The Inspiration Behind This Hudson Valley Home Came From a Very Unexpected Source – a Tragic 19th-Century Shipwreck and a Grieving Widow

I always love hearing the stories and inspiration behind houses. The first question I ask most designers about a project is as simple as, what was the inspiration? And as straightforward as the question may seem, it often sparks the most interesting conversations about the spaces, the rooms, and the vision for both designer and homeowner from the very beginning.

However, the answer designer Nick Spain gave me when discussing his Hudson Valley project was not one I was expecting.

‘Prompted by our clients to compose an interior that evoked the history of their home in Athens, NY – a small town on the banks of the Hudson – and with little information available about the property’s origins, we turned to a historical plaque two blocks away on the main drag. It commemorates the wreck of the Steamboat Swallow on the shores of the then–still–forming village in 1845. We used this to build a narrative around a grieving captain’s widow whose world might’ve been upended by the accident while living at the home.’

Yes – a shipwreck and a grieving widow were the inspiration behind this house design. Thoughtfully reimagined for a family of four, the renovation balances modern living with the charm of its historic bones. Terracotta floors, neo-Gothic banquettes, and shaker cabinetry mingle effortlessly with mid-century and contemporary touches. Every corner tells a story.

Here, Nick talks through the renovation, the rooms, and the reconfiguration that transformed this once–cramped 19th-century Victorian farmhouse into a practical, welcoming family home.

‘The clients are middle-aged, and both work from home, and like many people during the pandemic, they realized that the setup they had just wasn’t working,’ begins Nick. ‘I also think being home so much during that time helped them to realize just how misaligned their space was with who they are as people and the place they have chosen to live.’

‘So a big part of the brief was that they wanted the home to reflect this area they love so much, which they described as “rural, agricultural, and historical, but not too fancy.” So it was interesting to blend some of the more stately features of the home with a more approachable sensibility, but try to do it in a way that felt unexpected.’

‘To help tie the home to the surrounding area per the clients’ request, and because we had very little public information to work from about its origins, we crafted a narrative around a grieving captain’s widow since there was a plaque commemorating a ferry crash in the 19th century just down the street.’

‘That’s what resonates with me most about the home – the way that we were able to imbue it with a kind of approachability that still feels restrained and (hopefully) elegant, all while blending time periods and reference points. That’s because, despite it being a historic home, there’s still a bevy of contemporary elements that slot in nicely without screaming at you. That’s largely because the client appreciates a good amount of eclecticism, so materiality and form were carefully considered from the jump.’

‘The home itself was lovely from the start. A relatively highbrow historical farmhouse on the banks of the Hudson River with many of the original features intact. This lent it a certain charm, but it also meant that it was lacking in modern amenities for 21st-century living – ample storage, updated electrical, HVAC, etc.’

‘But the family of four had only one large bathroom upstairs that had to be shared by everyone, and there wasn’t a lot of privacy. Additionally, the kitchen had been updated in the early aughts with builder-grade materials that didn’t really feel like they belonged in any particular place or were reflective of the client’s personal tastes and style.’

‘We had many fun surprises during the renovation, which is par for the course when you are working with historic structures. It’s part of the reason I enjoy it. I like being kept on my toes. Despite the previous renovation, a lot of knob-and-tube wiring was still intact, so all of that had to be ripped out, and the aforementioned bathroom was completely devoid of any meaningful insulation (or framing) in one of its walls, so we had to address that and do a lot of shoring up of the structure.’

‘We widened the existing hallway opening to the living room when you first enter to improve flow and overall openness of the plan, and in doing that, we salvaged and reused as much of the original trim as possible. That’s an important tip in historic renovations – never throw away your trim because you will likely never be able to match it.’

‘There were many little details like that in this project that we tried to celebrate – the hand-carved bannister and railing, wide plank flooring, and we even salvaged some of the original light fixtures because they sat so well within our new palette. Again, I’m a big proponent of salvaging as much as possible during demo. It’s better to have it than not.’

‘Given the budgetary constraints and the urgency around creating a more functional upstairs bathroom, we knew that we had to update the kitchen with a light touch but also wanted to make sure it was cohesive with the vision for the rest of the home.’

‘We left all the existing cabinetry in place since the overall storage plan was functional and the client appreciated the door fronts. So we made mostly cosmetic changes – swapping the existing backsplash for one in a shade of marigold, adding terracotta floor tile in a pattern that delights the eye and feels slightly unexpected while still regionally appropriate, replacing the existing pendants with lovely ones by Daniel Fosbery, and giving everything a fresh coat of paint in more soothing shades.’

‘We also added a new wood-burning stove and repurposed an old pew from a vacant church down the road into a corner dining banquette. It ended up being a very nice decorative flourish against the rusticity, but it still feels at home in the space, likely because it was sourced locally.’

‘We also tried to lean heavily into local salvage shops and thrift stores, especially for pieces where there were tight budgetary constraints, and reuse items when possible. The table in the kitchen banquette was picked up for a few hundred dollars at a nearby antique warehouse, and existing chairs were reupholstered with added skirting for a little historical detailing. This served two functions: 1) tying the house to its current owners and the surrounding area, and 2) affording us the ability to have a higher spend for other items and finishes, like bath tile or key light fixtures.’

‘I think many people can take design a little too seriously and don’t leave enough room for play and experimentation. I am a writer as well as a designer, so I do think the most important thing for me is to create the framework for what kind of story you want to tell. By that, I don’t mean stories that you want to tell to impress other people (e.g., “I have good taste” or “Aren’t I interesting?”), because ultimately that’s putting style over substance and will fall short. Rather, you should build something that resonates with both you and the space itself, ideally in a way that blends the two.’

‘So for this project, we dove into pictures and books of old steamboat interiors, stealing a few millwork details and selecting an old church pew in a neo-Gothic style for the kitchen banquette that feels like it could’ve been yanked right out of the Swallow herself.’

‘We examined the paintings and palettes of Andrew Wyeth to see how he expresses a certain sense of longing. We revisited passages from Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking to remind ourselves of the kind of fantasies that unfold in our brains as we mourn. We tried to choose compositions and features that are representative of these flights of fancy.’

'One of the last things completed is a custom mural in the hallway by the artist Nina Barry. It’s a view of the Hudson that’s meant to commemorate the scene of the tragedy, even though the view itself is from the cliffs of West Point about an hour downriver. It’s the first thing you see upon entering the home, with the original light fixture still overhead, and its placement ensures you encounter it repeatedly throughout the day until night falls and it’s time to turn off the lights and head to bed. It’s a beautiful vista put on a loop that you can’t escape, no matter how much you might like to, and it will be there again in the morning.'