Hudson Eclectic: An Artist’s Circa-1830 Home in Claverack, New York

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My favorite detail in Helen Dealtry and Dan Barry’s 1830 house in Claverack, New York: two delicate, oval-shaped pieces of honeycomb in a small pink bowl. When I moved the honeycomb into the light, in front of a window, for a shot, my hands came away sticky. Photographer Alison Engstrom and I had taken the morning train north, from New York to Hudson, to capture the couple’s eclectic house and gardens; the honeycomb, they told me, was from their neighbor, a landscape designer who had designed their own back garden—with its small reflecting pool, gravel courtyard, and summer dining room—long before they came along. The house is full of unexpected moments like this: small works of art hung up high, almost to the ceiling; a dried, oversized leaf propped in a window; and outdoor guidebooks from the seventies.

Much of the house was in place when Dealtry and Barry found it online in the fall of 2016, before they moved up full-time from Brooklyn: The kitchen was painted dark, the entryway walls upholstered in burlap, and the original windows had been preserved. The previous owner, a creative director at a fashion line, had “also designed retail interiors, and had tons of artwork that he had collected during his time in London and Paris,” says Dealtry, a painter herself. When he moved out, he left much of the antiques he’d collected in place; Dealtry and Barry bought the left-behind pieces; they added Dealtry’s own watercolors and an eclectic mix of artwork, as well as finds that have been cast off by friends or, like the honeycomb, gifted by neighbors. (The day we were there, Barry was fixing up three cane-seat chairs given to the couple by friends: “They had them in their Brooklyn apartment, but didn’t have room to keep them, so they gave them to us for free,” Dealtry says.) Otherwise, much of the interior remains the same. “We have some projects we may do down the line, but love it as-is,” they say.

Take a look inside (and take a tour of the gardens over on Gardenista).

Photography by Alison Engstrom for Remodelista.

the house dates to \1830 and sits behind a neat, square row of hedges in claver 17 — Above: The house dates to 1830 and sits behind a neat, square row of hedges in Claverack, a few minutes’ drive from Hudson.

the front door opens into a central stairway, painted dark, in benjamin moore&a 18 — Above: The front door opens into a central stairway, painted dark, in Benjamin Moore’s Amherst Gray, with the living area on one side (seen through the doorframe) and the dining room on the other (shown here in the foreground). “Many of the larger pieces we purchased with the house,” Dealtry says. “We sourced other ‘filler’ pieces locally from vintage and antique stores,” including Riverfront Antiques and Design Center. The curved yellow hutch was among the antiques left behind by the previous owner; the caned chair is one of the set newly acquired by the couple, from friends in Brooklyn.

the dining room gets late morning light and feels almost like a gallery. the lo 19 — Above: The dining room gets late-morning light and feels almost like a gallery. The long, narrow dining table, left behind by the previous owner, is actually a tabletop propped up on sawhorses. Dealtry picked up the flowers on the table from nearby Cedar Farm Wholesale; she has a studio in downtown Hudson, and often paints her watercolors from cut flowers. (For more on her work—and upcoming painting and flower-arranging workshops—see her website.)

in the dining room, white walls contrast with the black trim on the paned windo 20 — Above: In the dining room, white walls contrast with the black trim on the paned windows. (“We never got a full paint schedule from [the previous owner], but I believe everything was Benjamin Moore,” Dealtry says.) Tables with small, ever-changing vignettes, like this one, flank the mantel; the cloths also conceal the black radiators beneath.

the honeycomb, set in a low bowl by lail design. 21 — Above: The honeycomb, set in a low bowl by Lail Design.

among the art on display throughout the house: works by artist victor wang, etc 22 — Above: Among the art on display throughout the house: works by artist Victor Wang, etchings by Carl Nelson, and Dealtry’s own work, as well as many others.

a rock serves as doorstop. 23 — Above: A rock serves as doorstop.

across the entryway is the living room, with an eclectic mix: sheepskin, a ligh 24 — Above: Across the entryway is the living room, with an eclectic mix: sheepskin, a light fixture from Restoration Hardware, side-by-side coffee tables, and twin stone lamps in the shape of eagles that were acquired with the house. The posters at the far end of the room are vintage, from British train stations.

dried flowers and one of the stone lamps in a window. 25 — Above: Dried flowers and one of the stone lamps in a window.

above the mantel, a small painting hung unexpectedly high creates a vignette wi 26 — Above: Above the mantel, a small painting hung unexpectedly high creates a vignette with a tall vase, an anniversary gift.

one of the couple’s vintage books. 27 — Above: One of the couple’s vintage books.

dining room at helen dealtry and dan barry house in hudson, photograph by aliso 28

hardware in helen dealtry and dan barry house in hudson, photograph by alison e 29

Above: Dealtry and Barry, and the homeowner before them, preserved the home’s original details.

through the dining room is the kitchen, also painted in benjamin moore&#8\2 30 — Above: Through the dining room is the kitchen, also painted in Benjamin Moore’s Amherst Gray by the previous owner. The appliances were all left behind by the previous owner: a Sub-Zero fridge, Wolf range, and Miele dishwashers. The sink is a Shaws Original by Rohl. Note the painting hung in the window above it: They wouldn’t have thought to hang it there, Barry says, but left it untouched when they moved in.

The ceramics are a mix of antiques, Ikea, and New York–based ceramicist Bailey Doesn’t Bark. On the counter are small strawberries from Chatham Berry Farm (“our favorite local farm store,” Dealtry says), and glass jars that hold dry goods and “full moon water,” which Dealtry describes to me as having captured the spirit of the full moon, for watering favorite plants with.

another moment of unexpected art: “captured and free bird” by dan 31 — Above: Another moment of unexpected art: “Captured and Free Bird” by Danish artist Anna Maria Mehrn, sourced from Finch Hudson, propped against the mantel in the kitchen. The table is not wood, but pounded metal.

kitchen at helen dealtry and dan barry house in hudson, photograph by alison en 32

kitchen at helen dealtry and dan barry house in hudson, photograph by alison en 33

Above L: The kitchen window looks out onto the garden. A wine fridge is concealed behind the cabinet fronts. Above R: An industrial sconce beside the stove, in place when the couple moved in.