Introducing Our Limited Edition Reclaimed Belleview-Biltmore Heart Pine

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The Hudson Company + Collective Design Fair 2016

THE HUDSON COMPANY + COLLECTIVE DESIGN FAIR

The Hudson Company is proud to support the 2016 Collective Design Fair. At this year's fair, you will find samplings of our very own Reclaimed Heart Pine [Chalk Finish] and Select Harvest White Oak [French Cut] being utilized in exhibits by two exciting creative forces: ASH NYC and FAIR (curated by Brad Ford ID).

Collective Design Fair 2016

Collective Design is dedicated to exploring the significance of design across creative disciplines and everyday life. Through its annual fair, Collective Design illuminates both the design process and the diversity of today’s material culture, originating a robust series of conversations and education programs to foster dialogue, encourage the exchange of ideas, and build a growing audience for collectible design.

The Collective Design fair is a commercial and educational platform featuring thoughtfully selected works from an international roster of established and emerging galleries. The fair has leveraged the city’s energy to become a vital part of New York’s cultural calendar, cultivating a spirit of discovery that appeals to both avid patrons and those new to collecting design.

Learn more about Collective Design Fair 2016 and get tickets here.

Interior Design by Brad Ford ID

Products and Design by FAIR

Sag Harbor Cottage, Design by ASH NYC (both images)

Installation in Focus: 'Stonewood Farm' private residence, New York

The Pleasures of Country Living

‘Only by letting nature in can we create a sense of coherence and kinship among house, landscape and environs. Only with that connection can a home be nurturing and invigorating.’ -Designer Ken Holzberg

When designer Ken Holzberg was ready to build his dream home at Stonewood Farm, near Millbrook, New York, the goal of his project was to create something new, while still retaining a sense of continuity with the past.

Describing his inspiration for the project, Ken writes, ‘Farmhouses and their outbuildings have always been thoughtfully tied to the land...they are made of honest, natural materials – typically what is locally available – further connecting them to their surroundings.’

When Ken approached The Hudson Company in search of the perfect materials for his project (reclaimed wood flooring, exposed beams, and vintage doors), we knew we were collaborating with an accomplished designer with an eye for detail. From hand picked cabinet hardware to custom-made light fixtures, Ken curated the perfect palette of materials and textures. ‘If I had to describe my style in one word, I would call it eclectic,’ writes Holzberg, ‘I love to take old, beautiful materials and objects from different eras and places – pieces that would never have otherwise known each other – and put them together to give them new life against the backdrop of an understatedly elegant room.’

perfectly imperfect: The Right Materials for home

Upon visiting The Hudson Company Mill, Ken was able to find flooring materials, exposed beams, and antique lumber that fit his precise vision. Choosing to incorporate 1,000 square feet of Reclaimed Hemlock floors, Reclaimed Softwood Beams [Original Face]. and an additional 3,000 square feet of Reclaimed Mixed Softwood [Threshing Floor] flooring - both sourced from historic farm buildings in the area - Ken was able to achieve the desired effect of a modern, informal home that is rich in historical character.

‘When all is said and done,’ writes Holzberg, ‘I think Stonewood’s interior spaces work so well for me because they are infinitely approachable...everything is perfectly imperfect...nothing is too precious to touch, eat at, or sit on. Everyone can feel welcome and comfortable in our home.’

This installation profile originally appeared in The Hudson Company Journal, Volume 1. To request a print copy of The Hudson Company Journal, please contact us at info@thehudsonco.com.

RECLAIMED MIXED SOFTWOODS [THRESHING FLOOR, BARLEY FINISH]

RECLAIMED HEMLOCK [MUSHROOM WOOD] FLOORING

RECLAIMED SOFTWOOD BEAMS [ORIGINAL FACE]

Installation in Focus: West 29th Street Loft, New York

A Whimsical New York Loft, A Durable Pre-Finished Flooring Solution

This 4,000 square foot West 29th Street Loft, designed by the talented team at Studio DB was completed in the summer of 2013 and features Hudson Company Select Harvest White Oak [Cascade Finish] flooring. Because the client in this project was a family with four kids, the architects incorporated a lot of creative and durable elements into their design solutions - not least of which was their choice to use The Hudson Company's pre-finished Select Harvest White Oak flooring. 

