The Shop in Martha’s Vineyard / Erin Pellegrino

As with Wisniewski’s other structures on the vineyard, the workshop was created through experimentation in design and materials. He created the workshop using standard easily-available building materials like dimension lumber, plywood, glass, and steel, to construct dwellings in non-standard ways. For instance, the roof was inspired by the Japanese Shinto Temples Wisniewski observed during WWII. To design the roof, he used a book on the temples, without dimensions as a style guide, copying the trusses that were of interest, and scaled them to size with one of his sons’ help.

For instance, the roof was inspired by the Japanese Shinto Temples Wisniewski observed during WWII.

Although four decades younger, Pellegrino shares a similar sensibility to Wisniewski in that she comes to design with a hands-on approach and is interested in material experimentation. Both hold the philosophy that one cannot separate making and thinking. In her design of the residence (and site-specific furniture), Pellegrino pulled inspiration from the concept of a workshop and how one functions within specifically designated areas.

She separated the space into different zones: the public zone has distinct areas for specific tasks, similar to a workshop. The private zone is designed to feel like furniture found within a workshop. Each design element is functional, while its material palette speaks to the spaces’ nature and the island’s feel. Also, she built most of the furniture on-site while living within the space.