Frederick Tang Architecture Renovates an Upstate New York Farmhouse with a Modern Twist
Access Dropbox Press Kit
Pine Plains, New York - The Brooklyn-based firm of Frederick Tang Architecture recently completed a renovation of a single-family home in the small town of Pine Plains, New York. Located in Dutchess County, the project’s rural siting and traditional style presented unique opportunities for the studio , who typically carry out projects in urban areas, and enabled them to balance the aesthetics of an upstate farmhouse with the client’s modern preferences.
Although farmhouse in style, the 4500-square-foot house is not old or historic, and despite its relatively recent construction, it presented some issues for the new homeowners. From a functional standpoint, “we knew that we needed to re-design the bathrooms and reconfigure them for guests,” accommodating the client’s extensive family that would visit, explains Tang. Furthermore, he notes, “the double-height living room was dramatic, but also felt cavernous and out of proportion with the rest of the house, so we needed to find ways to balance the scale.”
On the other hand, the aesthetics of the existing home also needed updating and became a critical part of the project; “the central challenge was the language of the project,” says Tang.” We weren’t doing a total gut renovation of the house, so our intervention had to work within the vernacular of the contemporary farmhouse look.” Since the client’s taste erred towards modern, FTA proposed a palette that felt updated and warm, with textured, cozy touches; rich tones like deep greens, navy, and purples; and a combination of red oak, white oak, and natural stone throughout.
The first floor of the L-shaped home has an eat-in kitchen and powder room on the L’s short leg, and two guest rooms, a bathroom, and a large, open living/dining room on the longer leg. At the center of the home is the double-height dining and living area, which Barbara Reyes, Director of Design at FTA, describes as “the biggest problem to solve.”
FTA reconfigured the staircase up to the second floor into a straight run, opening up the wall-free room even more, while also creating a sense of intimacy and warmth through select fixtures and finishes in the shared dining and living space. The stair’s angular geometry, clad in oak tambour, creates a dynamism in the room, and opposite the stair on the other side of the living area is a fireplace with a curved chimney breast. Clad in a dark charcoal farmhouse brick tile, the undulating fireplace acts as a visual anchor and emphasizes the high ceilings. “We treated the fireplace and stair as special sculptural forms with their own texture,” explains Reyes. A large, 16-foot-long custom dining table with lighting hung low enough to create the sensation of an intimate space rounds out the dining area.
The dark, moody tones from the fireplace can be found throughout the rest of the home: blackened terra cotta tiles were selected for the foyer floor, the kitchen cabinets are a rich, deep blue-turquoise, and a textured Moroccan zellige tile is used in several bathrooms.
Other natural materials on the second floor continue the balance and contrast found on the ground floor. In the primary bathroom, a custom slat pattern covers the vanities and provides screening for the shower, and the oversized two-person bathtub is oriented towards views of the Berkshire Mountains beyond. In other bathrooms, countertops and walls feature dramatic stones including a light green-yellow jade-toned stone in the children’s bathroom and a purple-aubergine stone called “undulato” in the guest bathroom. Walls and trim are painted deep greens and blues in the bedrooms, and fixtures and finishes are textured and patterned to update the otherwise traditional home in ways that “felt appropriate for the landscape without stereotypical ‘barn themes,’” notes Reyes.
Ultimately, the home is distinct in scale, views, and open space from the typical urban projects that FTA carries out, yet it still achieves the project’s goal of “playing with form and texture in a way that is complementary to the context of the Hudson Valley but not overly saccharine,” concludes Tang.
