Protecting Your Floors This Winter

Protecting Your Wood Floors

As we approach the dry winter months, we’d like to remind all our friends, clients, and partners of the importance of monitoring the interior environmental conditions in your home, office, and retail spaces—specifically the temperature and relative humidity levels.

Natural expansion and contraction of wood can be caused by insufficient or excessive relative humidity.  So, to reduce the chance of damage to your wood floors, the National Wood Flooring Association recommends a climatic temperature of 60 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 35 - 50% relative humidity. 

Easy Tip For Protecting Your Wood Floors This Winter

This winter, we encourage you to closely monitor the conditions of your space and strive to create a comfortable environment for both you and your wood floor. So, here are four easy ways to protect and maintain your floors…

1. Purchase an indoor thermometer / humidity monitor (online or from a local hardware store),

2.  Install monitor and keep an eye on the indoor conditions during winter months,

3. Maintain an interior temperature of between 60 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit,

4. Maintain an interior humidity of 35 - 50%,

5. Enjoy your wood floors for decades to come!

Questions? Learn More

*For more information, please visit www.nwfa.org or contact The Hudson Company directly.

*For more tips on maintaining and protecting your wood floors, stay tuned to this blog and follow The Hudson Company on Instagram at @thehudsoncompany.

*Plan on scheduling a visit to our NEW SHOWROOM in Ridgefield, CT, opening on 11/14/2018. More info on that to come!

Installation In Focus: The Carriage House By Workstead, Charleston, SC

The Carriage House, interior design by Workstead, Reclaimed Heart Pine, Vertical Grain flooring by The Hudson Company.

Reclaimed Heart Pine Heads South

Originally from The Hudson Valley, the talented team of designers at Workstead also have a strong presence in the American South—particularly in South Carolina (their work inside Charleston’s Dewberry Hotel is a must see).

For a recent residential project in Charleston known as The Carriage House, The Hudson Company had the pleasure of working alongside Workstead co-founders Stefanie and Robert to select and custom mill some Reclaimed Heart Pine, Vertical Grain flooring. Since the initiation of The Carriage House project, Robert and Stefanie have moved the bulk of Workstead operations back home to New York and we certainly look forward to working together with their team on more projects in the future (including the interiors of their new luxury, multi-unit renovation project in Brooklyn, opening in 2019).

But, until then, enjoy this peek inside the stunning Carriage House project, designed by our friends at Workstead.

Notes on The Carriage House

Detailed project notes from the design team:

“The Carriage House contains 2,000 square feet of livable space distributed over two floors, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms.  The first floor living room features two gas fireplaces, originally used for cooking and laundering.  A brand new kitchen serves as literal and figurative hearth of the home, with cabinetry tucked under the stairs and a grand island providing the counter around which life revolves.  A cozy window seat situated within cypress and caned cabinets compliments the dining room along the south-facing facade.

The second floor features an anteroom for use as an office or library with an adjoining bathroom.  A south-facing bedroom with windows on three sides includes a cypress-clad closet, while the large master suite is complete with two closets, laundry, and master bathroom.  A balcony overlooks the brick courtyard below with green hedges for added privacy.

At the heart of the Carriage House is connection—with time and place as with collaborators.”

Learn More

Explore More Hudson Company Flooring Installations

Learn More About Reclaimed Heart Pine, Vertical Grain Flooring

See The New York Times Feature Story on Workstead in South Carolina.

Check Out Workstead Full Portfolio and Bespoke Webshop

All Photos below taken from www.workstead.com unless otherwise noted.

Designers and Workstead co-founders Robert Highsmith and Stefanie Brechbuehler. Photo by Kathleen Robbins for The New York Times

“At the heart of the Carriage House is connection—with time
and place as with collaborators.”

Go Behind The Scenes

The Hudson Company Story

Go behind the scenes and see how The Hudson Company sustainably sources, mills, and finishes a wide range custom floors, high-character wood paneling products, and reclaimed timber beams. Locally owned and vertically integrated, The Hudson Company proudly provides the A&D industry with New York's finest wood floors and surfaces. 

Click any of the video stills below to view The Hudson Company video, filmed and edited by Jenner Brown, with titles by Amanda Jane Jones. 

