Callisto Farmhouse

Historic Farmhouse Gets a Modern-Meets-Upstate-Classic Refresh

Designer Amalia Graziani updated this classic 19th-century farmhouse in Upstate New York’s Hudson Valley, careful to keep its traditional architectural elements intact. Original, wide floorboards ground the property, but Graziani has updated and opened up the floor plan, flooding the prim space with light and cutting views onto the rolling hills and iconic red barn.

White walls and ceilings create a blank canvas for locally found antiques and art by regional makers. Bedrooms are spare and inviting, hung with art and elegantly furnished—two queen rooms and one king primary suite, with two bathrooms, one with a deep soaking tub. The bright chef’s kitchen is one of the home’s showplaces, with high-end appliances and a central prep island adjacent to a dining area with mid-century modern flair.

Outdoors, there’s plenty of space to spread out and relax or gather around the grill or fire pit, plus 17 acres crossed by walking trails, flowering meadows, lush green lawns and fields and a herd of resident goats.

Around

An Ulster County, Upstate gem, High Falls has become a gentle hotspot for antique and boutique shopping, great dining and drinking, interesting art and craft galleries, and its weekly Sunday Flea Market. Best known for its waterfall on Rondout Creek and several scenic canals dotted with locks, High Falls is also home to the D&H Canal Trail and a museum that celebrates the town’s local canal history. Kayaking is a popular past time in the region, and hikers have multiple paths to choose from, among them a trek of about a mile to the High Falls viewing area, home to spectacular views and several swimming holes for cooling off in when the weather heats up. Once a thriving industrial community, High Falls is sleepier and more low-key recreational today, its farm-to-table cafes and coffee shops, breweries, cider houses and market-styled grocers its main draw. The Mohonk Preserve a few miles outside of town is the largest private nature preserve in New York, occupying thousands of acres in the Shawangunk peaks. Home to “the Gunks,” the preserve is a rock climbing mecca, as well as a destination for great mountain biking, hiking, and trail running.

Location

High Falls, New York, US. Nearest airports: New York LGA (75 miles), Newark (NJ, 80 miles), New York JFK (100 miles)

Best time to visit

Spring through fall