Inside a Nostalgic Catskills Home Where English Country Meets Americana Charm
Walking into this Catskill Mountains home, you are immediately greeted with enchanting colors, patterns, and decorative pieces that envelop you with a sense of joy
In Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle, he evocatively describes the Catskill Mountains as 'swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country.' Their beauty has long been a magnet – and especially so for the owners of this timber-clad retreat in the heart of the Catskills.
The property’s enchanting interior sings with color and pattern, thanks to the talents of British-American interior designer Lauren Carlucci.
Kitchen: Having artworks and rugs in cook spaces make them feel characterful. Breakfast stool, Serena & Lily. Mochaware bowl, Reed Smythe & Company
She was always a cheerleader when I was going through the transitions to moving into interior design, and she called me to ask me to do up the home for her, so it was really exciting to work with a friend in a very different way,' she notes.
Nell already had a vision of the house design she craved.
'The interior needed to feel deeply personal, and the references spanned Austrian and Swiss chalets. English country homes storylined throughout, as well as very relaxed American western mountain homes,' Lauren says.
Bunk Bedroom: This scheme is rooted in dark greens, with a traditional red patchwork quilt providing contrast. Custom wallpaper and bedding, Hill House Home. Cushion in Tyrol by Pierre Frey. The quilt is vintage. The deer illustrations on the wall are reproductions of Richard Lydekker’s The Deer of All Lands
Lauren also planned deft touches that lace in local design lore with Americana and folk pieces throughout, and an English sensibility absorbed during her upbringing also influenced her decisions.
'It has such a rippling influence in how I’m choosing things – perhaps a reference from my grandparents’ home, or the fact that my mom has Robert Kime curtains in her sitting room. All these storylines influence the way I choose fabrics or colors, or the shapes of the joinery and millwork.'
Media Room: Rich colors create a cocooning space. Vintage snowshoes and a framed vintage baby’s crib quilt adorn the walls. Ottoman in Knurl linen in Brick, Howe at 36 Bourne Street, and medium corduroy in Conker, Rose Uniacke, with Samuel & Sons piping. Walls in Inchyra Blue, Farrow & Ball
The project was somewhat of a balancing act, with Nell being more of a maximalist and loving pattern and bolder colors, while her husband Teddy gravitated toward more minimalist contemporary lines.
'Juggling that juxtaposition actually made for such a successful project because we were able to layer things like more Bauhaus-shaped lighting against these really beautiful antique rugs that were already owned by Nell, and on top of that, we layered velvets or the roll arms or the bobbin shape or the little flange on the cushions,' says Lauren.
'The resulting tension also prevents the interior from feeling overly traditional or contemporary. It all feels very cohesive, but balanced and still joyful.'
Living Room: ‘The wallpaper brings a sense of nostalgia, but it’s very playful and joyful,’ says Lauren. Picnic wallpaper, Långelid Von Brömssen. Custom sofa in cotton velvet in Iolite, Rose Uniacke. Lupa stool, Martin & Brockett; covered in Coverlet, Jim Thompson. Oak coffee table, Nickey Kehoe. Bobbin side table, Alfred Newall. Custom curtains, Everhem
The interplay of silhouettes from different eras and myriad influences is beautifully showcased in the living room, where shapely American ski-house-style shearling armchairs rub shoulders with the more traditional lines of the English roll-arm sofa, upholstered in an electric-blue velvet.
'The color of the velvet just sings,' says Lauren.
Bobbin tables by Alfred Newall are teamed with a playful stool, whose dapper fabric aligns with the Americana thread, along with the gingham wallpaper.
Dining Area: As this felt quite light, Lauren leant into it with Scandi influences such as the vintage Danish chairs. ‘The antique rug creates a very lovely balance,’ she says. Inez Linen tablecloth and Remi glazed ceramic bowls, Porta. Chairs in Ticking Stripe, Ian Mankin. Custom wall plates by Harlie Brown
A Hill House Home plaid wallpaper hugs the powder room walls.
'It’s such a beautiful tartan,' explains Lauren. 'I changed some of the colors to match the plum color in the primary bedroom and increased the saturation of the green to have a dialogue with the mudroom outside it. Everything was very intentional.'
Bunk Bedroom: Sheepskin rugs bring softness underfoot and inject additional depth to the color palette. Custom wallpaper, Hill House Home. Bunk beds, Crate & Barrel. Vintage table lamp with a Décors Barbares lampshade, John Derian. Sheepskin rugs sourced from Made in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Quilts, vintage
Earthy greens prevail in the guest bunk room, too, where the color palette was inspired by the surroundings – hence the deer prints gracing the walls.
Lauren color-matched the Hill House Home wallpaper with vintage Catskill fishing posters and punctuated the space with deep green furniture.
'The Catskills are very much a hunting, fishing, and hiking outdoorsy area,' she says. Vintage Appalachian quilts add timeless character.
Primary Bedroom: A modern four-poster bed forms the focal point of the delightful room. Folly bed, Nix by Nicola Harding. Bed curtain in Eason Check by Jane Shelton. Cushions in Nicholas Herbert, Jane Shelton and Claremont fabrics. Custom wallpaper and bedding, Hill House Home. Bench, Nickey Kehoe; covered in Robert Kime’s Meadow Flowers linen. Table lamp, Simon Pearce. Antique sconce, TAT London
Every object chosen for the project was carefully considered, and Lauren’s experience working at auction houses Phillips and Christie’s has given her invaluable expertise in decorative objects.
Some of the furniture was sourced from Croatia, side tables were bought from an antiques shop in Edinburgh, blankets from the Cotswolds, and art and decorative items from estate sales in upstate New York.
Girl's Bedroom: ‘The wallpaper felt almost alpine, so fit right into the theme,’ says Lauren. The artwork is a reproduction of a Morris bird’s nest and blue robin’s egg. Herbarium Wildflower wallpaper, Tess Newall. Quilt, vintage. Bedding, Hill House Home. Custom lampshade, Everhem
'It helped the interior feel layered and textured through all these design channels,' says Lauren.
'I wanted to integrate Americana and Shaker forms because I think a sense of place is very important and, given my background, it’s important for me to celebrate British designers, too.'
Definitely an example of a special relationship between the US and UK.
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