I was puzzled when a New York City-based couple called to say they had just purchased a house in Woodstock that they didn't like. They had fallen in love with stunning twenty-six acres, complete with river, but the house left them cold.
Once I saw it, I understood their lack of enthusiasm. The structure was handsome and solid, with blue stone walls and wooden shutters, but the interiors had suffered through several muddled remodels. They asked me to design an environment that respected the 1926 architecture while also reflecting their creative personal style.
We were about to paint over hand-painted murals of birch trees in the entryway when we discovered they were the work of A. Bruger, a member of the Woodstock Art Colony. Not able to bring ourselves to erase this connection to the local history, we saved the murals, and took this as our nod to make the house both eclectic and deeply personal. Throughout, new and old elements exist in easy harmony. For example, in the dining room, clear modern chairs and a custom marble table rest upon old wooden floors. In the living room, the original carved fireplace got a face lift with new limestone, and is surrounded by fire-orange walls that vibrate with excitement.
A claw-foot bathtub was placed in the bedroom to take advantage of the spectacular mountain views and the proximity to the wood-burning fire. A beautiful and creative solution to space limitations, unexpected gestures such as this make the house even more of a home.