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Houzz Tour: Weekend Country House Becomes a Full-Time Home
An architect and a designer make a couple’s upstate New York farmhouse more livable while keeping its 18th-century style
A New York City couple bought this 18th-century farmhouse upstate in Dutchess County about 25 years ago as a weekend home and hired interior designer Paul Stuart Rankin to help them put it together. A few years ago, they began to think about how their weekend home could better suit them as a full-time home after retirement. They hired architect Douglas Larson and reenlisted Rankin, who also had decorated their Gramercy Park apartment, to reimagine the house. Larson reconfigured and added on to the house. Then Rankin worked with the homeowners to complete the interior design. The renovation respects the home’s 18th-century vintage while providing a cozy and inviting country feel.
The new mudroom entry opens to this living room. This room and the adjacent screened-in porch are the only spots in the house that were more or less untouched by construction during the project. Larson took cues from the existing double-hung windows in the house when choosing new windows and doors.
Rankin worked mostly with the wife on the project. “One thing about working with her for so many years is that I know what she’ll like,” he says. “There are so many decisions to be made, but I can show her three choices and she loves them all.”
The designer mixed his clients’ existing furniture with new rugs, lighting and accessories. He also placed all the artwork. It’s a combination of the homeowners’ existing pieces and new works he scouted for them.
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Rankin worked mostly with the wife on the project. “One thing about working with her for so many years is that I know what she’ll like,” he says. “There are so many decisions to be made, but I can show her three choices and she loves them all.”
The designer mixed his clients’ existing furniture with new rugs, lighting and accessories. He also placed all the artwork. It’s a combination of the homeowners’ existing pieces and new works he scouted for them.
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Before: The house changes a lot from here, so it’s a good time to stop and study the floor plans. “It was important to clean up the circulation and add on in a way where the rooms were arranged properly,” Larson says.
On this “before” plan, the house is L-shaped, with the original circa 1763 portion on the left and an existing addition running along the top right. The kitchen is at the top center, and the existing addition on the right contains the dining room. “To get to the dining room from the living room, you had to walk through the kitchen and around a peninsula,” Larson says. “It was terrible for entertaining.”
Also, there was a very small bedroom and full bathroom in the center of the first floor. “That bedroom was big enough for a bed and that was about it,” Larson says.
On this “before” plan, the house is L-shaped, with the original circa 1763 portion on the left and an existing addition running along the top right. The kitchen is at the top center, and the existing addition on the right contains the dining room. “To get to the dining room from the living room, you had to walk through the kitchen and around a peninsula,” Larson says. “It was terrible for entertaining.”
Also, there was a very small bedroom and full bathroom in the center of the first floor. “That bedroom was big enough for a bed and that was about it,” Larson says.
After: The orange portion is the entry addition, the blue portion represents other first-floor additions and the green portions mark spaces that were reconfigured. In green, you can see that the existing kitchen was turned into a hallway, powder room and laundry room. The existing dining room, at top right, is now a library.
The hallway that runs across the top of the plan was key to getting the proper circulation and flow. It leads from the living room directly to the library, with entries to the dining room and kitchen along the way. Access to the new primary suite, seen here at bottom right, is through the library. This provides privacy from the more public spaces.
Comparing the floor plans, you can see that Larson pushed the back of the house out onto where the existing patio was. Then he added a new terrace across the back. The husband wanted both the dining room and kitchen to receive natural light, so Larson placed them along the back of the house.The dining room took over the former bedroom and bathroom space, and the kitchen is part of a new addition. The architect lined up the new kitchen with the dining room and added two sets of French doors to each space.
The hallway that runs across the top of the plan was key to getting the proper circulation and flow. It leads from the living room directly to the library, with entries to the dining room and kitchen along the way. Access to the new primary suite, seen here at bottom right, is through the library. This provides privacy from the more public spaces.
Comparing the floor plans, you can see that Larson pushed the back of the house out onto where the existing patio was. Then he added a new terrace across the back. The husband wanted both the dining room and kitchen to receive natural light, so Larson placed them along the back of the house.The dining room took over the former bedroom and bathroom space, and the kitchen is part of a new addition. The architect lined up the new kitchen with the dining room and added two sets of French doors to each space.
