Saratoga Living 2023 Design Issue

GLOW UP: A HISTORIC CHICKEN COOP BECOMES A MODERN MARVEL

*{henry street taproom’s mug life}

SPRING 2023

THE CITY. THE CULTURE. THE LIFE.

THE 2023 DESIGN ISSUE

DOMENICK

PFAU & MATTHEW

PETERSON

KATHLEEN

ROURKE

JEFF ENGLER

BETHANY

BOWYER KHAN

AND MORE

PLUS THE PHILIP SCHULYER LEGACY SPARKS DEBATE & PDT MARKET IS FINALLY HERE!

“Thanks for all of the hospitality, Saratoga. You have a great town, and I’ll definitely be back.”

saratogaliving.com

EXCLUSIVE THE HOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR OPENS UP ABOUT HIS STAY IN THE SPA CITY WHILE FILMING PAINT —JUST IN TIME FOR THE MOVIE’S RELEASE. CUE THE OWEN MANIA. BY ABBY TEGNELIA

Looking to Make a statement in your kitchen?

The appliance experts at Marcella’s Appliance Center are here for you, featuring the area’s best and largest selection of in-stock appliances from your favorite brands, including luxury appliances by Monogram. Get started on the kitchen of your dreams today. Shop in-store, by phone or online at marcellasappliance.com.

Exquisite Tailored to Your Individual Taste

Design

For nearly 10 years Samantha Nass Floral & Event Design has created breathtaking arrangements for every event with passion and a commitment to excellence. To bring your vision to life, we offer an extensive inventory of rental items including linens, candles, votives, and ceremony decor.

It is our belief that every event is unique and deserving of the finest arrangements and rental pieces. Our team of skilled designers blend years of experience with a passion for flowers and European influence to elevate your occasion with stunning beauty.

Though our team is based in Saratoga Springs, we love to explore new venues where we have the unique opportunity to bring new designs to life.

We believe in love and our goal is to create an event that truly reflects our client's personalities, style, and love for one another. We consider it an honor to have the opportunity to help create those truly memorable moments in our client's lives.

Discover Forest Grove & Waite Meadows

New single-family & twin homes

Just a shor t drive from historic Saratoga Springs, Forest Grove has something for ever yone. When completed, this new home communit y will offer a combination of over 300 single family and t win homes. Plus Forest Grove will offer a breadth of amenities like a fully-furnished 5,000 sq. f t. communit y center with an event space, a full k itchen, a large fitness center, a pool with plenty of seating, an outdoor pavilion, pickleball cour ts, a dog park, and more.

Forest Grove makes it easy for residents to enjoy exploring the neighborhood with sidewalks, street lamps, pocket parks, and 7+ miles of walking trails, all made possible with Belmonte Builders’ donation of over 300 acres of green space to the Town of Wilton.

• New single -family & twin home community

• Five minutes from downtown Saratoga Springs

• Saratoga Springs address, low Wilton taxes

• Saratoga School system

• Breadth of amenities for all ages

• Homes star ting in the high $400s

For more information, contac t Sharon Byrne 518-527-4914 or sharon@belmontebuilders.com

Conveniently located just off of Route 146 in Clifton Park, Waite Meadows is an exclusive new 34-home community happily situated in a countr y setting

Just a shor t drive from downtown Clifton Park with easy access to the Nor thway, Waite Meadow ’s quiet, picturesque setting is also just minutes away from great shopping and dining

A welcoming boulevard and three large estate lots greet you as you enter the neighborhood and lead to two large cul- de -sacs and lots of green space. Large lots , a community walking trail, street lights, public water and sewer, and access to the renown Shenendehowa school distric t make this beautiful new-home community the per fec t place to build your forever home.

