Over 20 years ago, John Ebeling and his wife Judith fell in love with restoring and updating historic homes in the Hudson Valley. From fixer-uppers in the western Catskills to stately Stone Ridge properties, the couple have renovated a diverse array of homes along their journey. But none of them have compared to the property on Silver Hollow Road in Willow, a quiet hamlet just outside the village of Woodstock.
“In all my time buying and fixing up real estate I don’t think I’ve come across a property as complete as this one,” says Ebeling.
Located on a quiet road just off of scenic Route 212, the 16-acre wooded property is a peaceful Catskill Mountain refuge. In addition to the completely renovated, three-bedroom, 1,900-square-foot farmhouse, there’s an updated c.1920s two-bedroom guest house, a 19th-Century barn-turned-studio, a picture-perfect pool and entertaining area, fenced-in garden, and six acres of manicured lawn dotted here and there with towering hardwoods and mature flowering bushes.
“It’s very private. The property is surrounded by other large parcels and past those is state land,” says Ebeling. “You’re intimately connected to nature, but Woodstock is just 10 minutes away. To have that combo is really a home run.”
Designed to the Nines
The property’s previous owner had renovated the main farmhouse down to the studs back in 2011, but its look and feel needed some updating to bring it in line with contemporary tastes. “It was clear there was already a strong craft to the house,” says Ebeling. “We wanted to bring the design up to a more current feel to complement what was already here, and to go that extra mile.”Their design vision blends the quaint appeal of a historic New England home with streamlined, Scandinavian-inspired furniture, finishes, and color palette. They also added a suite of upscale touches that make the house feel like the epitome of cool country living.
The kitchen is where the impact of the redesign really shines. One wall is outfitted in dramatic black shiplap siding, which the Ebelings chose to accentuate the glow of the passthrough fireplace. The dark hue contrasts with crisp white walls, the aged brass finish of lighting fixtures from Restoration Hardware, and bright white quartz countertops run through with striking gray veining.
Other additions, including a Sub-Zero refrigerator and two beverage fridges, new kitchen island, the living room’s custom-designed wet bar, and expanded bluestone patio make the home an entertainer’s dream.
Room to Roam
With the cozy, two-bedroom guest house located just up the meandering drive from the farmhouse, there’s always space for friends and family to come and stay. The historic barn, which the Ebelings renovated into an open-plan office/studio, is tailor-made for the work-from-home life. They added heavy duty shiplap in a moody dark green to the walls, installed energy-efficient heat pumps, and added stone walls and a patio outside to help give the barn a classically rustic appeal that seamlessly blends with its surroundings.Among the 16 wooded acres are an array of well-landscaped spaces designed for outdoor enjoyment. There’s a quaint, fenced-in garden to occupy the days and a stone fire pit to build roaring blazes in at night. In the summer, the inground heated pool is clearly the place to be. Located just up the lawn from the farmhouse, the pool is surrounded by a graciously sized stone patio that’s perfect for entertaining. With impressive Catskill Mountain views from almost every angle of the pool, you might be tempted to hide away in Willow and just float the days away.
102-120 Silver Hollow Road in Willow is now on the market from Halter Associates Realty. To learn more about this listing or schedule a showing, contact Judith Steinfeld and Gary Heckelman at [email protected] and [email protected].
