Getting Away

July 15, 2017

This striking Bridgehampton home was designed with reclaimed wood from an old Brooklyn factory

This Bridgehampton estate combines the rustic rural farmhouse with the grittiness of a Williamsburg loft. The Brooklyn-based studio TA Dumbleton Architect designed the entire property, which includes both a guest home--a project 6sqft profiled here--and this main residence. The guest home, dubbed the WE Guest House, boasts an open 3,000-square-foot layout, double-height windows and insulated stucco walls. The main property, called the WE House, utilized reclaimed wood from a Brooklyn factory, board concrete and casement windows to make a strong design statement.
See the blend between farm and loft

July 13, 2017

10 artsy daycation escapes from NYC to visit this summer

By Lori Zimmer

For some of us, the idea of a summer vacation is a fantastical memory from childhood, now seeming a far cry from demanding jobs and lack of PTO. But the same cultural rejuvenation can be yours—if only for a day. Whether by bus, train or if you want to get fancy and rent a car, an art-filled daycation could be just what you need this summer to get that vacation glow. From Jackson Pollock's Hamptons studio and Dia Beacon's minimalist art collection to the Rockefeller family's historic mansion Kykuit and the Gilded Age ruins of Bannerman Castle, we've rounded up 10 artsy day trips that are just a stone's throw from NYC.
All the best escape here

July 3, 2017

Escape to a Bali retreat that’s no further than the Hudson Valley

By Michelle Cohen

If you're looking to get out of town but you're uninspired by the usual country inns, historic schoolhouses, and rustic log cabins, this unusual Hudson Valley vacation property could be just the tranquil escape for you (and up to nine of your closest friends). The Hudson Valley Bali House Retreat in Rosendale, New York combines a country setting with details that were inspired by vacations in Bali and Thailand. Built using materials imported from Indonesia, this exotic compound makes visitors forget they're only about 90 minutes from Midtown.
More this way

May 29, 2017

$700K modern ‘tree house’ on Fire Island is a minimalist’s dream summer getaway

By Michelle Cohen

A long weekend that heralds the start of summer living is a good time to think about beach house possibilities. This thoughtfully-designed house at 10 First Walk in the in Davis Park area of Fire Island feels like an airy cabin or a more polished tree house–or a little bit of both (h/t Brick Underground). With three bedrooms and a well-appointed kitchen and dining area, and a location that's a block from the ocean, it's got just enough going on to keep things focused on enjoying your summer getaway.
See more of this seaside retreat

May 25, 2017

Here’s your chance to vacation inside a geodesic dome in the woods for just $46/night

By Emily Nonko

Airbnb offers no shortage of unique vacation rentals, but this geodesic dome is really something. The 165-square-foot hut is located on a farm in the woods outside Bethlehem, Connecticut, there's no power, heat or air conditioning, and the kitchen and bathroom are located about 100 feet away inside the property's main house—imagine it as a form of camping. While you may be "roughing it" during your stay, you'll also be surrounded by forest in a mesmerizing dome built of pine sourced right from the property. As the owners put it, it's a "very peaceful space where you can get in touch with nature and yourself." The vacation rental is asking $46 a night.
Take a peek inside the dome

Getting Away

May 24, 2017

Stay in an Adirondack tree house retreat this summer

By Emily Nonko

If you're looking for a unique summer retreat not far from NYC, here's your answer. This cozy treehouse is nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, nine miles from the upstate town of Saratoga Springs. In this quiet, remote locale, a winding staircase takes you from a patio up the tree and into a wood cabin. It's outfitted with everything you'd need, including a bathroom, lofted bed, and built-in storage. And right outside the sleeping quarters is a covered porch perfect for reading or writing. For such a quiet, private retreat, it'll cost $179 a night.
See inside the tree house