• Exclusive new 34-home community

• Great location, close to downtown Clifton Park

• Community walking trail & green space

• Shenendehowa School system

• Variety of floor plans with many options to choose from

• Homes star ting in the $600s

For more information, contac t Spencer Lewis 518-512-9646 or spencer@belmontebuilders.com

Modern Point of View

MODERN CEDAR ADDITION

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Spending time in their serene and secluded backyard has always been an integral part of each day for these homeowners — a young family of four. But, most windows in the house faced the street, and the only access to the backyard was through a single patio door in the kitchen. The owners decided to renovate their existing house to create an addition that would seamlessly connect old and new, inside and out. The addition consists of three spaces: a master suite, dining room, and screened-in porch — each of which allowed for expansive windows.

Swindows faced the street, and the only access to the backyard was through a single patio door in the kitchen. But the home owners’ new addition seamlessly connects old and new, inside and out. It consists of three spaces: a master suite, dining room, and screened-in porch—each of which allowed for expansive windows.

For this renovation project, architect Jon Hensley chose Marvin Elevate ® windows and doors for the durability and ease of maintenance of the tough exterior Ultrex ® fiberglass finish and the natural beauty of wood on the interior. Hensley was able to include larger and more modern Elevate Casement, Awning, and Polygon windows and Inswing French doors in the addition while installing Elevate Casement Insert Replacement and Double Hung Insert Replacement windows in the existing house. Marvin was able to provide all window types in contrasting styles and complementary finishes. By using large floor-to-ceiling windows with narrow profiles, views of the backyard are invited into the home.

For this renovation project, architect Jon Hensley chose Marvin Elevate® windows and doors for the durability and ease of maintenance of the tough exterior Ultrex® Fiberglass finish and the natural beauty of wood on the interior. Hensley was able to include larger and more modern elevate casement, awning and polygon windows, and inswing French doors to the addition, while installing elevate casement insert replacement and double-hung insert replacement windows in the existing house.

Marvin expertly provided all window types in contrasting styles

MODERN CEDAR ADDITION

proportions to enhance the outside view and provide maximum day lighting.

and complementary finishes for the project. The results were stellar: Using large floor-to-ceiling windows with narrow profiles along the back of the house created stunning, peaceful and inviting views of the backyard.

Featured Products

MARVIN ELEVATE CASEMENT WINDOWS

MARVIN ELEVATE AWNING WINDOWS

MARVIN ELEVATE POLYGON WINDOWS

MARVIN ELEVATE CASEMENT INSERT REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

MARVIN ELEVATE DOUBLE HUNG INSERT REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

Marvin’s proprietary Ultrex® finish is the best in the industry and the first to achieve AAMA 624 verification. The finish of Ultrex® performs so well that the company offers dark colors without fear of UV degradation or fading.

MARVIN ELEVATE INSWING FRENCH DOORS

⊲ The Elevate collection uses rich wood interior in bare pine that can be stained to match any interior.

Contributors

Spending time in their serene and secluded backyard has always been an integral part of each day for these homeowners — a young family of four. But, most windows in the house faced the street, and the only access to the backyard was through a single patio door in the kitchen. The owners decided to renovate their existing house to create an addition that would seamlessly connect old and new, inside and out. The addition consists of three spaces: a master suite, dining room, and screened-in porch — each of which allowed for expansive windows.

Highlights

• Our proprietary and the first of Ultrex performs fear of UV

The Elevate that can be

⊲ An expansive line of contemporary design styles features clean sightlines with narrow profiles and generous glass proportions to enhance the outside view and provide maximum day lighting.

BUILDER: ALLENBUILT, INC.

ARCHITECT: JON HENSLEY, JON HENSLEY ARCHITECTS

DEALER: WINDOW & DOOR SHOWPLACE

LOCATION: ARLINGTON, VA

FEATURED PRODUCT OVERVIEW MARVIN ELEVATE CASEMENT WINDOWS, MARVIN ELEVATE AWNING WINDOWS, MARVIN ELEVATE POLYGON WINDOWS, MARVIN ELEVATE INSWING FRENCH DOORS, MARVIN ELEVATE CASEMENT INSERT REPLACEMENT WINDOWS, MARVIN ELEVATE DOUBLE HUNG INSERT REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

