Design that Beautifully Captures the Farm’s Unique Spirit
Homeworthy recently showcased one of our passion projects – Churchtown Dairy. If you’re a proponent of sustainable, organic living or a lover of history with style, you don’t want to miss this feature. Marina, our principal designer, collaborated with builder Rick Anderson and Abby Rockefeller to create a cozy space where guests feel welcome and enveloped in the spirit of the dairy.
Churchtown Dairy, an accessible resource on regenerative organic farming practices, is the creation of Abby Rockefeller, the great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller. The picturesque 250 acres upon which the farm in Hudson, New York sits were originally part of a larger 2,700 acres of land amassed by her mother, Peggy Rockefeller, in an effort to protect farmland. After Peggy’s passing, Abby requested this specific piece of property. Determined to bring beauty back to dairy farming, Abby asked Rick Anderson to build her a farm on this plot and told him: “It must be beautiful; small is beautiful in the world of agriculture, because when the scale is right – when it is good for the farm family, good for the animals, and good for the land – there is beauty.” And there is plenty of beauty to be found here – especially in the Guesthouse.
The Design is an Homage to History
The origin of the Guesthouse served as the foundation for its interior design choices. The structure is largely comprised of reclaimed material from an 1790 farmhouse in New Hampshire that Rick found, disassembled, and relocated to the site of Churchtown Dairy. Features like exposed wooden frames, hand-hewn wood beams, white plastered walls, and wide plank wood floors respect the structure’s roots. While Abby had an overarching idea for the interior design, she relied on Marina to bring it to life with all the details.
“I wanted to include elements of Colonial Williamsburg as Abby’s grandmother and namesake founded the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, along with antiques to create a relaxed farm, vintage vibe in the house,” said Marina. “I love to use the Colonial Williamsburg products because they ultimately support the foundation and keep American history alive for future generations.”
Marina created a comfortable and cozy place to host event presenters, event participants, and farm stay guests using her signature mix of Traditional, Modern, Global, and Fun. Many of the design pieces were culled from countless hours of hunting local vintage shops for one-of-a-kind treasures that tell a story. Below are some photos of the Guesthouse.
Front Entry Vestibule
A primitive bench with Craft and Forge pillows from WILLIAMSBURG made with patterns from an 18th-century swatch book creates a comfortable spot for taking off your shoes.
Entry Hall
The perfect period vignette with mahogany demilune table and coordinating mirror, Mottahedeh ginger jar in the Duke of Gloucester pattern, as seen in the Homeworthy feature, (which is part of the WILLIAMSBURG story that we love to support) botanical prints, and vintage candlesticks.
Living Room
Comfy and durable was the goal of this room. With so many guests, Marina combined looks and practicality with fabulous performance fabrics that not only give a nod to a specific period in history, but also stand the test of time. The textiles, coffee table from Craft and Forge, and vintage pieces create an inviting vibe.
Schumacher Pillows and Roman Shades | Fabricut Curtains | Thibaut Sofa Fabric | Cowtan and Tout Chair and Ottoman Fabric | Robert Abbey Lamps
Dining Room
An oval table is the perfect option for this space that also serves as a pass through and a hallway. The table’s simple lines, mismatched vintage windsor chairs, old Irish pine hutch, and fabrics exude a warm, casual atmosphere. The vinyl floor cloth is spill proof – ideal for all the farm meetings held here. Marina completed the look with antiques and vintage fruit prints.
Schumacher and Fabricut Curtains | Spicher Floor Cloth by WILLIAMSBURG
Kitchen
The kitchen was inspired by one Rick had seen in a French farmhouse. The cabinets are painted in Gettysburg Gray by Benjamin Moore and feature spice shelves filled with items grown or made from plants in the dairy’s medicinal garden. The floor tile is recycled from a roof in Mexico sourced from Chateau Domingue. Rick’s team cut thousands of pieces for the border. Rick also built the table, which is flanked by Thonet cafe chairs. The table is set in Imperial Blue China by Mottahedeh. The wallpaper in the back hall is from Sanderson Design Group William Morris collection.
Library
Every house needs a room like this library – it just sort of hugs you and is a great place to work while you are visiting. The foundation for its warmth lies in the paint color, which is Brickyard Red, part of the Benjamin Moore Historical Williamsburg Collection. “I love the colors from this inspired collection because they are historically accurate. There are 90 years of research behind each of the 144 colors in the palette,” says Marina. “They were created by doing scrapings from the Colonial Williamsburg Village in Virginia.” Antique William and Mary Tavern Table | Window Treatments Thibaut
Garden Bedroom
Abby’s favorite room is this bedroom because of the view overlooking the medicinal gardens. Taking a cue from its view, the room is decorated with botanical prints from The World Art Group, a Schumacher garden print on the wing chairs and bed pillows, Port 68 lamp from the WILLIAMSBURG collection with a garden theme based on an endpaper swatch found in Colonial Williamsburg, fern pattern prints and window shades from John Rosselli & Associates. The bedding is from Eastern Accents.
Blue Bedroom
“The room was designed around the blue and green quilt, which is one of my favorite color combinations to work with,” says Marina. “The colors of the sky and grass evoke a nature inspired vibe that I like to bring to my projects.”
This expansive bedroom features a sitting room and fireplace. The set of vintage hunting prints and tables were all sourced locally from antique shops.
Annie Selke and Mark Sikes Bedding | Cowtan and Tout Couch and Chair Fabric
Red Bedroom
The reds really pop against the white walls in this bedroom. The colors, combined with the botanical prints from The World Art Group, vintage tables, and fun prints and patterns on the chairs and roman shades, make you feel happy. The vintage quilt at the foot of the bed keyed off the hues for the room.
Schumacher pillows | Robert Abbey Lamps | Colefax & Fowler Roman shades
King Bedroom
The elegant king-sized 4 poster bed from Leonards New England, exposed wood beams, and warm color palette help to create the perfect space to unwind. You can relax in the French bergere chairs and read a book, or sit at one of the two desks (one of which is from the Rockefeller’s private collection) to get some work done.
“I particularly love the green and yellow tile from Portugal that surrounds the fireplace, the needlepoint carpet, and the roman window shades which sort of have a tree of life pattern that very naturally connects with all of the life on the farm,” says Marina.
Bunny Williams Red Quilt | Schumacher Pillow and Curtains | The World Art Group Bird Prints | Thibaut Chair Fabric | Annie Selke Bedspread
“The sustainable agriculture work that Abby is doing here is very important,” says Marina. “It especially hits home for me because my grandparents were farmers in Germany. When my mother immigrated to this country in the 1950s, she tended to her own garden. I realize how lucky I am to have grown up eating vegetables fresh from our land. I’m tremendously proud to have worked on this project. It’s very special to be able to welcome guests here who are reinforcing Abby’s commitment to living a sustainable life.”
The Churchtown Dairy Guesthouse is available for rent for mindfulness retreats, yoga retreats, and similar events.
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