Getting Away

May 22, 2017

Three tiny beach cabins are up for rent on NY Harbor this summer

By Michelle Cohen

If smelly subway platforms and sweaty tourist hordes start to loom large this summer, there might be cabin for two on the shores of New York Harbor with your name on it. Gateway National Recreation Area–which includes Fort Tilden, Jacob Riis Park, Floyd Bennett Field, Great Kills Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and Canarsie Pier–and Getaway, a company that provides pop-up camping houses, are placing three tiny cabins along NYC's harbor shore to provide a place to spend a quiet summer night in a national park, reports Gothamist.
Check it out

Getting Away

May 6, 2017

For just $450K, a charming Connecticut cottage with a unique musical history

By Emily Nonko

This Connecticut home, which is beyond quaint and has been dubbed the "Sunset cottage," comes with a musical backstory dating from more than a century ago (h/t CIRCA). In 1900, the former farmhouse served as a summer dormitory and reading room for students at the Greene School of Music. Sixty years after the school shuttered in 1924--and after a full renovation into a home--musician Paul Fenick snatched it up. He often used the space to perform with his bluegrass band, The Still River Ramblers. The school's library was converted to a practice space, and framed album covers, concert posters, and artist photographs were hung on the walls. Now the cozy house, located in the heart of Brookfield’s Historic District, is up for sale asking $449,900.
Tour the house right this way

April 30, 2017

This $1.3M converted barn in Garrison, NY hails from the horse and buggy era with the modern feel of a loft

By Michelle Cohen

Tucked away amid the dirt roads and country atmosphere of Garrison, NY, fifty miles from Manhattan in Putnam county, this 1840s brick carriage house at 65 Indian Brook Road is the kind of home you rarely find in either city or hamlet. The 4,000 square-foot, three-bedroom home (h/t Circa), asking $1.295 million, has open loft-like proportions, hand hewn beams, a cozy wood-burning stove and high ceilings, with modern details like floor-to-ceiling glass, central air and a gunite pool off the back patio.
Take the tour, and check out the pool

April 22, 2017

Stay in a 180-square-foot ‘Glass House’ in the Hudson Valley for $145/night

By Dana Schulz

ESCAPE Homes, who build "travel-ready" tiny RVs, have put their latest offering in the Hudson Valley up on Airbnb for $145/night. Known as "The Glass House," the super-compact, 180-square-foot getaway shares the rectangular footprint and oversized windows of Philip Johnson's masterpiece, but other than that, this rental is one-of-a-kind. Solar powered and off-grid, it sits on 30 acres of rolling hills just 90 minutes from Manhattan and can fit a queen-size bed, fully functional kitchen, dining area, and full bath with a tub/shower in its itsy footprint.
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Distinctive 1969 modern Westchester County home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte asks $1.1M

By Michelle Cohen

Nestled in a wooded enclave in the tranquil town of Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County, NY, this striking midcentury modern house was built by noted architect of the day Roy Sigvard Johnson, who may have been an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright, according to Curbed–and it's evident that he admired Wright's work. The house, one of several east coast modern gems, is unique inside and out, embracing the beauty of the land surrounding it. Most amazing are features–like a stone waterfall that ends in a heated Jacuzzi and a folded glass wall that wraps the home's stone paths and gardens–where nature and house meet. The 2,574 square-foot four-bedroom house at 543 Scarborough Road is asking $1.1 million.
Take the tour

March 15, 2017

Marvelously mod prefab guest house was built in just two days time

By Rebecca Paul

While many vacation homes are the result of an elaborate design process and lengthy construction, this house located in rural New York was designed and then built using prefabricated elements in just a couple of days. The U.S. firm Desai Chia Architecture is responsible for the single-story rectilinear space, also known as LM Guest House. The 2,000-square-foot prefab oasis is located in Dutchess County (about two hours north of Manhattan) and situated on a rocky outcrop of land that overlooks a trout pond and farm.
READ MORE

March 13, 2017

Studio Tack transforms an old motor lodge into a minimalist boutique hotel in Upstate New York