CONTRIBUTORS BUILDER: ALLENBUILT, INC. ARCHITECT: JON HENSLEY, JON HENSLEY ARCHITECTS

ALLERDICE ACE HARDWARE & BUILDING SUPPLY | 41 WALWORTH ST., SARATOGA SPRINGS | 518.584.5533

For this renovation project, architect Jon Hensley chose Marvin Elevate ® windows and doors for the durability and ease of maintenance of the tough exterior Ultrex ® fiberglass finish and the natural beauty of wood on the interior. Hensley was able to include larger and more modern Elevate Casement, Awning, and Polygon windows and Inswing French doors in the addition while installing Elevate Casement Insert Replacement and Double Hung Insert Replacement windows in the existing house. Marvin was able to provide all window types in contrasting styles and complementary finishes. By using large floor-to-ceiling windows with narrow profiles, views of the backyard are invited into the home.

• An expansive clean sightlines proportions maximum

ALLERDICE ACE HARDWARE & BUILDING SUPPLY is a Marvin windows and doors dealer. To get started on your transformation, call today and ask to speak with a Marvin Millwork Specialist. ■

Contributors

This stunning home renovation created sweeping views of one family’s beautiful, secluded backyard.

man with a van Paint star Owen Wilson shooting in Saratoga in character, ’70s perm, pipe and all.

photography by ALYSSA SALERNO

14 72

FIRST

18

TURN

16

OFF TRACK

58 saratoga living’ s SINGLE IN SARATOGA: VALENTINE’S DAY EDITION

60 HATTIE’S MARDI GRAS plus 4 more Saratoga events

Home stretch

65 FASHION: Lucia Boutique

66 FOOD & DRINK:

66 open for biz: PDT MARKET

68 in the club: HENRY STREET TAPROOM

68 for sale: GIRL SCOUT COOKIES

70 open for biz: NIGHTWORK BREAD

72 DESIGN: Eteannette Seymour

74 HAUTE PROPERTY: 499 Union Avenue

saratoga living

AFTER HOURS

saratoga living is published six times a year by Empire Media Network, Inc.

subscriptions:

1 year subscription: $39

2 year subscription: $59 (Nonrefundable)

saratoga living

6 Butler Place

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Volume 25, No. 2

Spring 2023

Copyright © 2023

Empire Media Network, Inc.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from Empire Media Network, Inc.

All editorial queries should be directed to editorial@saratogaliving.com; or sent to 6 Butler Place, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.

saratoga living assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions.

Abby Tegnelia CEO

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT

SENIOR DESIGNER

Kathleen Gates

Natalie Moore

Linda Gates

SPORTS EDITOR Brien Bouyea

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

EDITOR AT LARGE

Francesco D’Amico

Dori Fitzpatrick

Susan Gates

WRITERS

Vanessa Geneva Ahern, Lisa Arcella, Karen Bjornland, Claire Burnett

Chris Carola, Tony Case, Dan De Federicis, Jeff Dingler, Elissa Garay

Christine Graf, Benjamin Lerner, Daniel Nester, Tom Pedulla

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Morgan Campbell, Samantha Decker, Elizabeth Haynes

Hannah Kuznia, Dustin Lanterman, Rachel McNair

Konrad Odhiambo, Terri-Lynn Pellegri, Susie Raisher, Alyssa Salerno

Nate Seitelman, Zach Skowronek, Alex Zhang

Annette Quarrier

PUBLISHER

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

PUBLISHER, CAPITAL REGION LIVING

SALES DIRECTOR, CAPITAL REGION LIVING

ART DIRECTOR, MARKETING

SALES ASSISTANT

SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER

EVENTS/DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANT

Tina Galante

Teresa Frazer

Tara Buffa

Steve Teabout

Tracy Momrow

Rachael Rieck

Anthony Jones

Anthony R. Ianniello CHAIR

Abby Tegnelia

PRESIDENT/CEO

Tina Galante

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

ON THE COVER Studio photograph of Owen Wilson by famed portraitist Mark Seliger, via August Image.