After watching the behind-the-scenes video,  visit us at our FSC-Certified mill in Pine Plains, NY (Mon - Fri 8-5) for a first person visit. We would love to help you with your next design project.

And North Holiday Pop-Up December 9 & 10

Holiday Shopping at Our Manhattan Showroom 

We are thrilled to be hosting this weekend's And North Holiday Pop-Up inside our Manhattan Showroom. This weekend long pop-up shop will bring the And North blog to life with a collection of quality goods from their favorite upstate makers.

Complete with festive floral installations and special events throughout the weekend, the pop-up will celebrate a talented group of And North's favorite designers and craftspeople. This weekend, let And North be your holiday shopping guide as they bring the best Hudson Valley and Catskill artisans into the heart of Manhattan.

Full List of Event Participants:

New York Heartwoods
Outlast Goods
Owlkill Studio
Pasture Antiques
Pergamena
Rachel Redding
Reliquary Studios
Rona Tuccillo
Sarah Copeland
Seasons on the Hudson
Silk & Willow
Stephanie Charlene
Steven Weinberg
Stone and Sawyer
The Pantry served by Stand Coffee
Upstate Rug Supply
Upstate Stock
Wayside Cider
Westwind Orchard
Zio & Sons

Andrew Molleur
Aoko Su
Brian Persico
Caroline Corrigan
Clove & Creek
Colu Henry
Cordwood Handmade
Deborah Ehrlich
Diana Mae Flowers
Field Apothecary
Greentree Home Candles
Handa Textiles
Hetta Glögg
Hops Petunia
Hudson Made
Julia Turshen
Kay Schuckhart
Marisa Lamonica
Mary’s Grand
Daughters Design House

Installation In Focus: Willow Street

“We wanted the space to be a balance of contrasts, open and airy yet respectful of the rooms expected in townhouse living; modern lines and materials, but respecting the character of the house and neighborhood; natural but polished; unique and creative, yet timeless and universal.”

— Damian Zunino, Studio DB

Transformation In Brooklyn Heights

Well known for its tree-lined streets and well-preserved antebellum townhouses, Brooklyn Heights is one of New York City’s most charming neighborhoods. At the very heart of this historic district is the 1834 brownstone on the corner of Willow and Middagh Street. Originally built in a Greek Revival Style, 15 Willow once belonged to the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor but, in 2016, was transformed into a single-family residence — a transformation that required a nuanced balance of innovation and preservation. The development and design team behind the renovation at 15 Willow Street project was Studio DB, led by the firm’s husband-and-wife principals Damian and Britt Zunino.

Damian explains how, as the team endeavored to modernize the 6,400-square-foot, five-bedroom townhouse, their goal was to create a balance of contrasts. “We wanted the space to be open and airy, yet respectful of the kind of interiors expected in townhouse living, [with] modern lines and materials that honored the historic character of both the house and the neighborhood.”

The choice of flooring was central to the architects’ goal of honoring the past while simultaneously integrating modern lines and materials. “We had a vision of how we wanted the floors to feel, so we reached out to The Hudson Company at the very beginning of the process. There was a specific walnut floor we were looking for — we wanted something that felt natural but still had a lot of character, and we knew The Hudson Company could produce this kind of flooring for us.”

Through close collaboration with the Studio DB team, The Hudson Company custom-milled 3,000 square feet of 5” Walnut plank and 1,000 square feet of 5” Herringbone plank for the project.“The new floors feel light but still raw,” Zunino says. “The finish brings a timeless, polished aesthetic to the house’s interior.”

The installation profile originally appeared in The Hudson Company Journal, Volume 2. Read more or learn how to get your physical copy of The Journal here.

Installation In Focus: Mitchell's Lane

Flat Sawn White Oak Floors At Mitchell's Lane Residence

Our custom Flat Sawn White Oak is milled to minimize waste and to accentuate arching, cathedral grain. This cut includes edge sap, tight knots, and grain variation. Learn more about this versatile flooring product here.