Photography by Gieves Anderson:
Project Credits:
Architecture and Interior Design: Frederick Tang Architecture
General Contractor: Built Better Construction
Details and Furnishings by Room:
Entry
Bench: Four hands Jacobo Accent Bench in solid Rosa Morada and soft top-grain leather, from Scout and Nimble
Art: Frank Magnotta
Lighting: Flos Clara Ceiling Light in Black Fumee polycarbonate, from Lightology Console Table: Mill Mini Iron Console Table from CB2
Floor: Belgian terracotta tiles in flemish black by Cle Tile
Custom Millwork: Red oak and tambour designed by FTA
Living Room
Custom Stair Millwork: Red oak tambour designed by FTA
Custom Fireplace: Belgian terracotta tiles in flemish black by Cle Tile designed by FTA
Millwork backing: Peignoir from Farrow & Ball
Lower Cabinets: Simply White from Benjamin Moore
Sofa: Reid Chase Sectional in eclipse crypton sintra velvet from DWR
Lounge Chair: Gwenyth Swivel Chair in ivory boucle from CB2
Coffee Tables: Delta in parawood from Lulu & Georgia
Side Table: Lemieux et Cie Baron Table in tactile plaster
Side Table: Theison Side Table in aluminum from McGee and Co
Ottoman: Bozzi Ottoman in boucle upholstery and solid oak legs from CB2
Lighting: Giopato & Coombes Moonstone Nest Pendant in fiberglass, thermoformed glass, and thermoformed acrylic from Suite NY
Lighting: Giopato & Coombes Moonstone Dome Linen 140 Pendant in fiberglass, thermoformed glass, and thermoformed acrylic from Suite NY
Rug: Winter Dream in natural wool from Benisouk
Dining Room
Table: Custom Dining Table in walnut and ebonized hardwood from Reliquary Studio designed by FTA
Chairs: Wishbone Chair in matte black solid wood frame and handwoven paper cord seat from DWR
Bar Cabinet: #304 Sideboard in natural oiled oak from Skovby
Large Artwork above credenza by Frank Magnotta
Console Table: Van Charcoal Wood Console Table in white oak and charcoal finish by Leanne Ford from Crate and Barrel
Lighting: Cointrin in bronze by Stephane Parmentier from Studio TwentySeven
Bench: Woven Leather Bench
Woven waffle artwork by Hiroko Takeda
Kitchen
Walls: Railings from Farrow & Ball
Tile: Tile in navy blue by Fireclay
Counter Stool: Tori Counter Stool in white oak and leather by Bensen from Valley Variety
Chair: Motif Armchair in white oak from Finnish Design Shop
Table: Athena Round Dining Table in white ash and marble from Rove and Concepts
Banquette: Custom in white oak pencil round tambour and white oak designed by FTA
Banquette Backrest: Custom in Bind 466437, in Torando 003, fabric from Maharam designed by FTA
Banquette Seat: Custom in Bask in Riviera, Leather from Maharam designed by FTA
Island Lighting: Gala 72” in anodized aluminum and hand-blown glass from RBW
Lighting: VL45 Radiohus Pendant in opal glass and brushed brass by Louis Poulsen from DWR
Flipboard wall art: Vestaboard Smart Messaging Display from Moma
Powder Room
Wallpaper: Savuti on Dark Petrol from Cole & Son
Wainscot/Trims: Pacific Sea Teal by Benjamin Moore
Mirror: Weeksville Modern & Contemporary Vanity Mirror in black steel Walnut and Nero Marquina vanity
Lighting: Margot Single 12in Wide Pendant in old bronze by Mitzi
Guest Bath
Custom White oak millwork design from Reliquary Studios designed by FTA
Backsplash Counter: Cipollino Undulato Marble from Ciot Stone
Flooring: Zellige Tile in Casablanca from Zia Tile
Lighting: Arc Globe 12” in blackened brass and white oak from Allied Maker
All plumbing fixtures Flyte in polished nickel by Waterworks
Owner Bedroom
Walls: Hague Blue from Farrow & Ball
Bed Frame: Cal King Sovereign Divan in chess iron fabric from Vispring
Headboard: Cal King Triton Headboard with 6 Channels, in chess iron fabric from Vispring
Table: Raleigh Bedside Table in walnut from DWR
Ottoman: Isla Small Leather Ottoman in sesame leather from West Elm
Rug: Arguto Rug in Ocean in wool by Linie Lighting: Febe Ceiling Light from DWR
Owner Bath
Custom white oak slats and millwork designed by FTA Floor: Mia Field Stone Tile by Ann Sacks Tile: Tile in Milky Way by Fireclay
Stone Countertop: Ocean Black Slate by Ciot
All plumbing fixtures Flyte in polished nickel by Waterworks
Lighting: Ceramic crackled sconce
Nursery
Wallpaper: Magical Forest in Multi from Chasing Paper
Walls: Peignoir from Farrow & Ball and trim in Pacific Sea Teal
Crib: Babyletto Hudson 3-In-1 Convertible Crib in washed natural from Pottery Barn
Floor Cushion: Tree Stump Pouf in polyester from Maisonette
Rug: Lorena Canals Tribu Washable Rug in olive cotton from Maisonette
Table Lamp: Pao Portable Lamp in white polycarbonate from Hay
Floor Lamp: Green Touch Floor Lamp in steel from Crate & Kids
Table: Side Passage Stool in natural oak from DWR
Shelving: Kroft Floating Shelf for Nurseries in white ash and natural leather
Lighting: Willow Leaf Flush Mount in metal wire, sheet metal and gold leaf finish from Anthropologie
Kids Bath
Lighting: 1 Arc Vanity in blackened brass and walnut from Allied Maker
Backsplash, counter and vanity: Light Jade Stone by Ciot
Wall and shower Tile: Zellige Tile in Casablanca by Zia
Floor Tile: Zellige Tile in Emerald by Zia
Medicine Cabinet by Cielo
All plumbing fixtures Flyte in polished nickel by Waterworks
Laundry / Dog bath
Custom white oak millwork and butcher block counter and dog bath in soapstone designed by FTA