The popular Cottagers Annual House Tour, which had taken a sabbatical due to the pandemic, is back and enchanting as ever. This year’s event takes place on Thursday, July 18 (rain or shine) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Called “Gems of the Bluffs” the 37th edition of the tour features five homes, from the Preserve at the Woodlands to the Camp Ground and more. All of the homes are located in Oak Bluffs.
The Cottagers, which sponsors the tour, is a philanthropic organization consisting of 100 women of color who are property owners on Martha’s Vineyard. Their mission is to promote a sense of cultural pride by raising money to support charitable, educational and community service projects that help improve the quality of life in the Martha’s Vineyard community.
Tickets for the tour are $50 and can be purchased online or on the day of the event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. across from Cottagers’ Corner at 57 Pequot avenue in Oak Bluffs.
21 Paddock Road
That’s entertainment is the theme of the stately farmhouse that longtime Island visitors Terri and Bill Borden built at The Preserve at the Woodlands. The Preserve, a private, 51-acre woodland enclave located a short distance from Farm Neck Golf Club, is the setting for a growing collection of stunning estate-like homes. The Bordens bought a lot there and then built a large, rambling farmhouse made for family and friends — lots of friends.
“Our goal was a comfortable, elegant feel, with the ability to have many overnight guests, and that’s why we have three staircases in the house that each go to their own wing,” Ms. Borden said.
In addition to the multiple sections for guests, the Bordens put an emphasis on outdoor fun spaces that include a swimming pool, Pergola with dining table, custom-designed wood-burning firepit with seating area and blue stone patio, outdoor kitchen with attached pool house with radiant heat floors and living area and a roof-top deck with gas fire pit.
46 Paddock Road. — Ray Ewing
46 Paddock Road
Fans of noted Island architect Patrick Ahern will find a familiar shape at this second Preserve home where twin Dutch Colonial gambrel roofs greet visitors as they come up the wide stone driveway to the home’s front door. This expansive home features 25 rooms in which six bedrooms are matched with ensuite baths to create the ultimate in privacy.
Impressive stonework is a major attraction of this home wherein two massive chimneys announce the use of stone throughout the house. A dramatic, two-story stone fireplace dominates the great room, while the sun room has a matching stone fireplace. Stonework is also incorporated in the wine room on the lower level. Kitchen buffs should not miss the handmade Moroccan Casablanca zellige tiles in the kitchen.
240 Newton Road
It’s all about the view and outdoor living at this Lagoon-centered home where several, large outdoor decks, including a deck at the beach below, take advantage of water views and magnificent sunsets. A large, lush lawn leads up to the two-story home, which was renovated in 2017, and where a profusion of blue hydrangeas and a stained glass window by Barney Zeitz grab your attention.
240 Newton Road. — Ray Ewing
Island legacy is important here, too. Owner Amy Goldson has spent every summer of her life in Oak Bluffs. Her grandmother, Lucille Lippman, got the family legacy going in 1946 when she bought a house on Tuckernuck and became a founding member of the Cottagers.
19 Pacific Avenue
Built in 1900, this modest one-story, 3BR/2BA, home has been updated several times, most recently in 2021 in which an open, loft-like floor plan was created by current ownere, Natalie Y. Rivers. Previous owner Dorothy Underwood added a cathedral ceiling in the living room; Ms. Rivers extended it to the kitchen, opening up the area and making this relatively small house feel larger.
Ms. Rivers’ New York style extends to the modern furniture pieces and hot jewel tones that combine with furniture from the 1960s. You’ll also see artwork from her international travels. Brazilian cherrywood has replaced pine floors, stainless steel has replaced white kitchen appliances, and marble and quartz have replaced the kitchen and bath countertops.
The result is a clean and modern appearance and feel.
5 Tabernacle Avenue
Storyville Cottage and its signature wraparound porch in the Camp Ground earned its name because all of the books lining the bookshelf on the second-floor hallway. Another reason is that Storyville in New Orleans is the birthplace of the owner’s late father, the abstract expressionist artist Ed Clark (1926-2019). Much of the art on display is by Mr. Clark or his contemporaries. The blue-toned, former boarding house has recently undergone significant renovations with a major focus on a complete reconstruction of the kitchen with new floors, ceiling, new cabinetry and appliances. In addition, the dining room was converted to a family TV room, all rooms were repainted and all painted floors were restored to their original wood color.
