A Home Built with Care, A Corner Full of Soul

Today I have the pleasure of sharing with you the first completed nook of our basement renovation project.

Since moving into our home, I’ve fully committed to being here…not dwelling on what might come down the road or where else we might end up, but right here in Saratoga County in Upstate, New York.

And so, I’ve treated every project that I’ve touched since then with the same level of commitment and cup of ambition.

My goals for designing this space were twofold.

First, I wanted the space to feel like it had been here for at least one hundred and fifty years. Although our home is only about twelve years old, it was thoughtfully and beautifully designed as a Greek Revival on both the interior and exterior. Just having started growing our family, this was a win-win when we closed on the house in 2020. And we inherited a completely unfinished basement with a bit of framing and plumbing laid for what could be.

Secondly I did not want the space to feel like a basement. And thus the creative process began.

Much of this was accomplished through the incorporation of various types of wood throughout the space, and an incredible amount of carefully considered millwork.

In this first image for instance, the floors, the ceilings, the walls, and two of the fourteen doors down here were all designed with this aesthetic feel in mind.

Only see one door at first? That is because the door to the left is hidden to conceal our furnace, to which this door serves as an access panel. When we inherited the space, the furnace was out in the open, unframed. With some careful planning, it is hard to remember that this space ever looked different. Visit my Instagram page Arcadian Revival for a few before pictures.

I will share more details in time on selections, design rationale, and more for the entire space as it is finished.

The updates that are nearing completion are quite substantial, each with their own story and purpose.

For now, this sweet little corner serendipitously ended up falling into place before the others and has quickly become a favorite thus far. The millwork, lighting design, and selections here make me quite proud of my work and the transformation of this space.

The artwork is from an artist, Bridgette Meinhold, whose original work my husband and I saw at a gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on our one year anniversary trip out west.

The frame of course is a family heirloom uncovered from the farmhouse where both my grandfather, my father, and I each grew up. The gilded details can still be found when examining closely.

Both of these doors were custom-built board by board, and the chair here is one of six in a set that I acquired at Stair Galleries in Hudson, New York from the Connecticut estate of none other than Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.

This is only a glimpse of the larger renovation project. But oh how special just this little bit feels.