CLOSE UP

Not only does spring this year mean the end of an oddly mild winter, but the change in seasons this time around also signifies that it’s almost April 7—when we get to catch Saratoga on the big screen. Yes, I’m talking about Paint, starring Owen Wilson, this issue’s laid-back, Hollywood-cool cover star. Back when he was here filming in spring 2021, the town was abuzz with sightings of the A-lister, dressed up with a ’70s flair and sporting an enormous perm. His character, based on the everyman’s TV painter Bob Ross, could not be more suited to Owen. To find out why, and for the inside scoop on the Saratoga set—and what Owen was thinking while locals followed him around town—check out my interview (P. 31).

The rest of our spring issue is devoted to design, which has been on fire since the pandemic. As always, we dug into design of all kinds, this year covering topics that range from electric airplane design (P. 46) to farmhouse-chic style (P. 41) and statement wallpaper (P. 72).

And at last, the arrival of spring also means that saratoga living’s legendary parties have started up again for the season. Our second annual Overdress to Impress soirée will roll out the red carpet at The Adelphi on March 23, promising all sorts of glamorous surprises courtesy of our presenting sponsor, Keeler Mercedes, and sponsors N. Fox Jewelers and California Closets. Plus, on April 1 we’re co-hosting a March Madness watch party called Hoops & Hops—watching the famed NCAA basketball tournament’s Final Four games on Putnam Place’s enormous screen was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. For details on both events—and others as we add them—follow us on Eventbrite.

Looking forward to seeing all of you there!

ABBY TEGNELIA CEO @abbytegnelia

big hair, do care (clockwise, from top left) CEO Abby Tegnelia with Fawn McClintock, owner of the new Beauty Bar blow-out bar; cover star Owen Wilson filming his movie Paint in Saratoga—a tentative screening for locals is in the works; Hillary D’Argenzio and wingwoman Tegnelia at Single in Saratoga: Valentine’s Day Edition.

Join Our Bond Racing Family

EXCLUSIVE

FEATURES

F

E

ence, little risk

BOND

SCAN ME

H. JAMES

Three thoroughbred trainers with three generations of knowledge and experience to bring out the best of each thoroughbred horse under our care.

What’s in Store

KENNEDY TAYLOR’S MOTIF HOME GALLERY IS SPRINGING FORWARD WITH NEW PLANS TO REACH MORE PEOPLE WITH ITS MODERN DESIGN AESTHETIC. n BY NATALIE

Ever since it opened at 18 Division Street in November 2022, Motif Home Gallery has been more than a furniture store. And now more people will be able to see it for themselves—the storefront is moving from appointment only to more regular hours this spring, and adding a series of fun, handson classes. “We have it set up like a gallery,” says owner Kennedy Taylor. “It’s more a showpiece for my design firm to showcase the brands that we sell, our style and what we can do for people.”

In other words, when you walk into the downtown spot, expect to feel like

you’re entering the home of a friend— a friend with incredible taste, that is.

Taylor, the creative force behind Studio K interior design, says her mission in opening Motif was not only to bring a more modern aesthetic to Saratoga—think fashionable brands such as Arteriors, Bernhardt and Four Hands—but also to actually use the space as an art gallery. “My goal was to be able to give people who are younger, who wouldn’t necessarily be able to get into a more established gallery, a place to showcase their work,” says Taylor, herself only 28. New York City–based photographer Adrian Lewis

is one such artist, and contemporary equestrian photographer Kate Stephenson is another. “We’re going to be doing a whole gallery opening for her in the spring,” Taylor says of the latter, “as well as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.”

CHIC PEEK

MOORE

art of something new

And that’s not all that’s in store for the space. “We’re also getting a kitchen showroom and will be offering cocktailmaking courses through the Night Owl,” Taylor says. “I do a lot of work with Alex Rizzo—she makes these great candles, so we’re going to do candlemaking classes here, too.”

Motif is currently moving from appointment only (text 518.368.5706 to make one) to more regular hours. “We really wanted to give a unique approach to Saratoga,” Taylor says of her store. “There’s nothing like this here.”

