ESCAPE to the VINEYARD

In a historic shingled retreat on Martha's Vineyard, Markham Roberts mixes mellow beach house funk with the collected familiarity of home.

- CELIA BARBOUR

A SUMMER HOUSE IS A PARADOX of sorts, combining the freedom and novelty of being on vacation with the familiarity of home. For one New York City-based family with a house on Martha's Vineyard, it's also a place where time slows down, allowing small moments to resonate. "We're apartment dwellers for much of the year, so we wind up experiencing a lot of important life events here," says the owner. "It plays a central role for us."

Think of it as a part-time residence with year-round virtue, which called for both fullness and ease in its design. What it didn't call for, says interior designer Markham Roberts, was a clean-slate, start-from-scratch beginning. Rather he wove together elements from past and present, here and there, that were reflective of the house-a shingled three-story beauty and his amiable history with the couple. Which goes back a ways.