Washington Depot is very rural, and when you turn down the gravel drive to this house, there’s a sense of retreat,” says Kevin Dumais. The designer had done the clients’ Upper West Side abode, but turning his attention to this project took on an especially neighborly spirit, as Dumais lives nearby. “Because he’s up here too, we could do things casually on Saturday mornings,” recalls the husband. Adds the wife: “He’d bring everything over, and we’d mix and match textiles and brainstorm—I loved those days.”
The couple, who have two young children and work in finance, wanted their holiday home to have the same polish and cohesion as their primary residence. “This house is expansive, so we had to figure out how to connect the spaces yet give each a different feel,” Dumais says. “We also needed to bring multifunctionality and add color and texture to make everything more inviting.”
Home Details
Interior Design:
Kevin Dumais, Dumais Interiors
Home Builder:
Robert Horrigan, Horrigan Builders
The living room’s third seating area focuses on a painting by William McLure. The JP Custom Upholstery sofa is slipcovered with Natasha Baradaran fabric, and the chairs are by BDDW. The Visual Comfort & Co. floor lamps feature burlap shades, and the hand-knotted shag is Beni.
One corner of the living room features a Nickey Kehoe sofa upholstered in a Bisson Bruneel fabric and backed by a console topped with vintage lamps from local shop George. The burl-wood coffee tables are Ian Ingersoll, and the chandelier is by Blueprint Lighting.
Another living room corner is anchored by a custom curved sofa clad in a performance bouclé from ALT for Living. The vintage English coffee table was a 1stdibs find, as were the Belgian wood chairs flanking the Ian Ingersoll games table. The rug is Kyle Bunting.
A chandelier from The Future Perfect illuminates the dining room, where the Design Within Reach chairs and table were reconceived alongside a Josh Greene Design pedestal topped with a sculpture found at Montage Antiques. Phillip Jeffries linen clads the ceiling.
The guest bedroom includes an Ian Ingersoll pencil-post bed and a wall sculpture by Dumais Made, as well as the couple’s own block prints and Eames lounger. The ceiling light is from 1stdibs, and the torchère was found at a local flea market.
A Lawson-Fenning bed grounds the primary bedroom, which is swathed in Color Atelier’s Espresso limewash paint. The chandelier is Trans-Luxe, the drapery wool is Pollack, and the rug is from Sacco Carpet. Near the window is a Trono Silvestre chair.
The offices feature Ian Ingersoll desks and Eames desk chairs from Knoll. On the walls are Wo & Wé sconces and paintings by Joseph Haske. In the lounge are a vintage Baker club chair, a Loïc Bard coffee table and a paper shade floor lamp from the Noguchi Museum shop.
The barn, the first structure one sees when arriving at the house, offers a charming country welcome. Its upper floor now functions as twin home offices and a lounge space for the owners.
Unlike in most family getaways, it’s not the kitchen that’s the heart of the home here but the living room. “I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it,” Dumais admits. “To make better use of the large space, we made three living rooms in one—a place kids, dogs and adults can all hang out.” To the right of the fireplace, he created a seating area with a plush sofa and a games table; to the left, he placed another sofa with table lamps for an idyllic reading spot; and on the wall opposite the fireplace, he paired a slipcovered sofa with leather sling chairs (the first pieces the couple bought for the home) and a live-edge coffee table made by a woodworking college friend of theirs. “We grounded the room with a patchwork hide rug because they patina nicely and layered in a shag to help define the space,” Dumais explains. Adds the husband: “In winter, we start a fire first thing, and it burns all day long—it’s a great place to be.”
In the adjacent dining room, a much smaller volume, Dumais enhanced the cozy atmosphere with a linen wallcovering on the ceiling. He kept the couple’s existing dining table and chairs but added a striped rug and captain’s chairs slipcovered in a printed fabric, all of which play to the designer’s penchant for pattern and goal of creating subtle visual connections. “I look for forms with strong silhouettes, like the lamp or the sculpture in the corner,” he explains. “Repeating similar lines ties a room together, whether you’re using something new or vintage.”
A chandelier from The Future Perfect illuminates the dining room, where the Design Within Reach chairs and table were reconceived alongside a Josh Greene Design pedestal topped with a sculpture found at Montage Antiques. Phillip Jeffries linen clads the ceiling.
For the couple’s bedroom, Dumais took a more dramatic leap by painting the walls and 12-foot-high cathedral ceiling with a rich brown limewash. “We’d been toying with going dark, so Kevin ran with it, and the finish is almost suede-like, which adds another dimension to the room,” shares the wife. In contrast, the guest room, which gets morning sunshine, was kept light and bright. There, the designer corralled the couple’s collection of block-print artworks and placed an Eames lounge chair and ottoman where guests can enjoy the woodland views—and the occasional glimpse of deer, wild turkeys and foxes.
Also part of Dumais’ role was renovating the property’s barn. Alongside general contractor Robert Horrigan, he added windows and a cupola for more natural light and converted the upper floor into a loft-like lounge with dual offices so the couple can work—if they must—while there. “I do a lot of New York City apartments and town houses, so the chance to take on a weekend retreat for this family—a destination, something celebrative—was really fun,” Dumais says. “Because it’s a vacation home, there’s an ease to how we were able to treat all of the spaces, and that gives the house a real charm.”
A Lawson-Fenning bed grounds the primary bedroom, which is swathed in Color Atelier’s Espresso limewash paint. The chandelier is Trans-Luxe, the drapery wool is Pollack, and the rug is from Sacco Carpet. Near the window is a Trono Silvestre chair.