Photos above and below are from the award winning Mitchell's Lane residential installation (also known as 'Grove House'), designed by Roger Ferris + Partners. A few notes about the project design, taken from the architect's website:

This private residence was designed as an immersive yet modern natural retreat, providing connections to the surrounding landscape via planes of glass that interrupt a series of solid forms. Two of the volumes are delicately connected and sectioned off by a glass breezeway, housing the public and private living spaces of the home. A third volume stands alone, housing an artist studio on the second floor overlooking the rural landscape on which the home is set. Each of the three simple gable-shaped volumes are covered in the same natural rain screen wood material, that will gradually weather as the volumes fade into their natural surroundings.

Learn more about our Flat Sawn White Oak  here and see more from this design installation here.
 

Inspired By: Selina van der Geest of NL-GB

The designer's home in Milan, NY with exteriors featuring Hudson Company Reclaimed Brown Board Paneling.  Photography by Andreas von Einsiedel for  House & Garden UK.

The home's interior, with Reclaimed Hand Hewn Beams by The Hudson Company.

“The Reclaimed Brown Board Paneling we used on the outside of our house immediately adds a sense of history and character. ”

— Selina van der Geest

Selina van der Geest of NL-GB, photo by Venetia Dearden

Introducing Selina van der Geest

Interior designer Selina van der Geest moved to New York from London in 2000. Since coming to America, Selina has worked in the art and decorating business and has now opened her own eclectic showroom near Millbrook, NY, 90 miles north of New York City.

After building her own house in Milan, New York, Selina was inundated with requests to add her unique style and organizational skills to projects for private clients. It has been a natural progression to continue the decorating business she started back in England, bringing a relaxed European feeling to her clients’ houses. She believes in working organically, reflecting in her designs and colors, the natural surroundings of the property she is transforming.

Earlier this year, we sat down with Selina to discuss her work.

Tell us a bit about how your time training in Europe prepared you for the work you do today?

Well, I studied history and art history which gave me a great background for my work in interior design.  I was lucky to combine both fields working for Colnaghi, the old master art gallery in London, designing stands and galleries as well as working with important art works. It was there that I learned woodworking and curtain making, thus giving me a very hands on approach to my work. The European aesthetic is different and has certainly continues to influence my work here in the States.

How did you choose Upstate, New York as the base for your home and business?  

My husband, who is Dutch, bought a house Upstate in 1983, when he first came to America.  I moved to New York from London in 2000 and since I share his love for the area, we purchased land in 2002 and decided to build a house. As soon as we finished the house, I was asked to help with other projects and so my work Upstate evolved.

what is the red thread that connects all of your design interests?

I am very inspired by nature and the environment around me, whether Upstate or on my travels. I often  incorporate natural elements into my designs.  Bottom line, I strive to create original homes and furniture for my clients and that's what drives me creatively.

What can you tell us about the design process for your own home in Milan, NY?

Before even buying the land, we bought an early 17th Century Louis XIII mantle in Bordeaux, France when we were there for a wedding.  Then, we designed the house around this and a pair of antique Chinese doors.  Coming from homes built of stone in England, I wanted to achieve the same sense of history and character in our new home Milan.

The Reclaimed Brown Board Paneling we used on the outside of our house, immediately adds a sense of history and character.  I stained the cut edge of all the batons, so we didn’t have fresh cuts showing.  It also has the advantage of requiring less maintenance.

Inside we have a large open room featuring Reclaimed Hudson Company Beams, which, along with the Bordeaux mantlepiece, give a very European character to the house.  On the floors we used wide white oak boards, which we left untreated so they could develop a patina over time.  The result is a home which feels very settled, relaxed and natural.

What were some of the key design goals for your new home?

We love cooking so wanted to have a big open space that would allow us to cook while also enjoying the fire and the living area.  You enter through a mudroom with the large Chinese doors creating a welcoming opening into the great room and a view through the French doors to the pool beyond. We often have our family and guests staying and having separate bedroom wings and a guest apartment help to give us all space, but a wonderful place to congregate.

We built the house in seven months and it was certainly an advantage to be on site daily. I spent many days shoveling snow or helping the framer when someone didn’t show up and nothing was delayed waiting for decisions.  I also insist on a clean and tidy job site, believing that a messy environment encourages sloppy work.

