Ingenuity is this issue’s red thread, the motif that winds its way through the pages. At the center of it all are two very different house lots in West Tisbury, each with distinct design challenges. One is a narrow site bogged down with wetlands restrictions, a sharp drop-off, and a specimen beech tree smack in the middle of the building envelope. To the rescue, an international commercial architect (and longtime Vineyard property owner himself), who came up with a clean, creative, economical design that elevates the house within its sylvan setting (page 24). The second, a five-acre wooded property on the north shore, stymied its owners for years before a team of designers devised a plan to navigate the challenging terrain and settle a house near the crest of the steep hillside, opening up views of Vineyard Sound and the Elizabeth Islands, and creating a welcoming hub for family and friends (page 40).

A kitchen designer with an art history degree helped finesse the design details for the renovation of a 1960s kitchen in one of Aquinnah’s first modern-style houses (page 32). We highlight three Island artisans and artists who are also meticulous about detail: plaster craftsman Jimmy Sanfilippo, who incorporates inventive techniques into an age-old practice (page 12); Libby Ellis, whose cheery graphics brighten many a wall, as well as whimsical children’s books (page 16); and Susan Savory, a collage artist who has channeled her pack-rat predilections into an engaging, multi-layered art form (page 60).

Of course, we’d love to be as clever as the designers, artists, craftspeople, and others whose work we feature in this issue, to someday achieve a modicum of their creative output. Meanwhile, however, we can live vicariously. Read on, and be inspired!