Here’s a glimpse of the new hallway that runs from the living room to the kitchen, as seen from the reconfigured dining room. The designers were able to save and repurpose this existing cabinetry. Rankin added new lighting, a grasscloth wallcovering and photography.
“The light fixture has horses on it, as my client loves horses,” he says. “And I used the same wallcovering I used in the kitchen. I knew we needed something to warm up this hallway and it was a great fit.” The couple already had the vintage goose.
The photographs are by artist Sharon Core. “When I found these photographs, I knew my client would love them, as we always agree,” Rankin says.
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“The light fixture has horses on it, as my client loves horses,” he says. “And I used the same wallcovering I used in the kitchen. I knew we needed something to warm up this hallway and it was a great fit.” The couple already had the vintage goose.
The photographs are by artist Sharon Core. “When I found these photographs, I knew my client would love them, as we always agree,” Rankin says.
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Here’s the view from the living room through the dining room to the kitchen’s breakfast area. The artwork in the breakfast area features another horse.
Opening up the existing and new rooms to the views was a big part of the project. The four sets of French doors Larson added let in lots of natural light and provide a view across the field to the woods. “It was important to keep things era-appropriate,” he says. “These French doors are from Lepage Millwork, and they have very small rails and stiles on them that maximize the light. They have a very delicate look.”
The structural wood beams are new but maintain the 18th-century feel of the home. The exposed ceiling boards are the second story’s subflooring.
Opening up the existing and new rooms to the views was a big part of the project. The four sets of French doors Larson added let in lots of natural light and provide a view across the field to the woods. “It was important to keep things era-appropriate,” he says. “These French doors are from Lepage Millwork, and they have very small rails and stiles on them that maximize the light. They have a very delicate look.”
The structural wood beams are new but maintain the 18th-century feel of the home. The exposed ceiling boards are the second story’s subflooring.
Photo by Paul Stuart Rankin
The deep red of the living room sofas continues in here on the walls. “My client had deep red on the walls in the Gramercy Park apartment’s dining room and had always loved it,” Rankin says. So he brought the color upstate.
The antique dining table, chairs and china cabinet were already in the house. Rankin helped source an 18th-century English sideboard and a new rug to complement them. He also added new light fixtures throughout the house, including this chandelier. All the chandeliers and sconces came from Authentic Designs in Vermont, he says.
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The deep red of the living room sofas continues in here on the walls. “My client had deep red on the walls in the Gramercy Park apartment’s dining room and had always loved it,” Rankin says. So he brought the color upstate.
The antique dining table, chairs and china cabinet were already in the house. Rankin helped source an 18th-century English sideboard and a new rug to complement them. He also added new light fixtures throughout the house, including this chandelier. All the chandeliers and sconces came from Authentic Designs in Vermont, he says.
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A big part of the motivation to renovate was creating a better kitchen. “She loves to cook,” Rankin says. An island and ample countertop space around the range made the new kitchen much more functional than the old one.
The cabinetry is a mix of wood and painted finishes. “I spent a long time figuring out the best balance between the wood and painted cabinets,” Rankin says.
The same grasscloth from the hallway continues into the kitchen’s breakfast area. “It really warms things up,” Rankin says. The breakfast room furniture is new and the chairs are upholstered in a fabric with an oak leaf motif.
The cabinetry is a mix of wood and painted finishes. “I spent a long time figuring out the best balance between the wood and painted cabinets,” Rankin says.
The same grasscloth from the hallway continues into the kitchen’s breakfast area. “It really warms things up,” Rankin says. The breakfast room furniture is new and the chairs are upholstered in a fabric with an oak leaf motif.
Photo by Paul Stuart Rankin
In the new powder room, Rankin added tongue-and-groove wainscoting, an oversize floral wallpaper, pewter tulip candle sconces and a new custom mirror. “The wallpaper really makes this room,” he says.
