TL;DR
Get business pricing on tools and workshop supplies
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
A Millbrook, New York, couple built a Greek Revival-style house to bring the owner’s collection of mostly 18th- and early-19th-century English antiques out of storage. The home was completed in 2012 and designed to look settled into its Hudson Valley setting, with architect Cynthia Filkoff and designer Lynne Stair shaping its architecture and interiors.
A Millbrook, New York, couple built a Greek Revival-style home to display the owner’s collection of mostly 18th- and early-19th-century English antiques, many of which had been in storage. Completed in 2012, the new house was designed to appear established in its Hudson Valley landscape rather than as a conspicuous modern build, according to a house tour published by Veranda.
The owner told Veranda that he had collected antiques for about 30 years, developing an interest in how carving, timber, proportion and craftsmanship can help identify a piece’s age and origin. He said an early missed purchase taught him to act when he found something he wanted. “I love imagining the stories behind the antiques, the love letters written at a desk,” he said.
The couple had been preparing to build on another lot when they reconsidered. The owner said the alternative site was a treeless hilltop, while they wanted to remain among the trees on their existing property. They placed the house at the bottom of a slope behind large oaks, aiming for it to feel as if it belonged there.
Architect Cynthia Filkoff of Di Biase Filkoff Architects used details from a nearby circa-1848 Presbyterian church to inform the exterior moldings. She also visited English country houses designed by Robert Adam, including Syon House, as references for the entry hall’s scale. Designer Lynne Stair of McMillen Inc. worked with the owner to arrange the antiques and art, balancing period-inspired rooms with vivid colors and selected contemporary touches.
A Purpose-Built Setting for Antiques
The house shows how the couple’s architectural decisions were shaped by a specific collection and a preference for the existing landscape. Instead of treating the antiques as decoration added after construction, they built a home around them, including formal rooms scaled to display furnishings and art while retaining spaces for everyday use and entertaining.
That approach also joined historical references with a comparatively recent building. The home was completed in 2012, but its Greek Revival and neoclassical details were intended to make it feel established. The result, as described in Veranda’s report, is a contemporary project whose design draws on local and English precedents rather than claiming to be an 19th-century house.
Popular right now
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise-Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones, Black
Samsung 42-Inch S90H OLED 4K Smart TV Bundle
De'Longhi Linea Classic Espresso Machine with Adjustable Milk Frother
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Farmhouse to Greek Revival
Before the new house, the couple lived in a smaller farmhouse in Millbrook, despite the property’s 100 acres of meadows. The owner said the size of the farmhouse limited how they could use the collection, with many pieces kept in storage. The planned move to another lot changed after the couple decided they valued their wooded setting more than a new location.
The interiors draw on several periods and sources. The entry hall includes raised paneling and a hand-carved stair railing, alongside an antique limestone floor and a William IV Gothic bench. The dining room combines Georgian furniture with an oxblood finish; the drawing room uses a custom yellow selected to complement mahogany and gilt furnishings. In the morning room, de Gournay wallpaper and green drapery sit with a Murano glass chandelier.
Stair said her role was to create a backdrop that would not overwhelm the antiques. The owner described seeking her guidance and restraint, saying, “Left to my own devices, I would go nuts.” The house tour also features a bar and cocktail lounge, converted from a porch that had gone unused and painted in high-gloss green.
““I learned my lesson the hard way.””
— The homeowner, as quoted by Veranda
Details Beyond the House Tour
The Veranda report is a design-focused house tour, not a full account of the property or the couple’s collection. It does not provide a complete inventory, the collection’s total value, the home’s construction cost or the names of all the craftspeople involved. The owner’s descriptions of his collecting and the project’s aims are attributed statements, while the article does not independently document the provenance of each antique or the precise age of every item.
The supplied report also does not give a new development such as a sale, renovation or public opening. The confirmed timing is that construction was completed in 2012; the material does not establish whether the home or collection has changed since then.
No New Project Announced
The source material reports no upcoming construction, sale or other next milestone. Its focus is the completed home and the decisions behind its design. Any later changes to the house, the collection or the owners’ plans are not described in the report.
Key Questions
Where is the house?
It is in Millbrook, in New York’s Hudson Valley, on the couple’s existing property.
When was the house built?
Construction was completed in 2012, according to the Veranda report.
What kind of antiques does the owner collect?
The collection consists primarily of 18th- and early-19th-century English pieces, which the owner said he had collected over about 30 years.
Who designed the house and its interiors?
Cynthia Filkoff of Di Biase Filkoff Architects designed the home, and Lynne Stair of McMillen Inc. worked on the interiors.
Was the house built to look historic?
The owner said the goal was for the new home to look as though it had long been part of the setting. Its design draws on Greek Revival and neoclassical references, but it was completed in 2012.
Source: veranda.com