A collection of pieces from local artists Matt Brewster, Katie Stephenson, Adrian Lewis, Amanda Stahl and Sue Jachimiec; (top) Kennedy Taylor wants to bring modern design to Saratoga; (opposite, from top) works by Adrian Lewis hang over a custom sofa from Arteriors at Motif Home Gallery; Kennedy Taylor.

STAR

All Hail King James

Jerome Handicap and consecutive editions of the Belmont Stakes.

BY BRIEN BOUYEA

When he was a mere lad weighing all of 95 pounds at the tender age of 14, James Rowe was widely considered the premier jockey in America. The year was 1871 and Rowe was riding some of the greatest racehorses in the country; he won the Travers Stakes on the mighty Harry Bassett as well as the Saratoga Cup,

But while his accomplishments as a jockey were significant, they are but a footnote in a much more substantial legacy. It can be strongly argued that Rowe, a Virginia native, is the greatest American racehorse trainer of all time. Yup, you read that right: of all time

After growing too big to be a race rider, Rowe—still a teenager— joined the circus, riding horses in P.T. Barnum’s Great Roman Hippodrome. After an undoubtedly thrilling few years with Barnum, Rowe returned to the racetrack, landing his first training gig for Mike and Phil Dwyer’s Dwyer

miracle rowe With credentials that include developing record numbers of recognized champions (34) and Hall of Fame members (10) in a career that spanned 50 years, Hall of Famer James Rowe, seen here with Harry Payne Whitney and Regret, unequivocally belongs on the Mount Rushmore of his profession.

Brothers Stable, training future Hall of Famers Hindoo, Luke Blackburn and Miss Woodford. His clients got only more high profile from there. August Belmont’s stable had been in decline before Rowe quickly resurrected it by developing the top 2-year-old colt (Potomac) and filly (La Tosca) of 1890. After Belmont’s death, Rowe spent some time as a racing official in California before returning to training in 1899 for James R. Keene, whose stable, like Belmont’s, had fallen on hard times. Just as he did for Belmont, Rowe helped Keene return to the sport’s upper echelon, conditioning future Hall of Famers Colin, Commando, Maskette, Peter Pan and Sysonby. When Keene died, Rowe didn’t skip a beat, going on to train 11 champions for Harry Payne Whitney, of which Regret, the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby, was the most remarkable. When Rowe passed away at the age of 72 in Saratoga Springs in 1929, he had won every prestigious race in America, including a record eight editions of the Belmont plus nine renewals of the Futurity, seven of the Alabama, six of the Brooklyn Handicap, and many more. R. T. Wilson, president of the Saratoga Racing Association at the time, said, “It is with the deepest regret that I learned of the death of Mr. Rowe. What we of the organization think of him may be judged from the halfmasting of our flags, something we have never done for another trainer.” Greatest of all time, indeed.

NO TRAINER IN RACING HISTORY HAS DEVELOPED MORE CHAMPIONS OR HALL OF FAMERS THAN THE ICONIC JAMES ROWE .

TRACK

The Future of Sustainability

SUSTAINABLE SARATOGA’S NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KELSEY TRUDELL , HAS BIG PLANS TO GET GOING IN TIME FOR EARTH DAY.

n BY NATALIE MOORE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DORI FITZPATRICK

which is April 29.” That event, now in its 12th year, has seen 338 trees planted on public and private lands throughout Saratoga to date and is expected to bring 38 more saplings to the Spa City this year.

Trudell, who holds a graduate certificate in environmental leadership from SUNY ESF, comes to Sustainable Saratoga from the Arizona Sustainability Alliance, a Phoenixbased nonprofit with a mission similar to that of Sustainable Saratoga: to use education, advocacy and action to advance sustainable practices and protect the environment for current and future generations. “I was in charge of all their conservation projects—tree plantings, park cleanups, trail maintenance work,” she says of her previous role. “Up until this point, my work in sustainability and environmental science has been very conservation and education focused. Public education and outreach are really important because people can’t make the right decisions in terms of how to live sustainably if they don’t have the information.”