Wallpaper: Thibaut
In the new powder room, Rankin added tongue-and-groove wainscoting, an oversize floral wallpaper, pewter tulip candle sconces and a new custom mirror. “The wallpaper really makes this room,” he says.
Wallpaper: Thibaut
Before: This is the back of the house, which faces east. The house was L-shaped, and the white portion to the right is an addition. It formed a courtyard out back. “The meadow led down to a creek, but because of where the courtyard was, they didn’t have much of a view from the existing patio,” Larson says.
The core of the home is estimated to date to 1763. While the house changed throughout the centuries, it never lost its historical farmhouse feel. “Part of maintaining the 18th-century feel is using the correct proportions,” Larson says. He looked to the height of the original home’s gable when planning the new rooflines.
The core of the home is estimated to date to 1763. While the house changed throughout the centuries, it never lost its historical farmhouse feel. “Part of maintaining the 18th-century feel is using the correct proportions,” Larson says. He looked to the height of the original home’s gable when planning the new rooflines.
After: The new addition pushed the house into the backyard, and the new stone terrace toward the meadow and creek views. Now every room along the back of the house has direct access to the terrace. And the terrace has a great view of the meadow and the creek.
On the left, the screened-in porch and adjacent living room remained the same. From there, the first two sets of French doors are off the dining room and the second two sets are off the kitchen. The new primary suite is on the right. The dormers are new. “We placed a bedroom and office upstairs under the eaves, which makes them cozy,” Larson says. This also allowed for a vaulted ceiling in the new primary bedroom and library.
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On the left, the screened-in porch and adjacent living room remained the same. From there, the first two sets of French doors are off the dining room and the second two sets are off the kitchen. The new primary suite is on the right. The dormers are new. “We placed a bedroom and office upstairs under the eaves, which makes them cozy,” Larson says. This also allowed for a vaulted ceiling in the new primary bedroom and library.
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The new hallway ends at this cozy library. “Now when you walk into the mudroom entry, you can see all the way down the new hallway to the library,” Larson says. This former dining room space was part of the existing addition on the home. An opening on the right side of the room leads to the new primary suite addition.
Rankin fully furnished the room. His client found this rug pattern, and he had the custom rug made to fit the space. The large cabinet holds the TV. The side of the room not seen in this photo is lined in bookshelves. The homeowners can choose a book, then cozy up with it by the fire.
Rankin fully furnished the room. His client found this rug pattern, and he had the custom rug made to fit the space. The large cabinet holds the TV. The side of the room not seen in this photo is lined in bookshelves. The homeowners can choose a book, then cozy up with it by the fire.
This hallway connects the new first-floor primary bedroom and bathroom. There’s a walk-in closet on the left past the chest of drawers. Rankin added a botanical William Morris wallpaper and hung his clients’ horse-motif plates along the wall.
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The new addition’s roofline allowed for an airy vaulted ceiling in the primary bedroom. Soft butter yellow walls create a warm and welcoming feel.
The custom window treatments and headboard upholstery are in a botanical fabric from Schumacher. The couple received the lamps as a wedding present many years ago.
By enhancing and building upon what was there, Larson and Rankin kept what the couple loved about their weekend home. They transformed the inviting house to make it functional for the owners’ full-time, post-retirement lifestyle while also taking care to maintain its historical feel.
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By enhancing and building upon what was there, Larson and Rankin kept what the couple loved about their weekend home. They transformed the inviting house to make it functional for the owners’ full-time, post-retirement lifestyle while also taking care to maintain its historical feel.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Dutchess County, New York
Size: 1,885 square feet (175 square meters); three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designers: Paul Stuart Rankin (interior design) and Douglas Larson (architecture)
The entry mudroom, located off the driveway, is a small new addition. “Before, you entered straight into the living room,” Larson says. “Now there’s a spot for guests to enter and take off their coats.”
The space introduces the casual style of the home. “Douglas planned the coat closet and bench, and I knew we wanted green in here,” Rankin says. The slate floor stands up to riding boots and snowy shoes while also adding a natural material. The wallcovering is a printed grasscloth that picks up on the green cabinetry. Tongue-and-groove details suit the country setting.
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