Hudson Valley, NY Home Tour with Ginny | October 2019
Fall foliage in New York is breath taking and the home tour of the season was in the heart of the Hudson Valley with Ginny Stalker from @aupetitsalondesign. Ginny's 17th century barn home sits on 7 acres and is tucked in the woods. She shares her 2,ooo square foot gem with her son Otis and husband Matt. Scroll down for photos of her vintage collected home. Check out Ginny's live home tour on my instagram @tanika_nyclifestyle
Ginny's View on Living in Hudson Valley NY
Where were you born and what made you move to Hudson Valley, NY?
I was born in Ottawa, Canada and I moved to the USA when I married my husband, who was living in LA. We lived there for a year before moving here, North Castle NY. Matt's family has lived on the property we live on for almost 100 years. It is full of family history and you can feel it when you walk around the area. He lived here when he was a child, his mother did too, so did his grandfather and now our son is growing up here. There have been 5 generations living here and I feel so lucky to be a part of it.
Why did you choose to live in the country vs. the city?
We live in a converted barn that horses used to live in when my grandfather-in-law was young. Next door is the farmhouse to our barn that was built in 1745 and that is where my in laws currently live. Our house was built in the 1850's roughly.
A complete side note: My husband's family has always felt like my family, we met when we were ten years old when our parents randomly rented cottages next to each other one summer. They hit it off and would plan our summer vacation every year at the same time. We got married when we were 25.
What year was your home built and how many square feet? So all is to say I absolutely love living next door to family. We hang out together all the time. We have lived here for 8 years and we rent the barn from Matt's parents.I grew up living in a city where I walked out our front door and friends would be playing in the street. I could walk to a grocery store or a mall. I never imagined growing up that I would live in the country. Up until we moved here 8 years ago I always thought I would live in a city, whether it be LA, Ottawa or NYC. But when we moved back from LA we had the opportunity to rent the barn from Matts parents because coincidentally their tenants were moving out. We jumped at the opportunity. This is my dream house that I never dreamt of because it was beyond my dreams. I love living in the country! It is 2000 sq ft and mostly one room. My son's room and my husbands office are both closed off.
How and when did you start thrifting and what inspired you to start your collection?
I started thrifting when I was a teenager because I loved the unique oversized sweaters I would find. Then as soon as I got my first apartment I started bringing home home decor. As an adult I love the thrill of finding a beautiful piece that strikes a cord with me, like my wicker motorcycle or my mermaid coffee tables.
How would you describe your design aesthetic? My design aesthetic is best described as boho-luxe eclectic with a touch of whimsy. I use a lot of color sort of by accident, I just can't resist a pink pillow over a grey one, so my house has a lot of pops. Since the barn is all one room basically, our walls are all white which makes the color balance out nicely. Color just makes me happy, the more the merrier.
If you could live anywhere else n the world where would it be?
I might choose to live in rural British Columbia, Canada (though I have never been). I love the ocean, I'd like to be able to drive to a thriving city (like I can now with NYC) but mostly I just want a lot of snow so I can cross country ski all the time. But to be honest, I really am where I want to be and think I'll be here forever.What inspires you to use so much color in your home?
Where do you thrift in Cold Spring and what's your next project?
I thrift all over the place, I definitely am happy to drive an hour to check out a new thrift store. I frequent two locations a lot: the Mount Hospital thrift store and the Greenwich Hospital thrift store. I've recently started going to the West Port CT goodwill too. We run an Airbnb in Cold Spring NY and our next project will be renovating the downstairs. It needs a lot of work so we have to save up for a little while longer.
Take A Peek at Ginny and Matt's Barn Home