This Stunning Converted Dairy Barn is a Dreamy Family Retreat
Visions of long weekends at the farm lured this active family—and carloads of friends—to life in the slow lane in Upstate New York
The meandering gravel path that leads to The Grateful Farm mimics the way weekends unfold here: There are no hard stops and starts, and clocks don’t mark time as much as the chicken’s chatter, signaling sunrise or sundown. These easygoing transitions are exactly what Caitlin “Cait” Hoyt and her husband, Brian Walden, had in mind when they bought a converted 1925 dairy barn in New York’s Hudson Valley a couple of years ago. With Brian’s three children in tow, the couple imagined spending weekends blurring the lines between inside and out and welcoming extended family and friends for cookouts and sleepovers. “Their intent was to entertain—not in a silver tray sort of way, but with pitchers of drinks and bowls of popcorn,” says designer Lori Paranjape of Mrs. Paranjape Design + Interiors.
The main barn and outbuildings had been previously remodeled, so the focus became infusing the interior with a style that was livable and durable. The countryside setting served as design muse, as seen in the home’s natural textures and earthy palette. Equally important was the way rooms functioned to accommodate weekend guests and impromptu family karaoke nights. Lori turned the open area next to the kitchen into a “keeping room,” with a sofa and chairs to define the hang-out spot for the kids or friends to chat with the couple as they prep meals. An old calf barn is now a screened-in summer house, where modular furniture can be reconfigured for enjoying pizza dinners or napping on rainy afternoons. But the crowning glory is the barn’s hayloft, which was transformed into the ultimate party room with game tables, four beds, and a bar. “It all just feels really natural and well-loved, like the barn itself,” Lori says. “Everything is about kicking off your wellies and putting your feet up.”
Photographs by Andy Ryan Photographer
A Winding Drive
Situated on four acres of pastoral farmland in New York’s Hudson Valley, this converted 1925 dairy barn retains many of its original bones, such as the domed metal roof and weathered grain silo. “Even though the feed storage isn’t in use, the fact that it and the rest still stand adds such an authentic charm to the property—it’s a remarkable piece of history,” says designer Lori Paranjape. Cait and Brian named the retreat The Grateful Farm, a nod to their mutual love for the Grateful Dead. “They liked the idea of adding a little hippie vibe to the farm,” says Lori.
Welcoming Entry
A flagstone walkway through the garden leads to the converted barn’s wide double-door front entry. The barn’s exterior is clad in the classic burnt red color historically obtained through a mixture of linseed oil and iron oxide.
Get the Look:
Exterior Paint Color: for similar, Heartthrob by Sherwin-Williams
Double the Screened Doors
The kids and the family’s company constantly flow in and out through wide-open corridors like this generous front entry, where the double screened doors are often left propped open. “The foyer ushers in fresh air and quintessential country life through the house,” says Lori. The rustic brick-lined floor is a practical transition to weather all those muddy boots. Blankets, scarves, hats, and other weekend gear stow away in baskets tucked inside the floor-to-ceiling cubbies.
Hang Time in a Hayloft
The top level of the barn is now a 40- by 80-foot party room with a domed ceiling that soars to 30 feet. The open approach serves up plenty of play space with its full bar, media center, and spots for board games, Pop-A-Shot, and shuffleboard. On a whim one weekend, the couple pulled together a 3D scrapbook of the art and thrift finds collected during their travels, including beat-up old signs, concert posters, and even a cross-stitch sampler, which they hung along the wall and staircase that lead to the upstairs bunk room.
A Hit of Blue
A statement blue color helps the bar feel grounded in the soaring space, along with providing a punch of fun color against the natural wood surroundings.
Get the Look:
Bar Paint Color: Yorktown Green by Benjamin Moore
No-Fuss Finishes
With most of the kitchen’s classic farmhouse features already in place, including hand-hewn timbers that frame the doorway and beadboard cabinets set against textured glazed tiles, Cait and Brian put their stamp on the space with pieces with built-in patina—an old carpenter’s worktable found on Etsy and an antique runner—which enhance the room’s collected-over-time charm. “We wanted to add things that had character to them, but we didn’t want any one thing to be a superstar,” says Lori. “We looked for pieces that were even older than the house.”
Slumber Party Spirit
“We wanted this space to feel like when you go to camp,” Lori says of the “Camp Room,” a lofted bunk room where she positioned four iron beds head-to-head. Pendleton blankets and a suspended canoe—which Cait found on Facebook Marketplace and Brian hoisted into place with a pulley—make the dreamy space cozy for both kid sleepovers and girlfriend getaways alike.
WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT WORTH?
Millbrook Canoe
Founder John Berry began building his lightweight white water canoes, such as this red one Cait scored online, in New York in the late 1950s. Early versions can be found for around $700.
Bath Time With a View
The barn came with the romance of a claw-foot tub in the bunk room’s adjacent knotty pine-lined bath.
Party-Ready Patio
Cait and Brian enjoy whiling away Saturdays enjoying the backyard. Modular outdoor furniture with comfortable deep cushions by Modway can be moved and reconfigured as the couple’s visiting company swells. A low stacked stone wall—a hallmark of the area’s vernacular—borders the patio, which steps down to an outdoor dining table shaded under a sprawling oak tree.
Dream of living in a converted barn? Check out these other amazing transformations:
•A Tennessee couple transformed a rickety hayloft into a white and airy modern home
•Two City Slickers Found Country Bliss in previously dilapidated post-and-beam Dutch barn
•From gritty to pretty! See how a young family saved a falling down New Jersey barn by transforming it into the ultimate backyard retreat.
•While it's a new build, country music star Ronnie's Dunn's barn-inspired home hits all the right "best country house ever" notes.
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