“When my wife saw it, she cried because it was so beautiful. Then she turned to me and said the sweetest thing: ‘Try not to touch anything,'” interior design and architecture professor Seth Meyers describes in a new foreword to his home designed by Ash Leandro. The 16-year-old company’s first book details the New York couple’s eight recent projects, from the beautifully layered Gramercy Park by artist Rashid Johnson Park townhouse to the zen-like Long Island home by Georgica Pond. The Martha’s Vineyard estate that Seth shares with his wife Alexi Ashe (Ariel’s sister) and their children is one of them.
Completed in 2022, the home is a pandemic-era project that Ariel Ashe and Reynaldo Leandro say they were more or less given carte blanche for. When asked what Seth and Alexi’s instructions were, Ariel said, “We’ve worked with them a couple of times and they had no instructions!”
The new building is located in the town of Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard, adjacent to Seth’s parents’ summer home. Bright tones of cedar planks (they forwent more traditional cedar planks, giving the home a contemporary feel) wrap the barn-like structure, reflecting the home’s newness. (Ariel explains that it will be repainted gray to match the Martha’s Vineyard vernacular.) Meanwhile, the home’s frame is made from reclaimed wood that’s mostly exposed on the interior and provides a gorgeous patina.
Outside, a combination of glass and floor-to-ceiling windows adds depth to the barn-like home. The lawn is artfully landscaped with boulders — these boulders were quarried from the property and are original to the property — and a traditional New England stone wall extends throughout the yard. “The house is surrounded by fields and farmland, and it needed to be relevant. The materials are mostly recycled and durable, so they can withstand sandy feet, ice cream drippings, and lots of play and fun. There’s humor,” Ariel added.
Limited in size and footprint due to Chilmark’s strict building codes, it was decided that the open-concept main floor would feel more spacious, with a double-height living room centered around a limestone wood-burning fireplace that draws the eye all the way to the barn-type beams. The moody gray exterior with a limewash finish adds sophistication to the focal point. “We just wanted it to be the main pillar of the house, like the old homes in the vineyards, with the heart at the center of the house,” says Renado.
The combination of gray stone tiles and French oak flooring leads guests to the kitchen, which is located in the center of the home and is designed less like a traditional kitchen and more like a built-in wall that houses a sink and a carefully disguised refrigerator. The black cabinets look a lot like the famous kitchen (also by Ash Leandro) in the family’s Manhattan home. “In my opinion, their New York kitchen started the black kitchen trend,” says Ariel.
Although the space is filled with really nice furniture, it doesn’t feel overly stuffy. That is, there are plenty of places to eat. The small breakfast area features a round dining table with antique Gustave chairs and Carlo Scarpa lamps. (Scarpa is Ash and Leandro’s favorite designer, so no home is complete without the Italian designer’s Japanese-inspired pieces.) The larger dining area is filled with Capa dining chairs (which, according to Ariel, “feel very grape-like because they’re made [of canvas]”) and is lined with picture windows that create the feel of al fresco dining with views of the hotel’s forest of oak trees. In fact, the covered porch is filled with furniture perfect for summer outdoor living. Mason and sculptor Eben Armour created a second outdoor space around the outdoor fireplace, scouring the area for boulders to help create a cozy space.
Upstairs, arched doorways lead to the bedrooms, which are filled with subtle nautical touches. The boy’s room features a porthole-style window with a view of his grandparents’ home; their bathroom mirror is actually an upcycled porthole with a mirror in the middle. A vibrant red bunk bed adds a splash of color to the space, while antique furniture and decor have an ombre effect of earth and wood tones. In true Martha’s Vineyard fashion, this home is filled with vintage design. But in the hands of Ash Leandro, the furniture is sparse yet large, making the home feel full without feeling cluttered.
In the master bedroom, a 17th-century inlaid silk tapestry creates an old-world feel, while a massive, ornately curved burlwood secretary desk has been transformed into a bar with silver-plated elk-head Gucci stirrup glasses. “I was really into this style of furniture and I thought it separated from everything else in the room in a nice way,” says Ariel. “I sent it to my sister and said, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘Just say yes!’ And we bought it and it was everyone’s favorite piece.”
What else does decor bring to your home? There’s no need to completely discard some long-kept antiques. A wall sculpture that Ariel found at a Paris flea market found its way into the powder room.
There are small but impactful touches in almost every corner, but according to the designers and family members, a home looks best when it’s full of people. “There are always lots of cooking events and cocktails. It’s full of life,” Ariel said. “The kitchen counter is always full of people — we had to put extra stools on one side of the island because everyone wanted to sit there and talk.
As for whether Seth could follow his wife’s original intention? Though they chose the guest room as a temporary podcast studio over the summer, Ariel said, “none of the dishes were out of place.”
