Gray (siding) by Benjamin Moore, color matched by Sherwin-Williams; Wrought Iron (darker trim); Cinder (medium trim); Pale Oak (white trim); Onyx (window frames and doors).
Had Domino’s design director Brit Ashcraft and her husband, Sean, known back in 2019 that their Hudson, New York, retreat would eventually become their full-time home, they may have thought twice about it. “When you’re here for just a weekend, it doesn’t matter if you only have one bathroom, no dishwasher, and no garage,” says Brit. The fact that said bathroom is located on the second floor—one level down from the primary bedroom—was also no biggie. What the circa-1887 Victorian house lacked in modern day conveniences, it made up for in character: there’s not one straight wall in the house and stained glass windows fill the twisty stairwell with colorful, dappled light. “The first time we saw it, I thought it looked like a witch’s house, like something from Hansel and Gretel,” Brit remembers. She was smitten.
Fast forward a year-and-a-half into owning the property, the couple decided to leave their Manhattan rental for good and move permanently to the Hudson Valley. Instead of embarking on a massive extension or gut renovation to make it more suitable for everyday life, they decided to love the home as it was, with a few thoughtful cosmetic updates thrown in. “We mastered the art of splurge vs. save,” says Brit. Spending a little more money on a wall-mounted toilet made the cramped bathroom feel bigger, while they swapped the granite kitchen counters for basic butcher block that they stained and sealed themselves.
The previous owners had lovingly maintained the house, but its dated wallpapers and yellow exterior were too on the country-Victorian nose. Brit had something slightly edgier in mind. “I wanted to stay true to the architecture without being kitschy. That’s why I brought in a lot of black and chrome,” she shares. The couple’s belongings are an eclectic reflection of all the places they’ve lived: mid-century modern pieces from their years in California, Art Deco-inspired finds from their Upper West Side apartment, and, now, a mix of locally sourced antiques. Naturally, we had to ask them for a full tour—and it did not disappoint.
Brit: The first thing we did was update the entire bathroom. We yanked out everything, replaced the laminate flooring with black hex tile, and painted the wainscoting black. We also swapped the dated wallpaper for one with metallic swans—it was a splurge but because it’s not a big room, it was worth it. | Wallpaper, Nina Campbell; Toilet, Kohler; Paint, Space Black by Benjamin Moore; Sink, Signature Hardware; Sconce, Shades of Light; Lamp, Amazon; Shade, Lamps Plus. Brit: We updated the kitchen in two phases. Immediately upon moving in, we painted the walls and cabinets to brighten it up, removed the decorative trim to modernize it a bit, replaced the black granite with butcher block, and updated all the hardware and lighting. It was good enough, but we knew it wasn’t exactly what we wanted. So this year, we finally sat down and planned it out. | Cabinet and Wall Paint, Dibber by Farrow & Ball; Backsplash Tile, Zia Tile; Faucet and Pendant, Etsy; Countertop Stain, Minwax; Bowls, Hand Towels, and Vase, Hawkins New York. Brit: My husband recently saw a Domino Instagram post of a color-drenched kitchen, sent it to me and said, “I want to do this.” We had already pulled some nice mossy greens for the cabinets and thought…why not? Let’s douse the entire room in green! We probably tested 10 colors. We splurged on Farrow & Ball’s Dibber (the perfect Martini olive green) because it has so much depth and looks beautiful no matter what. We also added a much-needed backsplash in 2×2 checkers, stained the butcher block countertops a richer brown, and updated all the hardware and lighting (again) to unlacquered brass. | Knobs, Etsy; Pulls, Rejuvenation; Range, Copper Home. Brit: Updating the kitchen without a full renovation was challenging. The fridge is still awkwardly in a corner but that’s life. We couldn’t add counters to the sides of the sink because it would have covered the windows. Instead, we added a little table next to it that serves as our prep space and drying rack. Brit: When we first moved in, we had a crew come and paint the entire house using the same white color for the walls and gray for the trim. Even the kitchen cabinets matched the trim. I figured it would be a blank slate, and in a lot of ways it has been, but I wish we hadn’t rushed it as much and tested more colors. The white we chose has green undertones and the accent color can look purple in the winter. It feels too cool. A friend of mine who was a house painter for a long time told me you should always go warmer than you think. I wish I had gone with his advice. | Trim Paint, Onyx by Benjamin Moore; Chandelier, Rejuvenation; Dining Chairs, Safavieh. Brit: The candy dish on our bar top is full of dice we’ve collected over time. We both love playing Yahtzee, so whenever family comes over, everyone gets to pick their favorite color. Brit: We’ve gone through three sofas to figure out which one works best. I knew we needed a big sectional with hard-wearing upholstery and it had to be low enough to the ground so that our cats can’t hide under it when it’s time to take them to the vet. We loved how modern this Crate & Barrel one was. It takes up most of the living room but it works because the rest of the space is open. | Lamp, West Elm; Sofa, Crate & Barrel; Side Table, Wayfair; Pillows from Rugs Direct, Etsy, and Amazon; Art Light, Amazon.
