Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

This Inviting Prefab Home in Martha’s Vineyard Takes Cues From Nature

This Inviting Prefab Home in Martha’s Vineyard Takes Cues From Nature

Faced with the challenges of building on an island, a New York–based family embraces the benefits of prefab design with a custom Axiom timber home.

In the seaside village of Chilmark, tucked into a quiet wooded setting, a home with gracious architecture and light-filled interiors honors its owners’ deep ties to the land. "My family has lived on Martha’s Vineyard for ten generations," says Will Seward, a New York City–based builder by trade. When it came time to build his own home on the island, he and his partner, Michelle, knew they wanted a custom dwelling with minimalist, yet warm and approachable design that felt in harmony with its setting.



Custom windows and doors from the Marvin Signature Ultimate collection frame surrounding views throughout the home, including in Michelle’s favorite spot for catching up on email.

For the couple, part of this harmony meant working within the natural constraints of their location, which-accessible only by boat and air-can quickly escalate costs both financial and environmental. "Building on an island is tricky," says Jake Wright of Turkel Design prefabricated homes, who solved the couple’s problem with a customized take on the Boston-based company’s Axiom 2790 model.



The couple’s son, Spencer, and the family cat in the home’s sunny living room on the lower level.

Clad in ash, the multilevel residence is a sleek, right-angled nod to the island’s vernacular architecture-shingle-style exteriors that become weathered and gray over time-and it provides the welcoming, human-scaled getaway the family had hoped to create.



"My wife’s passion is cooking," says Will. "We built everything around the kitchen and all the life that happens there."



Casement windows that wrap around the double-height living areas capture natural light.

Inside, an open layout connects large gathering spaces with a double-height kitchen at the center. "It feels like one big room, which is made even bigger by windows in every direction," says Will. The Turkel designer agrees the kitchen hub works well for the busy family of three while drawing light into the home: "Sunlight streaming through the clerestory windows is one of my favorite moments in the house."



A wood-clad ceiling extends past the glass-enclosed entrance, creating material cohesion.

To achieve the family’s desired indoor/outdoor lifestyle, Wright ensured plenty of openings throughout the home and fitted them with windows and doors from the Marvin Signature Ultimate collection. "Marvin understands the kind of rigor and tolerance needed for prefab designs," says Wright, "and their windows hold in heat in the winter and allow cooling in the summer, reducing energy use."



Ample glazing frames views of the landscape, further connecting the living spaces to nature.

"The entire prefab experience was miraculous," says Will. "Because the pieces were made ahead of time and in a controlled environment, everything came together very fast, yet ended up much less cookie-cutter than I expected."



Will can access his office through a separate entrance, which is all-glass for maximum light. Ash siding on the home helps it blend into the surrounding woods.

Wright attributes this to Turkel Design’s technical expertise and design process. "We create an incredibly detailed 3D digital model of the home, which allows us to resolve unforeseen problems ahead of time," he says. "That way, whatever we bring to the island, we know it will fit together efficiently and precisely, with less wastage overall."



"We do a lot of entertaining, so the primary need in the design of this house was gathering friends," says Will.

Being back on his old stomping grounds makes Will nostalgic. He notes, "The Island has grown a lot. It's different than it was when I was a kid, but it's still a magical place, and I’m glad my son will get to experience it."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×