Comedian Seth Meyers' charming barn on Martha's Vineyard by American design firm Ashe Leandro

‘Having spent all our summers here, we knew what did and didn’t work and incorporated that into our design,’ explains Ariel. The house had to be robust and practical; the sort that could withstand sandy feet and ice creams (the couple have three children and host many more over the summers), while also being relaxing and elegant. A long ‘farmers’ porch – inspired by the ones at both Ariel and her parents' houses – was a non-negotiable, flanking an entire side of the house. ‘It’s so nice to still be able to sit outside if it’s raining,’ explains Ariel, who has furnished the porch with a huge dining table and a pair of Janus et Cie day beds. ‘It’s quite important to get the proportions right with a porch, because if there ends up being a beam in the wrong place it means you can’t use the space properly,’ she adds. Lessons were also learnt from Ariel’s parents porch: ‘they have a lot of overheard lighting, but you don’t really need it,’ she explains, pointing out a trio of subtle wall lights. Equally high on the priority list was to have a degree of separation between guest quarters and their childrens rooms: an ensuite bedroom sits above the garage and has its own entrance, while the childrens rooms sit on the opposite side of the house to the main bedroom suite, accessed via a U-shaped mezzanine-style landing that looks down onto the living area.

At the heart of the house is the double height living area. It’s a generous space, but it’s the floor-to-ceiling limestone and plaster fireplace that gives the space its impressive volume. Thanks to an open-plan layout, this room flows seamlessly into the single height dining area, with its huge picture-windows and the barely-there kitchen. ‘We wanted it to blend in rather than shouting that it’s a kitchen,’ explains Ariel, who opted for black and laquered cabinets and stone worktops, and hid the all-important pantry behind the units so they can’t be seen from the living space. Throughout, the architecture is designed to relax – not just from the charming beams but also the curve-topped doors on the first floor, which in part were chosen to accommodate the roof’s pitch, but also add a soft playfulness.

When it came to the decoration, Ariel based it around a quiet palette of plaster, stone and wood. ‘It’s a dressed up version of my house and slightly more modern version of the typical style in Martha’s Vineyards,’ explains Ariel. Axel Vervoordt’s country interiors provided a huge source of inspiration when it came to the materials and colours, especially an image of one his projects that featured a large green sofa, which prompted Ariel to go for the elegant sage sofa, upholstered in De Le Cuona’s ‘Swamp’, that now anchors the living area. Smart it may be, but the wise deployment of a slip cover means it can be easily washed if there happens to be an ice cream mishap. ‘Greens just work here because the whole landscape is green,’ explains Ariel. The more rustic elements of the design are offset with a few well-chosen, sculptural design classics – a Noguchi pendant in the living area, a 1970s A.A Patijn desk for Zijlstra Meubelen in one of the guest bedrooms and Afra and Tobia Scarpa ‘Monk’ chairs in the dining area. ‘There’s always Scarpa somewhere in our projects, because their designs are so simple and good,’ explains Ariel. There are also many of Ariel’s own designs, including the tub chairs in the living room and much of the upholstery throughout.

Not only did Ariel have an innate sense of what her sister and brother-in-law would like, but she also had the licence to be a bit braver than she would with other clients. ‘The best thing about working for my sister was that I could just buy pieces and put them in without approval,’ she admits, smiling. One such example is the extraordinary half-finished 17th century tapestry in the main bedroom, which would likely have been met with bemusement by most clients, but gives the room just the right amount of old-world charm. So too does the stonking Biedermeier cabinet (now bar) in the living area, which is entirely at odds with the style of the house but works perfectly. ‘This project was a chance to use all the stuff that I’d been saving for a long time that other clients might be afraid of,’ explains Ariel. ‘My sister initially thought it was crazy, but now it is everyones favourite piece.’ If only all clients could be family – in this case it’s proved a winning formula.