Guests of Rivertown Lodge in Hudson, NY, are often loath to leave. We ourselves frequently return by perusing the photos from our feature A Hotel with a Sense of Place. Proprietors Ray Pirkle and Kim Bucci found themselves responding so often to requests for extended stays and area rental recommendations that they decided to come up with a great answer: they purchased a dilapidated historic house within walking distance of the hotel and Hudson’s main drag, and turned it into Rivertown House.
Built in 1910 and “pretty destitute,” says Ray (scroll to the end to see what it looked like Before), the structure was an apt project for the duo, who, in addition to being hoteliers, run a design business they call Ramshackle Studio.
Every inch of the 1,400 square foot structure received attention, and the results are now in. The house has a newly opened up main floor, charmingly old-style new kitchen included; a stately rebuilt front stair; two well-dressed bedrooms and baths (Pirkle and Bucci know a lot about these things); an office/guest room; and lovely detailing (such as button light switches). Join us on a tour.
Photography by Lawrence Braun courtesy of Ramshackle Studio.
Above: The house has its original front door newly restored and painted Farrow & Ball India Yellow in a satin finish. The brass and milk glass Whitman Small Sconce is by Thomas O’Brien.
Above: The entry hall has a new herringbone wood floor leading to the tiled kitchen. “All of the walls had to be replaced,” reports Ray, so they created a much more open floor plan. The fridge niche occupies space borrowed from the back porch.
Go to Remodeling 101 to learn The Difference Between Herringbone and Chevron Floor Patterns.
Above: Ramshackle specializes in vintage-inspired kitchens with fresh twists (see the communal guest kitchens at Rivertown Lodge and Camptown, their revived cabin enclave in the Catskills). Here, they introduced custom Shaker-Style Cabinets and a generous island built by Vormer Cabinetry (and raised the windows to accommodate the Corian counter (in Bone, low-luster finish). The checkerboard floor is reclaimed tiles from L’Antiquario of Miami.
Above: The range is an ILVE Nostalgie II and the Pyramid Range Hood is from Ancona. Note that the cabinet design extends into wall paneling ending in a glazed countertop cabinet. The painted round knobs are the Bill 30ø in ash from Pretty Pegs,
Above: “We took down the wall between the dining room and kitchen and introduced the island to make it feel larger,” says Ray. The walls and millwork are Albany White and the island green is Crisp Romaine, both from Benjamin Moore. The deck-mounted faucet with wooden handles is by Watermark.
Above: The Jari Ellipse Dining Table is surrounded by House of Léon Teddy Dining Chairs all in white oak. The massed vintage prints on the wall are 3-D paper tole.
Above: The dining room and parlor both have Lora Pendants of scalloped recycled wood by Bruck Lighting. The vintage curved sofa is upholstered in Zak + Fox velvet.
Above: The push button light switches and switchplate covers are from Historic Houseparts.
Above: The larger of the two upstairs bedrooms has a Distrikt Bed with built-in side tables. The Simple Linen sheets and duvet are by Hawkins NY.
Above: There’s a new upstairs bath (and also a new half bath downstairs). This one has Kohler’s Farmstead Sink with Contemporary Legs and a Watermark Sutton faucet in polished natural brass. The sconces are Thomas O’Brien’s Selecta 21-inch vanity lights.
Before
Above: The 1910 house is located on a quiet residential street within walking distance of Warren Street, Hudson’s main street lined with standout antiques stores and design shops.
Rivertown House sleeps five and is newly available to rent for a minimum of two nights and a maximum of a month. Hudson is two hours by train from NYC.
Here are 13 Standout Places to Stay in the Catskills and the Hudson Valley.
More Upstate style:
- “Born Into Yesterday”: 11 Quirky Ideas to Steal from Little Cat Lodge by LoveIsEnough
- Camptown: The New High-Style Cabin Retreat in the Catskills
- The Reset Club’s Cook House, a Chic Catskills Rental, Remodeling Advice Included