Going With The Flow
Living Room Terrace
New York's Hudson River Valley may not have the swank of the Hamptons, but it's got no dearth of rich, colorful residents, history, and properties. True, certain stretches feature derelict factories and hills smothered in flimsy condos, but the banks of the river have been considered prime real estate ever since Henry Hudson maneuvered his ship, Half Moon, up the scenic estuary in 1609. The mega mansions of the Hamptons are nouveau bling compared with the stately, centuries-old homes along the Hudson.
On a terrace off the living room, a Brown Jordan chaise has a cushion covered in a Sunbrella fabric, and a garden stool is from Treillage; the façade is painted in a custom color by Benjamin Moore.
Porch
Bill Burback and Peter Hofmann own such a house, a 1793 Federal manse perched on two and a half acres of pretty, gently sloping land in the hamlet of Garrison, directly across the river from the United States Military Academy. In the 1800s, the handsome two-story, gray-green building was a commercial ferry house and landing; several decades later, it morphed into the headquarters of a coal and fuel business.
On a covered porch, the chair is by Munder-Skiles, and the flooring is bluestone.
Dining Room
In 1974, the descendants of the area's founder and one of its most respected preservationists, Henry White Belcher, transformed the building into a private home. Tucked into an enclave of charming Carpenter Gothic structures, Burback and Hofmann's place has a quaint, patrician look and feel. And it's practical too: The post office, train station, art center, theater, and bookshop are all minutes away.
The walnut dining table belonged to Burback's grandmother, the painted work table is vintage, and the artworks above it include, from left, a collage by Mike Miller, a painting by Stephen Spaccarelli, a wall sculpture by Rune Olsen, and a photograph of David Hockney by Dmitri Kasterine; the sisal rug is from Pottery Barn.
Living Room
Hofmann, an internist affiliated with New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and Burback, an art curator and collector, bought the property from the Belcher family in 1997. For some 17 years prior to that, they had been spending weekends in a log cabin in Garrison, commuting back and forth from their Upper East Side Manhattan apartment. "We loved the area, and were on the lookout for a bigger place near the river," Burback recalls. "In the middle of my birthday party at a local inn, a friend mentioned that the Belcher family was selling their property. We left our guests, ran to the real estate office, then ran to the house, and bought it on the spot."
A 2004 collage by Ivan Chermayeff hangs above the living room's fireplace; the Audubon squirrel prints were bought at auction, the Pembroke table was a gift from Burback's mother, and the sofa was a gift from friends; French doors lead to a terrace with a view of the Hudson.
Foyer
Over the next 15 years, the house became an all-consuming project for the couple. They loved the footprint and general layout, but there was much to improve. They opened up the landscape (views of the river and West Point were completely obscured by scrubby brush and trees), replaced the windows, added French doors, and renovated the kitchen and baths. They built stone terraces and a poolhouse, and installed 350 feet of steel bulkhead to stave off flooding.
In the foyer, the convex mirror and game table were family gifts, and the chairs in the dining area beyond are from Zona.
Foyer
The decor is resolutely rustic deluxe. "When we bought the place, we realized that the style of our interiors in the log cabin wouldn't mesh with a Federal house," says Burback. "We needed to learn a new vocabulary, so we immediately went down to Colonial Williamsburg and stayed there for a week. But we didn't want to be slaves to any historical period or style. We wanted a place that is not about strict architecture and design, but rather one that is comfortable and homey. And we really like found objects."
The foyer's walls are painted in Ralph Lauren Paints' Balsam, the light fixture is by Urban Archaeology, and the floors are ipe decking.
Dining Tavern
And how. Almost every surface—from the entryway and the living room to the dining "tavern," master bedroom, and two guest suites, as well as all along the landings and staircases—is packed with pieces from the Adirondacks, nautical souvenirs, taxidermy, Audubon prints, and eclectic furniture ranging from crude twig tables to a modernist chair by Robert Venturi.
In the dining "tavern" of Bill Burback and Peter Hofmann's home in Garrison, New York, the Windsor chair and love seat are 19th century, and the tilt-top table is 18th century; the faux-wood ceramic plates are by Paul Nelsen, the bird photographs are by Mary Frey, and the floors are reclaimed pine.
Guest Bedroom
"Doing this house up was like creating a collage," Burback explains. "Things move around from place to place. This house is our canvas."
In a guest room, the archival print of the Hudson River over the bed is by James Renwick from the Highland Studio.
Guest Bath
Chairs and consoles found at the Brimfield antiques fair blend easily with lamps and pottery from artisan friends and from the shelves of Bergdorf Goodman. Drawings, sculptures, and bits of nature gleaned from the couple's frequent travels (to China, India, Morocco, Cambodia, the Baltics, and Egypt) sidle up to family-heirloom tables and rugs, as well as accessories from Ralph Lauren and John Derian.
The table and chair in the guest bath are flea-market finds.
Landing
The place looks great year-round: Covered in snow or purple wisteria, it lends itself both to stay-home dinners for two and cocktails for 75. Burback has become an avid gardener, favoring generous clumps of white hydrangeas, Japanese anemones, Iceberg roses, Shasta daisies, and a phalanx of potted white geraniums framing the front door.
The second-floor landing holds a twig table bought at the Brimfield antiques fair in Massachusetts, a Northwest Coast Indian mask, and photographs by Edward S. Curtis; the wool sisal is by ABC Carpet & Home.
Library
The plantings are romantic and unfussy. "When the Garden Conservancy asked us to put our garden on one of their tours, I was surprised," says Burback. "I told them that we don't have a garden, we have a yard. There's nothing precious here. I prefer our big old willows and plain mowed lawn to rare-specimen planting."
A rug from Ruby Beets covers a daybed in the library; the cocktail table is a flea-market find, and the bookcase is painted in California Paints' Milkweed.
Master Bedroom
"Me too," Hofmann chimes in. "Outside and inside, this place suits us. It's such a pleasure and privilege to live here. We're completely happy—we want for nothing else."
The wallpaper in the master bedroom is by Sandberg, the sconce is by Urban Archaeology, the lamp is from Pottery Barn, and the carpet is by ABC Carpet & Home.
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