The Shop at Old Austerlitz

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It has been a while since I've posted, and it has been a very busy summer so far. One of the projects I have been working on is The Shop at Old Austerlitz for the Austerlitz Historical Society . The Society operates a beautiful property in Columbia County, New York and this is the first actual shop they have opened on the property. So I thought I'd give you a tour, and an example of what can be done with very little money, some good volunteers, and a bit of creativity.
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The Queen of Color

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The Millbrook Home

I know what you're thinking: "Queen of Color? There are so many design queens, which one is he talking about?" Actually, I am talking about designer Katie Ridder. I must have first become aware of Ms. Ridder about ten years ago when I came across the following photo:




It is one of those photos that stops you in your tracks. Look at those colors! It took me a while to decide if I liked the room, but I couldn't turn away. Who puts red and orange and yellow and blue and brown and a metallic ceiling, together? It was different and interesting and quirky (all the things we love) As it turns out, this was Katie Ridder's own dining room in Bronxville, NY. The more I saw, the better it got. The wrap-around stair railing in the hall--she painted it silver and bright red (the idea would never have occurred to me). I fell in love with this woman!


Katie, a wife (her husband is architect Peter Pennoyer) and mother of three, also knows how a house needs to run. This is the somewhat Moroccan themed family room (plenty of space and nothing too precious):


Just out-of-sight is a mirrored disco ball in the center of the ceiling!

Katie and her husband built a new country home in Millbrook, NY. Peter designed the house and Katie did the interiors. The whole process was documented in the fabulous 2016 book:


Here are a few interior photos (the photo at the top of the post is the living room):





Known for her unusual color combinations, wonderful fabric use, and elegant designs, Katie Ridder is now a design star. Her work is frequently published, the latest being the July 2017 issue of Architectural Digest. I've picked a few photos from her spectacular portfolio (in no particular order) to give you a sense of her work:

There's that disco ball again!


Incidentally, Katie got her start in the design world with a rather low-level position at House & Garden. She was there when Anna Wintour took over and changed the name to HG (some called it House & Garment). The staff began to dress better. Ms. Wintour treated her well (darn! no story there). Eventually, Katie became a decorating editor at House Beautiful.
In the 1990's she opened her own boutique on the Upper East Side. She sold fabrics and furnishings from Istanbul and middle-eastern locales, until it became a bit too much. Eventually she "meandered" into interior design--it was inevitable.











Katie Ridder

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