To say Kelsey Trudell was hired in the thick of her industry’s busy season would be an understatement. No, she’s not a CPA facing down tax season. She’s the new executive director of Sustainable Saratoga— and Earth Day is on the horizon.

“Our big project right now is the Sustainability Fair at Skidmore

College,” the Gansevoort native says of the free April 16 event that will feature workshops, electric vehicle test drives, film screenings and a repair café. “And then we’re working on our next Tree Toga tree planting,

At Sustainable Saratoga, Trudell hopes to lean into that education realm even more, especially to inform the community about the importance of the Spa City’s greenbelt—the rural outer area of Saratoga comprised of the Spa State Park, Saratoga Race Course and residential areas. “We really want to promote low-density development in those areas and protect the open space,” she says. “I definitely want to do more outreach about why people should care about protecting the greenbelt as a resource for the city.”

And there’s another mission Trudell— herself only 27—has for her work at Sustainable Saratoga, an organization that relies heavily on an aging fleet of volunteers. “One of my goals,” she says, “is to connect our organization to a greater number of young people to support and inspire the next generation of environmentalists.”

POWER PLAYER

jill of all trades In her free time, Sustainable Saratoga Executive Director Kelsey Trudell teaches virtual yoga classes and is getting into wedding videography.

Hannah’s House

In 2016, Darien Rozell moved into a blue house on six acres in Greenfield Center—a property she has since dubbed Pantry Hill—with plans to raise a family there. But before she could look too far into her future, the Saratoga native looked back. Way back.

“The name Pantry Hill encompasses our passions for cooking and gardening, but it also reflects a time when the pantry and kitchen were the cornerstones of the household,” Rozell says. “As we really dug into this lifestyle at Pantry Hill, I found

myself fascinated with stories of my great-great-grandmother, Hannah Pearson.” A Swedish immigrant who moved to Cambridge, NY in the early 1900s, Pearson is remembered by her ancestors as a resourceful woman who raised 10 children while managing the working farm on which they lived. “Always in an apron, she was strong but warm,” Rozell says. “Her children and then grandchildren and greatgrandchildren gathered in her kitchen every Sunday for generations.”

Now, Rozell is passing on Pearson’s legacy of hospitality, community, hard

work and homemaking to her own children, and documenting her family’s intentional way of life on her Instagram account, @pantry.hill. “Much of our inherited knowledge of cooking and gardening stems from Hannah,” she says. “We use her recipes, her dishware, tell her stories and share her photographs. Often, as I’m working in my garden or putting dinner on the table, I think of Hannah—of her grit, her patience, her love for her family and that farm. Her life was not one of excess, but it was full, and the memories are fond.”

family photos

Swedish immigrant Hannah Pearson raised 10 children while managing the working farm in Cambridge on which they lived. Pearson’s great-greatgranddaughter, Darien Rozell, is still honoring her legacy a century later.

HOW THE LEGACY OF ONE WASHINGTON COUNTY IMMIGRANT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH SIX GENERATIONS OF HOMEMAKERS. n BY NATALIE MOORE

BOB MARINI CEO, Marini Homes

BIGGEST HOME DESIGN TREND YOU’RE SEEING IN 2023?

In the wake of the cost escalations of 2022 and much higher interest rates, we’re seeing a trend toward slightly smaller homes with more amenities, such as three-car garages, three-plus full bathrooms, covered outdoor living spaces and wide-open indoor spaces.

HOW IS THE PANDEMIC STILL AFFECTING YOUR BUSINESS?

Building Blocks

LOCAL BUILDERS ARE STILL FEELING THE EFFECTS OF COVID-CAUSED LABOR AND PRODUCT SHORTAGES, BUT WITH THE PANDEMIC IN THE REARVIEW, HERE’S HOW THEY’RE ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL.

The No. 1 hangover from the pandemic is housing affordability. Supply chain constraints and federal stimulus created a tsunami of inflation that translated to the costs of new homes rising 40 percent and interest rates being much higher than a year ago. This combination has forced many would-be homebuyers to the sidelines.