On their website, Studio DB outlines the the design program for the loft's design: "The kitchen anchors a large, open living and dining room with window exposures on three sides. Access to the kids' bedrooms is off a custom wallpapered hallway with a zip-line down the middle.  The kids' rooms each connect to a shared loft space, with unique access from each bedroom including a colorful rock wall, monkey bars, and a concealed ladder.  The interconnected loft ends at a slide which filters down into a corner playroom. The master suite is a more sophisticated space. A light filled study is tucked behind the master bedroom, which is separated by steel and glass doors."

To learn how The Hudson Company can help you reach your goals for your next design project, contact us today at info@thehudsonco.com.

Photos by Mike Garten for Studio DB, Copyright of Studio DB.

Same Expertise, Now Twice The Flooring Choices

Since 1995, The Hudson Company has been a leader in custom milled Reclaimed Wood Floors. Now, as a complement to our Reclaimed products, we are proud to introduce our Select Harvest line of custom milled, new flooring. Select Harvest flooring is available pre-finished and unfinished.

Browse Select Harvest Flooring Now

INSPIRED BY: AMEE ALLSOP

Binburra Beach House, Sydney.

Elegant Minimalism and Natural Style 

Australian Amee Allsop considers space, proportion, light and materiality when working with her clients. Her emphasis on quality materials and craftsmanship is key to creating a space that transcends time and trends. 

Based In New York, Amee designs in the spirit of Australian living by elevating the simple and beautiful essentials of a space and creating a minimal yet quality lifestyle. 

A great example of Amee's fulfilled but paired-back interior design can be seen in the Binburra Beach House in Sydney. Open spaces and broad windows fill Binburra house with natural light and highlight the custom wooden cabinetry and trim that are contrasted by concrete flooring and counters. Amee has also worked in commercial design in Chelsea, New York. 'The Kitchen is one of New York City's oldest nonprofit spaces, showing innovative work by emerging and established artists across disciplines.'

In the East Hampton, Red Dirt Road to be precise, a unique home that connects indoor and outdoor living partly in thanks to a large wrap around deck, a distinctive Australian home feature. This A-framed house was built in 1980 with good bones but needed a large gut renovation. A large skylight was inserted and a slot window in the master bedroom were added to capture natural light to flood the interior with. Amee used a palette of fresh whites with black hardware accents, subtle features reminiscent of the beach lifestyle.  Extra wide wood flooring softened the predominantly white interior and added a dose of organic material to soften the monochrome theme. 

There's lot's more of Amee's excellent work on her website. You can also follow her on Instagram.  For more on wood flooring get in touch with The Hudson Company. 

Australian designer Amee Allsop.

This Just In: Indiana Mill from 1901

Vintage Image of the Noblesville Milling Co. grain storage facility (date unknown).

The mill, 2016.

The mill, 2016.

an icon of the American Heartland

This week, The Hudson Company has been on the road - visiting the sites of several historic, decommissioned Midwestern agrarian structures, in search of high-quality, high-character American timber to reclaim. One of the most interesting finds this week has been 'The Model Mill' and grain elevator in Noblesville, Indiana (pictured above and below).

Built in 1901, the mill was an essential part of the economy in Hamilton County and, for over a century, the iconic structure has been both a physical and symbolic icon for Noblesville and the surrounding farming communities. The mill was originally built to hold 350,000 bushels of wheat, but the area's wheat yields were so plentiful that, by 1911, the facility was expanded to hold a capacity of 700,000 bushels. According to David Heighway, of The Hamilton County Business Magazine, the mill was built in a a style of construction called, "cribbing [wherein] boards are [simply] stacked and nailed together." A 1914 article in The Indianapolis Star took note of the Noblesville mill and elevators, remarking that, "These structures tower above the other buildings of the town and are admired by everyone passing through the city.”