Brit: I don’t like the big light! Luckily, because this is an older house, a lot of the rooms don’t have overheads. In the living area, we brought in sconces around the fireplace that are high and bright. The low West Elm lamp in the corner is really soft. I can’t not buy a good lamp when I see one.
Brit: My IKEA office shelves quickly took on a life of their own. A lot of the objects are gifts and treasures from close friends and family: A Oujia board and tarot cards from my husband; a crystal ball gifted from a coworker; a Weinermobile (also a gift from Sean because we saw it in real life one day in L.A. and I cried out in pure joy); a painting from artist Benjamin Saulnier; a lamp that belonged to my friend Nadia’s noni (or grandmother); my own grandma’s jewelry box. | Shelving and Desk, IKEA; Lamp, Etsy.Brit: I recently DIY’d a large pinboard that’s now covered in pictures of my grandma and mom when they were young, notes from friends, and image clippings that make me feel something. I had all of these shoved into the frame of a mirror in my office but it was getting so crowded I couldn’t see it all. It feels like I’m surrounded by all of the people and art that I love. | Pendant, Zara Home;Rug, Article; Chair, Sixpenny. Sean: I’m a nostalgist, a maximalist, and a relentless collector, so being surrounded by things that remind me of being a kid makes me happiest in my office. One set of shelves holds my vintage Kenner collection of Star Wars toys from the late ’70s; action figures, ships, and playsets in the original packaging along with a complete collection of puzzles in sealed original boxes. Beneath it all sits an original print by Jeremiah Wallis of the entire run of Star Wars action figures from 1977-1985. I need more wall space!
Sean: On the opposite set of shelves, there’s more pop culture goodness, including all the original Indiana Jones action figures from Raiders of the Lost Ark mixed in with the Delorean from Back to the Future, Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters, a custom LEGO of my 1983 Volvo 245, some vintage car models and art books, original art from Olly Moss and Matt Stallings, all topped off with the 12 Star Wars action figures that I owned when I was a starry eyed 7-year old in 1977. | Desk Chair, DWR; Desk, West Elm.
Sean: In the corner is one of my most prized possessions: an original 1977 Italian movie poster for Star Wars (creases and all), surrounded by my album collection. | Table Lamp, IKEA.
Brit: I’m usually not a fan of shoving a bed into a corner, but after watching guests hit their knees on the frame and have nowhere to put their bags, I shoved it into the corner. And it works: it opens up the room, allows for movement, and somehow feels more thoughtful. Our closets are also so small they are basically useless, so I’ve added hooks, blanket ladders, and baskets of all sizes to almost every room so that everyday stuff is tucked away. | Blanket Ladder and Bed Frame, Wayfair; Bench, Perigold; Floor Lamp, Safavieh; Lamp Shade, Rejuvenation; Curtains, West Elm; Lumbar Pillow, Etsy. Brit: One day, I was looking on Pinterest to find Victorian kitchen layouts and I saw my exact kitchen floor plan, which led me to a book that had our house embossed on the cover. I found out that it was part of these homes from the 1800s where you could buy the architectural plans and build them. You can even see the stained glass windows in the illustrations. Brit: Have I fallen down the stairs in the middle of the night? Yeah, I have. But that’s just part of it! This spot is another perfect reading nook in our house that my cat now owns.
Brit: We moved the bed around three times and found this was the best spot where we could both easily get in and out. It’s sort of the room where everything goes that doesn’t fit in the rest of the house. There are stacks and stacks of art leaning against the wall that we don’t know what to do with (including a larger-than-life print of Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter that I’m dying to hang somewhere); a lounge chair that came with me from the city that I can’t part with, and even more books. | Bed Frame, Wayfair; Duvet, Quince; Duvet Cover, Bed Skirt, Sconces, Amazon; Quilt, Collectiv Co.; Throw Pillow, Etsy.
Brit: On the weekends, I am not an early riser, so I usually have slow mornings with coffee outside while my dog, Gertie, and barn cat, Patches, wander around the yard and play together. Then maybe we’ll grab lunch in town at Kitty’s and go vintage shopping for weird stuff and art. We have a projector screen that we hang from our pool railing, so at night we’ll watch a movie (we love terrible B-movies) to shake off any Sunday scaries.
