Spectacular Lake View in South Tuxedo

We had the pleasure of working on a home that was well-designed and functional.  The kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms only required minor work.  Our focus was on the main entertaining areas – the family room, dining room and living room.  The dining room was one step up and ringed by a series of large round columns, which made it feel disjointed and dated – and remined us of a carousel.  Our clients wanted the sitting area at the front of the house to be cozier and to incorporate a television.  The living room’s 20-foot ceiling was amazing, and its wall of glass afforded a terrific view of the pool and the lake.  However, its fireplace needed updating.  Then, there was the staircase. It was concealed by a large curved wall of drywall and it blocked views. 

The dining room’s platform was removed to bring it to the level of the adjacent living room.  When the cladding was removed, we found that the columns could be much smaller.  The new columns were square and perfectly fabricated in mirror-finish stainless-steel by the irreplaceable Fred Troost.  These changes connected the dining area to the living room. 

The front sitting room became a comfortable family room with the addition of a linear gas fireplace, audio-visual cabinet, recessed TV, and sectional sofa.  Rift-cut walnut and a hand-picked slab of dark brown marble add the luxury.

The living room was modernized with a long linear gas fireplace, surrounded by more mirror-finish stainless steel; a honed black granite hearth; and a feature slab of honed Ocean Blue travertine.  Flooring throughout this area is a light natural-tone hardwood.

The enclosed staircase was demolished to open up the space.  It was replaced by the graceful curve of a solid wood handrail and taut stainless-steel cables secured to the sides of the thick cantilevered treads, which seam to float off the curved wall. 

Move-in – early 2015.

Photographs provided by Claire Hoffer