What's next for Selina van der Geest?

I am working on a new house being built in Sharon, CT for a client whose apartment I designed in the city. We’re combining a traditional stone farmhouse with painted barn buildings, a stone potting shed and an English green house. The goal is for the house to feel as if it’s been there for hundreds of years and has evolved over time.  Likewise, my goal is for the interior is to feel as if it’s been collected over the years, with interesting accents, textures and natural colors.

Lastly, how would you describe your experience working with The Hudson Company?

The Hudson Company have a wonderful selection of materials and a great aesthetic. From the sampling process to selection, they have listened and understood what we are after. Whether its a small order of individual planks and beams or a bigger order of  pre-finished wood floors, The Hudson Company has  always provided us with quality, professional services.

Visit NLGB.com to learn more about Selina's work.

Learn more about Reclaimed Hand Hewn Beams here and Reclaimed Brown Board Paneling here.

Below is a sampling of more interiors by Selina, with photos by Jane Beiles for The New York Times.

Jane Beiles for The New York Times (here and below).

“The Hudson Company have a wonderful selection of materials and a great aesthetic. From the sampling process to selection, they have listened and understood what we are after. ”

— selina van der geest

The Hudson Company + rag & bone Tribeca

rag & bone's new men's store at 228 West Broadway in Tribeca. Photo via tribecacitizen.com.

A Custom Floor for a custom men's shop

This year, The Hudson Company had the privilege to partner once again with the good folks at rag & bone New York to help them curate the interior design of their tenth New York City retail location.

From its origins in New York in 2002, rag & bone instantaneously distinguished itself by combining British heritage with directional, modern design. Today, the brand has become synonymous with innately wearable clothing that melds classic tailoring with an edgy yet understated New York aesthetic.

For their new 'men's only' store in Tribeca, rag & bone's design team had a specific vision for how to create a luxury shopping experience catered specifically to men - a vision that included custom graffiti in the dressing rooms, an authentic Stormtrooper costume, and a one of a kind Hudson Company parquet floor.

Original flooring design concept by The Hudson Company.

A Truly Collaborative Design solution

From the outset of the project, the designers knew that they wanted to create a custom parquet floor with a 'graphic' feel to it. From here, The Hudson Company team suggested a direction for a White Oak flooring design (see sketch at left). 

The boutique's finished floor was constructed of a combination of straight flooring planks and 24" x 24" parquet panels. The color and finish of the floor was custom selected by the design team to complement the overall interior design of the boutique. 

As with all of our creative partnerships, it is a pleasure to help innovative brands and their design teams reach their project goals.

See our White Oak Herringbone floor for the rag & bone at Bloomingdales location.

Visit the rag & bone men's shop and see this unique floor in person: rag & bone Men's Shop is at 228 West Broadway, New York, New York 10013. Phone: 646 277 836. Store Hours: Monday - Saturday: 11am - 8pm, Sunday: 12pm - 6pm.

Detail of the store's custom White Oak parquet flooring design.

Detail of rag & bone Tribeca flooring installation.

The Hudson Company + Frama CPH

Custom mood board by Frama CPH for The Hudson Company.

The Hudson Company + Frama

Scan almost any list of top design studios coming out of Scandinavia, and you will come across the name Frama - a Copenhagen-based design shop and creative team at the very forefront of Scandinavian chic. With their one-of-a-kind office space in Copenhagen's historic Nyboder neighborhood, Frama is a trendsetting brand that refuses to be boxed in by industry adjectives, which is appropriate, as the brand is constantly reinterpreting, rediscovering, and reimagining what it means to be a 21st century design leader (we think the photos below speak volumes about the quality and timeless elegance of Frama's work).

Here at The Hudson Company, we have been fans of Frama's inspired work for a long time, so, of course, we were thrilled this past summer, when they graciously agreed to create a custom mood board for us. Choosing from our full product range, Frama chose to focus in on our Select Harvest White Oak [Barley Finish] to use as the backdrop for their custom mood board.

Read on for some insights into what keeps the creativity flowing at Frama and how they brought this inviable mood board to life for The Hudson Company.