700,000 Board Feet of Reclaimed Heart Pine

After changing ownership several times in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, The Model Mill was eventually decommissioned and has sat abandoned for many years. In 2015, local officials decided that the historic mill and grain elevators would finally be taken down. 

Luckily, much of the mill's original construction material has been well-preserved and will be now be diverted from the waste stream and reclaimed by The Hudson Company. From Noblesville, the 700,000 board feet of Reclaimed Heart Pine will be transported to The Hudson Company Mill in Pine Plains, NY were it will be re-milled and added to our growing inventory of reclaimed wood flooring, paneling, beams and joists. 

The end result of this reclamation process will be 700,000 board feet of custom re-milled Reclaimed Heart Pine [New Face, Chalk Finish] flooring, like the flooring milled for and installed at New York's new Whitney Museum of Modern Art (completed in 2015). 

Click here to learn more about (or to schedule a visit to) The Hudson Company's FSC-Certified lumber mill in Pine Plains, New York.

Pristine American Heart Pine, reclaimed from Noblesville grain facility.

On the road in the American Heartland.

The Hudson Company in ELLE DECOR Magazine

Reclaimed Heart Pine Flooring in ELLE DECOR

We are thrilled to share that our very own Reclaimed Heart Pine [Original Face] floors are featured in Samantha Emmerling and Hillary Brown's article 'Toolbox' in the newest issue of ELLE DECOR Magazine (April, 2016), on newsstands now.

Reclaimed Heart Pine [Original Face] Flooring is one of our most popular and versatile reclaimed wood flooring products and has found a place in design installations of all kinds, including two New York retail spaces for outdoor mega-brand Patagonia (see both stores below).

Reclaimed Antique Long Leaf Heart Pine wood is sourced from Hudson River Valley factories and warehouses whose construction dates back to the Industrial Revolution. Reclaimed Longleaf Heart Pine wood was once a predominant standing timber across a large span of the eastern seaboard. For generations, Long Leaf Heart Pine's prevalence and unique properties made it the most widely-utilized timber in American construction.

Today, The Hudson Company is always on the lookout of high-quality, high-character Heart Pine to reclaim, custom mill, and re-introduce to designers and architects for use in their next projects. 

Learn more about the full range of Hudson Company Reclaimed wood floors (including six varieties of Reclaimed Heart Pine) on our Reclaimed Flooring Page. 

The Patagonia Store, Meatpacking District, NYC

Patagonia Surf Shop, New York.

INSPIRED BY: FRAMA, COPENHAGEN

Frama Showroom, Copenhagen.

Frama's free-standing kitchen.

St. Paul's Apotek, home of Frama, Copenhagen

Frama CPH: crafting elegant, innovative, and classic forms

This week we are taking a good long look at the inspiring work of Copenhagen design house Frama.

Specializing in minimalist forms with a classical aesthetic, Frama is turning out some of the Scandinavian design world's most coveted stoneware, furniture, lights, and custom-built kitchens.

Located in Copenhagen's historic Nyboder neighborhood, the Frama showroom and offices occupy the lovingly preserved St. Paul's Apotek (a pharmacy from the 1800's that has saved much of its original woodwork and architectural elements, see above at right). Much of the Frama studio is painted in 'St. Paul's Blue,' their custom brand color, created in partnership with Jotun paint makers.

One of Frama's most exciting and ambitious innovations is their new line of custom-built kitchen designs (see above left). Unlike traditional kitchens, a Frama Kitchen is a completely free standing unit and is not permanently mounted to floor or walls. The Frama Kitchen's steel frame and steel box drawers are more like pieces of furniture within the kitchen environment than the traditionally built 'in-storage' style kitchen. 

In addition to their drool-inducing custom kitchens, the current Frama Collection contains furniture, accessories and lighting made from a variety of high-quality, high-character materials, including cork, wood, marble and metals. With their impecable eye for clean, modernist aesthetics and their appreciation of timeless materials, Frama is not only a 'brand to watch,' they are also a design house whose approach to creativity and craftsmanship are certain to inspire us at The Hudson Company for a long time to come.

