Situated on just over an acre in Garrison, this historic Putnam property features an 1890s main house surrounded by several outbuildings. One of the structures was a one-horse stable, ca. 1940, with a rope still hanging to secure the horse that once lived there.
The homeowners—architect Annie Mennes, AIA, of Garrison Foundry Architecture and her husband David Minkin, a media executive—had the idea to transform the barn into an office for Garrison Foundry. “As an architect, you see a cool old structure and think it’ll be easy to fix up,” Mennes says. “But this structure had been neglected. It was full of snakes. It was really rotted, and there was no foundation.”
Realizing she’d have to start from scratch, Mennes proceeded to fashion a totally new building with the goal of preserving the space’s authenticity and identity. She retained a similar footprint to create a structure that could contain workspaces, an entry, and a half bathroom. “We salvaged all we could, like a lot of big wide planks of hemlock, and purchased more reclaimed hemlock to recreate the old barn walls,” she says. “And we made it more energy efficient.” On the outside, Mennes mimicked the old white lime wash stucco with concrete. The mason had to sand down his work and paint over it, so it didn’t look like a modern-day finish. “He did a great job, but it felt really perfect,” she adds. “We had to make it look imperfect—as if a farmer had done it.” Juxtaposing old with new, they installed sleek black windows for contrast.
The couple added oak beams to give the feel of a turn-of-the-century building in the interior. Mennes also worked with a millworker to secure a large piece of pine for her desk. “This structure is rooted in Hudson Valley Old World archetypes, but there are a lot of details that are simple and minimal,” she says.
To foster an airy feel, Mennes used wide-plank, white oak Mafi flooring whitened with a European soap, and installed a white pegboard in her office. Minkin’s office and workspace has a more masculine vibe with a reclaimed hemlock desk and built-in record storage. His room also has a pull-out sofa so the space can double as a guest cottage. Behind the building, a porch and firepit offer a rustic space to relax.
The homeowners recently installed a pool with a Bluestone stucco surround to tie the areas together. Materials from the original paddock were used to create the pool fence. Black and white designs tie together an existing stucco garage, pool house, and rebuilt exercise shed.
“We tried to bring everything into this modern envelope but make it feel as if they had always been there,” Mennes says. “Sometimes it’s about selectively keeping certain things and trying to enhance them.”
Architect and homeowner Annie Mennes used wide-plank, white oak Mafi flooring whitened with a European soap, and installed a white pegboard in her office.
This structure is rooted in Hudson Valley Old Word archetypes, but there are a lot of details that are simple and minimal.
Related: This 1900 Home Remodel Features a Fully Renovated Kitchen
