Spice in an island saltbox: ‘This house is about the sunset’
Nate and Lauren Morgan turned a Martha’s Vineyard relic into a showcase for their designs.
In a tucked-away corner of Chilmark behind Menemsha Pond on Martha’s Vineyard, a weathered saltbox cottage has found new life as a vibrant, design-forward showpiece and a business accelerator for husband-and-wife duo Nate and Lauren Morgan of Morgan Studio.
“We were most attracted to the saltbox shape and the shingle style. It was just so classic,” said Lauren. “We saw the bones, the good bones, of the house.”
While the 100-year-old cottage had charm, it also had challenges: dark brown beadboard walls, small rooms, and no insulation called for a little architecture and design help from the Morgans. Lauren is an interior designer; Nate is an architect.
“It was very dark. The windows were not very big, and all the rooms were kind of chopped up into these tiny little boxes,” said Nate.
Of course, there were certain non-negotiables in the redesign efforts, like not being able to change the footprint of the 1,500-square-foot home. The Morgans went about preserving what worked while layering in warmth, light, and a few bold, unexpected twists that provided the kind of autonomy not always afforded when working for a client.
“This house is about the sunset,” Lauren said. “It’s not really earth-shattering to say it’s about the view, but it is about that. It’s just stunning.”
The sunset inspiration shines through in some of the yellow and oranges found throughout the home, including a yellow range in the kitchen. The Morgans also reimagined a second-floor closet into a daybed nook with a front-row seat to golden hour.
“There are a lot of yellow, orange, and gold elements that reflect back on the sunset,” Lauren noted.
The downstairs, once a soundproofed space owned by an opera singer, became a private guest suite complete with a dramatic double shower outfitted with eight body jets. But the home is more than a design project. It’s also a marketing tool.
The Morgans intentionally approached the renovation as a show house, giving them the freedom to make creative choices without client approval.
“Being able to take clients there and show them in person, it’s so much easier to sell than something on a screen,” Nate said.
This concept, while not new in large-scale architecture or real estate development, is gaining traction among boutique firms looking to express their full design philosophy in a tangible, lived-in way.
But for the Morgans, the salt shack isn’t just for display. It’s also a rentable property and a cozy spot for entertaining friends or watching a Vineyard sunset.
“We love the idea of this being a 100-year-old kind of thing that we feel a part of us that we kind of saved it for another hundred years,” Nate said. “Somebody could have come down and basically knocked it down and started over from that same footprint, and you would have lost all those stories.”
History didn’t come at the expense of design flourishes. Function met whimsy in moments like the blue ombre staircase, a design idea Lauren jumped at the chance to implement after it was previously vetoed by a client.
“When we walked in, I was like, ‘I can do the blue ombre! This is the house,’” she recalled.
This freedom can also help move along the timeline from the conceptual phase to completion.
“We know where we want to start in terms of tiers of materials or plumbing fixtures and that sort of thing,” Nate said. “It just goes a lot faster.”
That autonomy extended to splurges, too: from Forbes & Lomax designer lighting to upscale kitchen buildouts and plumbing fixtures.
“It allowed us to do some higher-end stuff that you probably might not do in a 5,000-square-foot house,” Nate said.
Money goes further in a small house, and enabled the team to avoid any fears of compromising on quality, Lauren added. Going luxe in this living portfolio also means clients have the opportunity to be inspired and think big on their own design endeavors.
“This is a project we’re going to take people to and show them this is our work. It’s a portfolio in the flesh,” Nate said. “It really solidified the deal. Contracts were signed after that, which is really great that what we did is what they were attracted to.”
But creating a stylish, character-filled home wasn’t just an exercise in taste. It was a strategic move that blurred the lines between business and lifestyle. Instead of a showroom stocked with samples or a sterile office pitch that utilizes tablet screens or computer monitors, the Morgans built something that felt real and aspirational. Potential clients can now walk through the space and understand what Morgan Studio is about.
Beyond the business value, the Morgans relished the creative process. They also have two more show house projects in development.
“This is a great creative outlet for us as a team,” Nate said. “We’ve kind of established that this is a great way to express a vision without compromise.”
Any advice for those looking to embark on a similar renovation path?
“Buy a house that you love, have the list of reasons why you love it, and remember why you love it,” Lauren said. “All those things can happen as long as you keep the original goals in the forefront.”
“You’re telling a story with this house,” Nate added. “Whether you honor the story that was there before, or give it new life, the point is not to forget where it came from.”
That blend of reverence and homage is what gives this home its glow as much as the golden hour splashing across Menemsha Harbor.
“If you do something subpar, you attract subpar prospects,” Nate said. “We pushed as hard as we could, and it paid off.”
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