space as well as reflect the culture and geography around the home. “I love artists and local art,” she shares. King commissioned local artist Wil Sideman of Eldridge & Co. to create an installation using his signature buoy lights out of blown glass, rope, brass, and steel. The piece hangs above the floating staircase, recalling local nautical themes while encouraging natural light to pass through the space. In another nod to Vineyard culture, the kitchen features vessels made from oyster shells as well as an artwork by Ohio-based artist David Kennworthy made from chicken feed bags. A beloved painting by Karl Kearner hangs in the living room depicting an American flag planted in a grassy hill beneath a patriotic sky. In the center of the living room is a cocktail table that King herself crafted. She sourced an antique Chinese daybed and collaged photographer Peter Beard’s images of Africa into the surface. The floor to ceiling stone fireplace was another key design choice of King’s.
The living room opens onto a patio where guests can drink, dine, and chat with a perfect view of the island’s Northwest coast and the iconic Menemsha sunset. The deck boasts a unique feature–a skylight–to bring sunlight down to the first floor patio and outdoor dining area. Indoors, the first floor contains three thoughtfully-designed bedrooms and two baths. In the sleeping quarters, King showcases her own take on calm coastal luxury. She used textured wallpaper, sumptuous linens, and layers of blue to create a relaxing beach-friendly environment for her family. “The home was more about casual living and art,” King reflects. These values are carried down to the basement-level game room where guests can shoot pool beside an eye-catching contemporary mural by Area Environments Wallpaper. The space also features art by Jeffery Serusa, and an original Antique Work Bench from Judy King’s own collection.
The handsome exterior features an epic antique clock, a piece that has traveled with King from house to house and now has the perfect spot. The antique pump house and garage are original structures as is the classic Chilmark stone wall. An outdoor shower and landscape design by Marek Tree and Land frame a house that combines up-island luxury with modern design.
When Judy King was designing her house in Menemsha, she knew she wanted it to reflect her lifelong love of art and her personal design perspective. She sought a home filled with light and air that offered a view of the exquisite Menemsha sunset. Standing in the completed space, she shares, “I love that it feels like a summer gallery. I wanted to surround myself with pieces that I love and create a comfortable place for my family to vacation and visit.” As she spends more time on the Vineyard, King plans to expand her business to help other clients looking to infuse Vineyard spaces with comfort, luxury, and their own personal flair.
See more of Judy King’s work click: JudyKingInteriors.com.