Meg Ryan's House
Meg Ryan wanted a refuge from the world of a celebrity, where
she could spend more private time with her children. She was born
in Connecticut, so she loves the north Atlantic coast communities.
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She fell much
in love with a Martha's Vineyard cedar-shingled house with
seven acres.
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Meg Ryan's House |
There is water all around, and that appealed to her. She can
see the sun rise and set over the water, on either side of the
house. The light appeals to her.
The actual house was not as attractive as the lovely, idyllic
surroundings, at least not to Ryan. This post-and-beam house was
built in England ten years earlier, then collapsed into a kit
like puzzle pieces, and then brought to Martha's Vineyard by barge.
Ryan did like the house's craftsmanship, but thought that it looked
unfinished. She didn't prefer the exposed rafters or the cavernous
areas. She felt that she needed to add skin to this skeleton of
a house.
Ryan sought the help of an interior designer from Bedford, New
York, to decorate the house. But Ryan provided the vision, even
though she explains that her goal was actually counter-intuitive.
She was adding to the house to make it simpler, which at some
level doesn't make much sense. But she carved the area into separate
rooms, and some cozy areas, including a playroom for her two children.
Ryan feels that she had the opposite reaction to this house than
she has to most other houses, since she is usually fond of open
floor plans. To make the separations, they used walls with transoms
or windows, glass doors and casement windows so that she wouldn't
lose the views.
When she moved into the
house, Ryan felt it was rather dark, with various
colors that were subdued and somber in the large area. So she
used various shades of white and a mixture of vintage and industrial
lighting to brighten it. The armchairs and sofas are covered with
pale linen, and the furniture is made from hand-hewn wood.
Ryan does have a whimsical side, too. She has a metal sign that
says "FLOWERS" over her dining table. She even put metal
numbers on the doors of the bedrooms, like a hotel might, so that
her more frequent guests could find their rooms more easily.
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Ryan doesn't hold
anything back when she is enthusiastic about something,
and this home is no exception.
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She found some industrial parts at an antique dealer, and in
her mind, she pictured them as lights with Edison bulbs for the
master bathroom. The lights are hanging above the stylish soapstone
sink in her master bedroom now.
Meg feels like she has spent her life renovating houses, and
she's also done her share of lofts, apartments and a Montana log
cabin. She gets her inspiration from design magazines and she
was truly the visionary on the Martha's Vineyard project. Her
decorator feels that although she likes having ideas bounced off
her, that Ryan has a good eye and wonderful taste.
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