By Rebecca Paul

This 1960s guesthouse in upstate New York was recently transformed into a charming boutique hotel by the Brooklyn-based design firm Studio Tack. The Scribner's Catskill Lodge boasts a modern yet rustic aesthetic, highlighting both good design and the property's expansive mountain views. The hotel is located close to Hunter Mountain's popular ski slopes, which are all visible from inside the cozy hotel.
READ MORE

March 13, 2017

Modern-spotting: The lost Eichlers of Rockland County, New York

By Michelle Cohen

Yes, there are Eichler homes in New York! They are sometimes called "lost Eichlers," as most of noted mid-20th-century developer Joseph Eichler's homes exist in Northern and, to a lesser degree, Southern California. Three custom-built Eichler houses were constructed (and still stand) in the Rockland County, New York community of Chestnut Ridge, just north of Eichler's hometown of New York City. Joseph L. Eichler, whose modernist tract homes can be found throughout the Bay Area in Northern California as well as the Greater Los Angeles area, was one of the most celebrated residential homebuilders of the mid-20th century. His homes are enthusiastically “collected” by modern design buffs, and their renovations appear on the covers of design and home decor magazines like Dwell and Metropolitan Home.
Find out how a tiny East Coast enclave continues to enjoy the Eichler lifestyle

February 27, 2017

Upstate waterfront hotel/restaurant with a quirky owner’s apartment asks less than $1M

By Emily Nonko

Now here's an opportunity to own something really unique, if you're willing to decamp New York City to run a historic hotel upstate. The Pleasant Beach Hotel, at 14477 Fancher Avenue in Fairhaven, has hit the market for $975,000. Less than $1 million will get you a nine-room hotel, as well as a bar, restaurant, private pier, and an attached owner's apartment. With incredible views out toward Lake Ontario, this hotel has been in business since 1910... and is looking for its tenth owner to carry on the traditions of the charming waterfront getaway.
Take the grand tour

February 24, 2017

J.P. Morgan’s 120-year-old ‘Great Camp Uncas’ in the Adirondack wilderness reduced to $2.7M

By Michelle Cohen

A standout even among the region's Great Camps, the secluded Camp Uncas was built in 1895 by Brooklynite William West Durant, who is credited with perfecting the iconic Adirondack Great Camp style. The compound's biggest claim to fame, however, is that it once belonged to financier J.P. Morgan, who purchased the 1,500 acre property from Durant in 1897; for the fifty years that followed, it served as a vacation home for Morgan and his family. Though the property has traded hands several times since, the appeal of its iconic architecture remains as compelling as its history. Designated as a national landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2010, this historically significant piece of the Adirondacks is for sale for $2.7 million, reduced from its original 2015 ask of $3.25M.
Explore this extraordinary historic property

Hamptons home prices sag as luxury buyers head to hipper Hudson Valley

Image: Hudson Woods by Drew Lang

February 14, 2017

Hamptons home prices sag as luxury buyers head to hipper Hudson Valley

By Michelle Cohen

The megawatt real estate of the Hamptons may be suffering from shrinkage as a new generation of glitterati increasingly chooses the rustic charm of upstate New York instead. Business Insider reports a surge in the popularity of second homes and tourist activity in Hudson Valley and Catskills towns—and a corresponding dip in Hamptons home prices—in 2016.
Is Upstate the new East End?

February 3, 2017

Win this Catskills cabin with a 200-word essay

By Michelle Cohen

In a non-traditional run around the local real estate market, one enterprising couple is attempting to sell their Bethel, N.Y. vacation house by inviting buyers to submit a 200-word essay on, ““How would owning the lakefront dream home change your life?” along with $149. Andrew Bares and Kelly Lavorgna had attempted to sell the two-bedroom cabin on five-and-a-half acres at 391 Woodstone Trail twice in the last four years without success, which prompted them to undertake this slightly different angle on the prospective buyer's "sweetheart letter." If the contest attracts 5,500 applicants, it will bring the sellers $819,500 for the house (h/t New York Times).
So what's the catch?