See more from the Frama Collection here.

The 90 degree wall light by Frama.

Aj Otto Stoneware by Frama.

Frama Studio, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Photos courtesy of Frama and Kinfolk.

This Just In: Reclaimed Heart Pine from the Iconic Belleview-Biltmore Hotel

An undated postcard of The Belleview-Biltmore Resort and Spa. The Hotel's original, iconic red roof was later replaced with green roofing.

Built by railroad magnate Henry Plant in 1897, this photo shows the hotel during it's early years.

Aerial view of the Belleview-Biltmore taken after it was closed in 2009.

Details of The Bellevue-Biltmore Hotel in disrepair.

Abandoned hotel lobby, 

Abandoned hotel interior.

The Rise and Fall of "The White Queen of The Gulf"

Once known as 'The White Queen of the Gulf,' the historic Belleview-Biltmore Resort and Spa was, for over 100 years, one of Florida's most celebrated vacation destinations - an iconic symbol of the golden age of American entrepreneurship, travel, and optimism. 

Built in 1897 by railroad giant Henry Bradley Plant, the Belleview-Biltmore was a massive feat of resort architecture, crafted in a Queen Anne and Shingle style. Constructed of native Florida pine, the hotel also featured hand-crafted Tiffany Glass. Eager to increase Florida's tourism and railroad use, the Bellevue-Biltmore was, 'often billed as the largest occupied wooden structure in the world.' Mr. Plant even had special rail service to deliver guests directly to the Belleview's front doors (see above, the image second from the top). In 1979, the hotel was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

According to a 2015 profile on the last days of the hotel by The Tampa Bay Times, the Belleview-Biltmore hosted a wide range of impressive celebrities and dignitaries over the past eleven decades, including "Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford...Margaret Thatcher and Barack Obama." In April of 1976, Bob Dylan and his band played two concerts inside the hotel's Starlight Ballroom.

But, despite visits by numerous notables, in the decades after WWII, this grand old resort faded significantly - due in large part to the construction of countless newer, beachfront resorts up and down both of Florida's coasts. In recent years, and after a lengthy debate between preservationists, local officials, and developers, it was decided that the majority of the crumbling hotel would be demolished to make way for new condominiums and townhouses.

Luckily, 36,000 square feet of the Belleview-Biltmore Hotel is being saved. A portion of Mr. Plant's original 1897 hotel is being relocated locally, and renovated into a boutique hotel. The 'new Belleview-Biltmore' will feature a restored 21st-century version of the hotel's original lobby, grand living spaces, 33 guest rooms, and ice-cream parlour. You can watch a video of the project's developer Mike Cheezem walking through the vision for this restored portion of the hotel here.

CAREFULLY RECLAIMING 100-YEAR-OLD HEART PINE FLOORING, JOISTS, AND BEAMS - PIECE BY PIECE

Meanwhile, the demolition of the 820,000 square feet portion of the hotel's structure is being done with precision, piece by piece, "taking the time to salvage 118-year-old heart pine floors, stained glass skylights and wrought iron stairway railings."

Currently, The Hudson Company is taking part in the enormous and careful demolition of this historic architectural treasure. Rather than being added to the waste stream, The Hudson Company is redirecting the Biltmore's still valuable and sustainable wood architectural materials to our mill in Pine Plains, NY. Once reclaimed, this inventory of high-character, high-quality, century-old wood will be custom milled into elements for new construction and design projects. 

Below you can see photos of the process of reclaiming tens of thousands of board feet of century-old heart pine floors, paneling, beams, columns, and other wooden elements. 

Stay tuned to www.thehudsonco.com.news for more updates on this reclamation preoject and about Reclaimed Heart Pine.

Click here to learn more about The Hudson Company's Reclamation Process.

The Belleview-Biltmore during deconstruction, 2015 -2016.

Beautiful, 100-year-old  'Dade' Heart Pine, reclaimed from The Belleview-Biltmore Hotel, Florida.