5 Questions with Frama

Tell us about the items included in your mood board, what's their origin story? Why did you select them for this mood board?

The objects of focus in our mood board design is our line of Aj Otto Stoneware - designed by Frama Studio here in Copenhagen. The ceramics are hand made in Denmark, which provides each product in the collection a unique feel. Although it has a Scandinavian aesthetic, the idea for this collection came from some old Italian glass food-containers discovered during some southern travels a few years ago.

Along with the Aj Otto stoneware, we've also included a variety of vintage and new brass pieces in our mood board. The cutlery is from different flee-markets, while the candleholders are designed by a young danish designer Maribel Carlander for Frama. Cut out of solid, untreated brass, these candle holders are a careful study in geometry, proportion and composition. Lastly, the E27 Table Light (also designed by Frama), is a simple, industrial and straight forward lamp which provides a cozy light to any table setting.        

Where does that team at Frama turn for inspiration, what sources are consistently inspiring?

Most often our best inspiration comes from dialogues with interesting people we meet on our travels, with whom we collaborate, or from people who stop by our studio.  

Overall, it's a central focus of ours to find the right balance between the traditional and the contemporary aesthetics, so we often look back in time for our inspiration whether that's to old art-posters or to historical building detail. Many of Frama’s design ideas grow out of the interior design projects we work on. We find that great inspiration can come from nature, art. architecture, as well from basic shapes and forms. 

Color and texture seems to be especially important to the items and collections that Frama produces: can you talk about that a little bit? 

Yeah, sure. Everything we do stems from an idea that we call "slow production." We use solid woods, untreated metals and stone to create both a aesthetically pleasing product, but also something that will “live” for a long time - these are long lasting and “honest” materials. Our design language is pretty straight forward, based in simple geometry and subtle, natural colors. These are the elements at the center of the Frama design universe. But we also love rich colors.

Choosing the right colors is essential for curating the final expression any space will have. So, with that in mind, we really thoughtful with how we use color - both in painted and non-painted finishes - so that everything is complementary. That's how we developed our St. Paul's Blue paint color with Jotun and it's how we got started with our upcoming line of colors based on the interiors of an historic Copenhagen space (coming in 2017).    

Is there a driving design vision or 'manifesto' that you use in your work and collaborations?

We often work within the area of re-interpreting design archetypes. Therefore, the objects of our collection often signals a return to basics. Our vision is always to come up with something new, but we try to maintain a historical feel to everything we do. The synergy between the past and present is important for our design process. Our main interests lay somewhere between two opposite poles - that space between classical and the contemporary design, that incorporates both digital and analogue production. 

Why did your team chose Select Harvest White Oak [Barley Finish] flooring as the background for your mood board? 

We chose this specific White Oak flooring because of its honesty. It has rich veins and you can clearly see and feel the knots in the wood. The color of the flooring is warm (natural white with a slightly golden hue) which provides a cozy feel to the mood board. Also, since it's Oak, you know that it is a solid, enduring surface. These are all qualities of material that reflect the Frama vision.

You can learn more about Hudson Company White Oak Center Cut, Barley Finish] here, and more about Frama here. 

Follow The Hudson Company on Instagram. Follow Frama on Instagram.

All photos courtesy of Frama CPH.

Frama Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark. All photos courtesy of Frama CPH.

“We often work within the area of re-interpreting design archetypes. Therefore, the objects of our collection often signals a return to basics. Our vision is always to come up with something new, but we try to maintain a historical feel to everything we do. The synergy between the past and present is important for our design process.”

Frama's home offices and showroom at St. Paul's Apotek in Copenhagen.

Hudson Company Select Harvest White Oak [Barley Finish].

“We chose this specific White Oak flooring because of its honesty. It has rich veins and you can clearly see and feel the knots in the wood. The color of the flooring is warm, and since it’s Oak, you know that it is a solid, enduring surface. These are all qualities of material that reflect the Frama vision.”

Custom mood board by Frama Copenhagen. Wood background is Hudson Company Select Harvest White Oak [Barley Finish].

The Hudson Company + Amee Allsop

Custom mood board by architect Amee Allsop, created for The Hudson Company. Photo set by Gentl and Hyers.