January 22, 2017

SPACE T2: A 1959 hunting shack transformed into an off-grid studio by Steven Holl

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Space T2 is a minimal artist studio located in Rhinebeck, NY. Steven Holl Architects built the off-grid cabin using what remained of a 1959 hunting shack, dressing the exterior in a sleek black wood skin while keeping the interior core a cool and contrasting white. The tiny abode rests on a handful of stilts that have been embedded in the sloping earth below.
Learn more about this former shack

January 10, 2017

Cuomo announces 750-mile Empire State Trail, a continuous trail connecting NYC to Canada

By Diane Pham

Joggers, walkers, cyclists, cross country skiers and just about anyone who can move their feet will in the very near future be able to follow a single trail direct from the bottom of Manhattan all the way to the border of Canada. This morning Governor Cuomo announced that the state would invest in building a $200 million Empire State Trail that would span 750 miles and become the largest, state multi-use trail in the nation. The project would build upon two existing but incomplete trailways—the Hudson River Valley Greenway (now 50 percent complete) and the Erie Canalway (now 80 percent complete)—and essentially run from Battery Park City all the way up to the Canadian border in the North Country, and from Albany to Buffalo.
more details this way

January 4, 2017

Live like Theodore Roosevelt in an updated log cabin upstate for $1.15M

By Emily Nonko

This rustic cabin was built in the early 1900s on land that was part of Theodore Roosevelt’s 1897 Campfire Club. And that's not the only presidential connection the property comes with: it's also located upstate in Chappaqua, hometown of the Clintons. Asking $1.15 million, the cabin was renovated and doubled in size by the current owners in 2005, who managed to preserve the feeling of the original, retro cabin. And although you're living out in the woods, it's only a 50 minute trip into Manhattan.
Check out the full property

November 18, 2016

This 1755 Connecticut cottage is asking just $360K

By Emily Nonko

For the same price as a modest Manhattan apartment, this adorable 18th century Connecticut cottage could be yours. The cedar-sided home was constructed in 1755 in the town of Clinton, at 11 Pearl Street. More recently, the interior got a full renovation, meaning that the inside is surprisingly modern. Best yet, its located in a quaint town just outside of New York Side, and is only a five minute walk to the MetroNorth Railroad. Sounds appealing? It's hit the market for $360,000.
Here's a look inside

October 11, 2016

Fall getaway: Travel to the historic Inns of Aurora for an anti-Manhattan antidote

By Dana Schulz

Now that fall is in full swing, why not take a weekend getaway upstate to the Finger Lakes wine country, where the fall foliage is in all its glory and the crisp air is perfect for cozying up next to a fire. The charming town of Aurora, located on a hill on the east side of Cayuga Lake is just a five-hour drive from the city, and here you'll find the Inns of Aurora, a collection of four very different historic properties with rooms to rent and a lot of history to share.
Join us on an historic tour of the Inns of Aurora

October 3, 2016

Escape to this Catskills school house for an idyllic upstate vacation

By Emily Nonko

This historic, former school house is the perfect upstate escape, as it's nestled on five acres of land with access to a private river. Located between three different towns--Saugerties, Catskill and Hudson--the charming building has been comfortably renovated to hold up to four guests. The rustic interior boasts high cathedral ceilings over one big open room, while your surroundings include plenty of places to swim, hike and relax. If that sounds like a dream away from New York City, the property is rentable through Airbnb for $240 a night.
Go inside the school house

September 29, 2016

Brooklyn ‘eco triplex’ with natural swimming pool and green roof renting for $1,400/night

By Emily Nonko

This Carroll Gardens townhouse may be the only one in Brooklyn that lays claim to a "natural" swimming pool in its backyard. It was renovated with eco-friendly features in mind and you can experience it yourself through Airbnb for $1,395 a night. Three floors overlook ecologically landscaped gardens and water features that include a natural pond with native fish and turtles. Atop the house is a green roof with its own pergola. And inside, the home is decked out with antique wood floors, clay walls, and large sunny rooms with views of the surrounding greenery.
Check out the interior

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