{"id":82741,"date":"2023-10-30T14:44:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T14:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=82741"},"modified":"2023-10-30T14:47:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T14:47:09","slug":"take-me-home-country-roads-upstate-new-york","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/take-me-home-country-roads-upstate-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Take Me Home Country Roads"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Words by Yale Breslin<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s often said, the best part about living in New York City is \u2026 leaving it.\u00a0<\/strong>Temporarily putting the rat race behind you and escaping to a locale that offers all things that the concrete jungle doesn\u2019t: greenery, sweeping landscapes, calm, and the opportunity (and space) to dream. For in-demand hairstylist Tommy Buckett (and his fashion editor housemate), their goal was a sense of serenity. They recently purchased a house in Copake, New York, that was modeled after a 1845 farmhouse that sits directly across the valley, mimicking the historic one it faces on the other side of the valley. Best part? It\u2019s a short drive from where they live in the Big Apple.<\/p>\n

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Their mission was as grand as it was simple: Restore a unique property away from their city lives to help balance the chaos and noise of their complex professional schedules. And it makes sense. They\u2019ve been friends for over 15 years, so they knew what they were getting themselves into. Their home, aptly called High Meadow Tree Farm, is nestled atop nine acres on a serene country road, directly across a tree farm with majestic views of the Taconic Range and valley as its background.<\/p>\n

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Their three-bedroom \u201ccountryside treasure,\u201d as they call it, was completely restored while still preserving the structure and history of the farm. Their first step? \u201cWe just stripped it back. Way back. We slapped white on the walls and bleached all the wood and the floors to create a blank canvas,\u201d he says. \u201cThis allowed us to create an entirely fresh start.\u201d Here, we tour their unique abode and learn about their restorative (and handy) process and why working with a best friend has been their best endeavor yet.<\/p>\n

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How did you come to this idea of buying a property outside of the city?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I grew up in a small town in Michigan surrounded by nature and wilderness. Living in NYC for 20 years, I craved that. I wanted a simpler way of living on weekends and somewhere I could refocus. My housemate and I grew up very similarly. We had the same idea of what peace and quiet was and to share this with your best friend is great.<\/p>\n

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Can you tell me a little bit about the structure?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

There was one owner before us. High Meadow Tree Farm was built to mirror a house that sits directly across the valley. It\u2019s an 1845 Greek Revival farmhouse. What\u2019s amazing is that we sit across the valley directly across from the house that we are copied from, so we are mirroring each other.<\/p>\n

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What are some of the key details that are important to the home?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The thing that I love the most is that there are windows everywhere \u2013 about two or three to one wall. We don\u2019t have window treatments and it\u2019s so nice to take it all in year-round and see the seasons change. We look outside at the tree farm on one side and we see a corn field on the other. There\u2019s nothing better than the sweeping views of this magical tree farm perched on a hill above it. It really defines each season and the view is stunning.<\/p>\n

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What drew you to this property?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, it\u2019s the views of the mountains. It reminds me of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.<\/p>\n

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What did you do to transform it? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We just stripped it back. Way back. Lots of white paint. Gallons and buckets. (laughs). We refinished the floors and we took down all the cabinets in the kitchen and put in open shelves and new appliances. We also changed all the lightning fixtures around the house and sourced all new furniture. And, I can\u2019t forget, we gardened \u2013 a lot. It\u2019s been very much on a budget, which makes it so great. It just proves you don\u2019t need a lot of money for something to be beautiful.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s it like working with a friend on this project?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s very lucky we have the same taste in interiors. There wasn\u2019t a lot of fighting or combative conversations. We were on the same page with what the house needed. We\u2019ve gotten quite handy also. We find ourselves YouTubing projects and figuring out a way to do it. We\u2019re very lucky. It was a great laugh to be honest. The tree farm \u2013 The High Meadow House \u2013 is a love letter to someone very special that we lost along the way. It\u2019s a living love letter, and it has been great therapy. And we never get bored of blasting records in the middle of the night and trying paintings on of all the different walls.<\/p>\n

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The property is breathtaking. What inspired the aesthetic?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I think the interior design is white paint (laughs). We wanted it clean and simple. There\u2019s a shaker style to it with a bit of a 1970s vibe. Golden colors and warm tones with textured fabrics and pillows. We wanted the home to feel comfortable and cozy and not too fussy. When it gets too precious, you don\u2019t want to use it as much. For instance, the custom yellow shade of kitchen cabinets. We call it \u201cTawny Biscuit\u201d. We just wanted things that were lighter and more fun. The whole point is for it to be comfortable. If something spills, it\u2019s not the end of the world. Throw it in the wash and move on.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve heard lots of people talk about the community in Upstate New York. It seems to be really special. What\u2019s it like?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We used to stay with a group of friends who bought a house together, so we really fell in love with the community long before getting this house. Being here so often, you got to bump into your neighbors more and really got to know the people around you. In Copake, there are tons of age groups from young to older to retirees. It\u2019s been a really lovely community.<\/p>\n

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What do you feel like when you\u2019re away from the city?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Simply, I feel like I can breathe. It feels like returning home to myself. Living here reminds me of how my memories of childhood were. It\u2019s exactly how I remember them feeling.<\/p>\n

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Do you have a favorite part of the home?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hands down, it\u2019s the tree swing, for sure. Right now, we have a fresh batch of trees. When we first bought it, it was full of Christmas trees but now it\u2019s more leafy. The leaves just blow and shudder in the summer breeze. I also love the kitchen because it\u2019s really special to me. People will sit around the fire while someone else is cooking. It\u2019s quite a lovely way to spend a fall evening. There\u2019s also light at all times and the light changes from the morning to afternoon to evening. I think it\u2019s important that you take in the light and take the time where you can just relax and enjoy it. It changes and you see the seasons change. Spring buds into summer leaves into colors of the fall. It\u2019s all around you and you aren\u2019t covering it up.<\/p>\n

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What do you want people to feel when they\u2019re inside your home?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Comfortable. And at ease. But also, it\u2019s more of what they can hear: the frogs, the breeze and the corinthian bells.<\/p>\n

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Anything else you\u2019d like to do to the house? Or, is it done?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I mean, I always have a restoration bug. I do this in the city and in Copake. I love to renovate. I love the process of ripping things out and seeing it all go back up. I would love to do the upstairs bathroom and I would love to add a large stone patio on the front with a pergola. There are always things you want \u2013 but right now \u2013 I\u2019m very content with how the house is.<\/p>\n

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Read GRAZIA USA<\/em>\u2019s Fall Issue<\/a> featuring cover star Ziwe\u00a0Fumudoh<\/a>:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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