Wilderkill Retreat
We built this place as a refuge from the pace and intensity of the city, as a way to slow down and connect with nature, to blend indoors and outdoors in every season.
Located on a 200 year old farm 100 miles north of New York City, Wilderkill is a twelve-acre property in the Hudson Valley that faces the ridgeline of the Catskill Mountains.
Wilderkill is a place of retreat, community, and reflection, where small groups and families can gather to contemplate how to be human in the midst of a climate crisis, and how we might build sustainable social, economic, and ecological support systems for our local communities in the coming decades.
Our concept is to explore the experience of outside/inside and vice versa. Inside, the outside becomes an object of contemplation and awe. This attempt is to blur the boundaries between both and create a transitional experience between both to connect with this place.
Barn - Outside
Barn - Inside
Sauna - Outside
Sauna - Inside
Tents - Outside
Tents - Inside
Farmhouse - Outside
Farmhouse - Inside
In the dozen years we have been coming here we realized that the land is best enjoyed when the experience is shared with others. Over the past 5 years I have been building and gently crafting the land through experiential design to make the time spent here more immersive with the natural ecosystems, through paths and small design interventions that highlight the natural features and encourage you to sit and observe, commune or meditate. The only way we are going to learn to take care of nature is to connect with it. The best way to connect with nature is to surround yourself in it.
Kidville Playground
Frozen pond - Ice Rink
Igloo - Temporary shelter
I think that natural, weathered materials always make an indoor space more livable, but sunlight is key and leaving clues to tell the story of a space through the design helps us connect and feel a sense of purpose.
My personal style has always been a little Scandinavian meets Japanese minimal meets Shaker when it comes to interiors. I didn’t think much about interior design or furniture for that matter, until I studied abroad in my junior year at RISD. I vividly remember arriving to Stockholm, Sweden January 8, 2001. It was dark, cold and I didn’t know anyone. But my school Konstfack was amazing and the people were kind and warm, once you got to know them. Coming from Boston, I knew winter, but this was inhospitable to say the least. Stockholm is an expensive city, so as students most of the hanging out was in apartments, and any museum that we could get into for free. During these months I came to have a great appreciation for interior design and the objects that filled these places. I realized just how important having bright open uncluttered spaces can be to your wellbeing, especially when you can’t comfortably be outdoors, unless you are on the move. I came back with lifelong friends and an obsession for interior design and furniture.
Upstate home
Upstate home
Brooklyn home
Brooklyn home
Rucola restaurant
Rucola restaurant