“Growing up in Australia gave me a love for the sea and the indoor/outdoor lifestyle; since it is such a young country it is not bound by many archetypes. It was there that I learned to find beauty primarily in functional forms, rather than in decoration.”

— AMEE ALLSOP

The Hudson Company + architect Amee Allsop

This year, The Hudson Company has been closely following the inspiring work of New York based, Australian-bred architect Amee Allsop.

As you can see from the photos above, Amee has a distinct approach to architecture which she describes as 'an amalgamation of the city and the sea' - a theme she has developed as her career has taken her from the South Pacific coastline to New York City. With design experience in these two juxtaposed contexts, Amee is continually inspired by the contrast of wide open landscape and dense verticality.

With each architectural endeavor, Amee's design process considers space, proportion, light and materiality whilst working closely with the client and building site. For Amee, quality materials and craftsmanship are both of central importance so that her designed spaces do not feel 'disposable' but, rather, timeless and inspiring. In the spirit of Australian living, Amee's work elevate the simple and beautiful essentials of living - such as a bathtub in an open bedroom - and embodies a minimal lifestyle, rich in tactual details.

This summer we asked Amee to create a custom mood board for us and then share some insights into her creative process as well. Here are our 5 Questions with Amee Allsop...

5 QUESTIONS WITH ARCHITECT AMEE ALLSOP

Tell us about the items included in your mood board, what's their origin story? And, is there one item that's a favorite?

The origin of these materials is, for the most part, a mystery to me. And I think that is really what makes them so beautiful to me. Mostly, they are found objects: a lump of concrete right off the street, a sample of metal work from a SOHO workshop, some shelled walnuts from the corner store, a few elegant bits from the art supply shop, and then there's this gorgeous handmade copper spoon (which I've always been so curious about). 

But my favorite object has to be the photo of my son’s squishy bum. The photo was taken when he was newborn and it sits on my desk and reminds me that everything I do is not for me, it’s for the future.

How do you use mood boards in your professional work? 

Honestly, I don’t always use mood boards when I'm designing because materiality tends to evolve over the course of a project. But there is always a need for a starting point, and so, in putting together a mood board for The Hudson Company, it all started with the wood flooring sample. 

In my work, I tend to use contrasting materials in a way that makes them feel like they belong together: raw steel with smooth marble, copper and linen, walnut and oak. I feel like it's a way to use tension to create harmony. For this mood board concept, I was drawn to the character of this Select Harvest White Oak [Capella Finish] and how it was perfectly imperfect.

There are so many places to go for inspiration these days: books, blogs, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. What sources do you typically or consistently turn to? 

That's true, these days, there are almost too many places to go for inspiration. So, the challenge becomes about reduction. When it comes to things that inspire me on a regular basis, I’m often surprised and challenged by tailored clothes and personal style, by the arts and also by traveling.

I recently travelled to Scandinavia and was inspired by the street lamps, signage, and grate drains in the streets there - they stood out to me because they were so different to what we have here in NYC. It those little things that you don’t see photos of on the internet everyday that tend to catch my eye and challenge me to think in a new way.

When it comes to design, how do you feel your Australian background has influenced you? 

Growing up in Australia gave me a love for the sea and the indoor/outdoor lifestyle; since it is such a young country it is not bound by many archetypes. It was there that I learned to find beauty primarily in functional forms, rather than in decoration. And yet, this is really contrasted with the New York City aesthetic and its history of industrial ornamentation, which is also so inspiring. I suppose I’m still on an ever-evolving journey of finding the harmony between 'The City and The Sea.'

Why did you chose this particular Hudson Company flooring as the background for mood board?

When I visited The Hudson Company Showroom in Brooklyn, this particular flooring was just begging to be touched. When I first noticed it, I didn't know anything about the Select Harvest White Oak [Capella Finish] but it looked to me like it was from some really old tree that had had a good, long life and now was given a new life as a carefully crafted and functional object.

You can learn more about Amee work on her website and you can follow her creative journey on Instagram. All Amee Allsop Studio photos provided by Amee herself. All mood board photos by Gentl and Hyers. 

Learn more about Select Harvest White Oak [Capella Finish] here.