Explore A Woodland Holiday Home In New York's Catskills

This pared-back woodland home showcases modern Scandi design at it's finest.

PROJECT

A modern home in the Catskills, New York, designed by architect couple Todd Rouhe and Maria Ibañez de Sendadiano, co-founders of Manhattan-based firm IDS/R Architecture.

The holiday home, which measures 2,000 square feet (185 square meres), is two-storeys high and built like a longhouse, with a rectangular footprint and a gabled roof. On the ground floor there are two bedrooms and two bathrooms at either end of the house, and an open-plan kitchen, dining area and living room in the middle. Upstairs is a mezzanine that functions as a spare room, office and storage.

EXTERIOR

The couple bought a protected wooded area on the hillside of Mount Tobias in Ulster County, New York, after wanting a more permanent place to enjoy nature. For ten years they had been travelling to the mountainous region to hike in the fresh air and unplug. The Catskills region is more mountainous and further inland than the Hudson Valley, and both are popular getaway destinations for New Yorkers. The area is also known for it's fresh water for swimming in the summer, and plenty of snow for winter sports.

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Now the property serves as a nature retreat for themselves and their two daughters.

The property is perched on a hillside that is also a watershed that provides drinking water for New York state, and the home runs on solar energy from spring to autumn.

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LIVING AREA

The project took about six months to build, with another six months to finish the interiors. Almost everything in the house is either by Danish brands Hay or Vipp, or designed by the architects themselves. Custom pieces include daybeds upstairs and the pale wood dining table in the open-plan living/dining/kitchen space. The couple also designed the wood-panelled walls, window trim and storage.

Sliding glass doors flank this space, and provide access to decks at the front and at the back of the home.

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A large grey corner sofa from Hay frames the black Rondo fireplace by Danish brand Rais. The white fibreglass rocking chair is a vintage Eames. The coffee table design is by Tina Michelle Cheng.

KITCHEN

The architects struggled to find a design solution that didn't compromise the spaciousness or minimalism of the room. This freestanding black Vipp kitchen counter includes a refrigerator, sink and stovetop built into it, and is really the piece de resistance in this kitchen.

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The tile floors are quarry and from Summitville, New York.

DINING AREA

The custom-built pale wood dining table is surrounded by Hay's Result Chairs in oak.

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BEDROOM

The paired-back bedroom features Hay's Copenhague 90 desk, as well as a few Vipp accents including lights, linens, the wool rug, pillows and ceramics.

Photography/ Eric Petschek

Lotte Brouwer

Lotte is the Digital Editor for Livingetc, and has been with the website since its launch. She has a background in online journalism and writing for SEO, with previous editor roles at Good Living, Good Housekeeping, Country & Townhouse, and BBC Good Food among others, as well as her own successful interiors blog. When she's not busy writing or tracking analytics, she's doing up houses, two of which have features in interior design magazines. She's just finished doing up her house in Wimbledon, and is eyeing up Bath for her next project.