ONE THING YOU WISH YOUR CUSTOMERS UNDERSTOOD?

The cost of government regulations and their impact on the affordability of new homes. The cost of new home lots used to be around $45,000 in the ’90s and has increased to $130,000 per lot today.

PETER BELMONTE President, Belmonte Builders

BIGGEST HOME DESIGN TREND YOU’RE SEEING IN 2023? Finished basements—clients want to maximize finished space to allow everyone to spread out and have their own room. And the addition of outdoor living—people are spending a lot of money on their homes and in return are spending more time at home, so they want to be able to enjoy all aspects of the home, including the outdoors.

HOW IS THE PANDEMIC STILL AFFECTING YOUR BUSINESS?

The pandemic changed our labor force significantly, with many senior and experienced folks retiring from homebuilding, which has created a gap in the workforce. On a good note, products have become more available; but anything with a microchip in it remains a challenge.

ONE THING YOU WISH YOUR CUSTOMERS UNDERSTOOD? That there are a lot of factors that determine the pricing of our homes that are out of our control, and that building a home now takes longer than it did pre-pandemic.

PANEL

THE BEST BUILT GUN SAFE ON THE PLANET

California Closets

952 Troy Schenectady Rd., Latham

518.785.5723 | californiaclosets.com

California Closets creates storage solutions for any room in the house! In addition to closets of all shapes and sizes, the local team specializes in building mudrooms, pantries, garages and media centers. Plus, since working from home became the norm for many people, custom home offices are a frequent request. It all begins with a complimentary design consultation in the home, at the Latham design studio or virtually. Call, click or stop in today; the possibilities are endless.

Concord Pools

136 South Broadway, Saratoga Springs

518.587.4949 | concordpools.com

The in-ground pool professionals at Concord Pools are here to make your backyard dreams come true. Create your own retreat for family and friends with a feature-packed, in-ground pool (both fiberglass and vinyl are available). Experience the ultimate in hot tubs with the Marquis lines, then check out a wide selection of comfy, durable outdoor pool furniture by Ashley. Every project is customized with Concord Pools’ personal touch. Don’t wait for warmer weather to get started—call today for your free consultation.

Mahoney Alarms

15 Cooper St., Glens Falls

518.793.7788 | mahoneyalarms.com

Zobel & Co. Kitchens

11 Broad St., Glens Falls

518.588.1034 | zobelandco.com

Bring your inner chef outdoors with a custom outdoor kitchen. Turn your outdoor space into a kitchen where friends and family want to gather, whether it’s for a family meal or a special-occasion party. An outdoor kitchen means you don’t have to miss the fun happening outside while preparing drinks and meals. By offering a variety of colors, door styles, and features like deep drawers, utensil pull-outs, curved fronts and galley sinks, Zobel can customize your outdoor kitchen to fit your entertaining style with cabinetry designed to meet all types of weather extremes, from upstate New York’s coldest winters to its hottest summer days.

A local leader in CCTV, security, fire, access control and environmental alarms, Glens Falls’ family-owned Mahoney Alarms has been serving upstate New York’s businesses, museums, theaters and homes for more than 65 years. Whether you’re looking for an all-new alarm system or a takeover of an existing system, Mahoney has you covered. Mahoney monitors all its alarm systems at its in-house central monitoring system, so your family can feel at ease, both day and night. Plus, homeowners can now operate their alarm system directly from their smartphone using the virtual keypad app. Call today for a free quote and consultation.

Into Mischief Boutique

454 Broadway, Saratoga Springs

845.866.0658 | intomischiefboutique.com

If you’re looking to elevate your home’s décor but don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, stop by the Saratoga Marketplace to shop Into Mischief Boutique. There you’ll find a delightfully curated selection of contemporary, edgy and traditional pieces in a wide variety of styles to fit any homeowner’s aesthetic. Into Mischief really does have something for everyone. With a recently expanded space, there will be more room for unique, one-of-a-kind finds!

Tailgate and Party

33 Phila St., Saratoga Springs

518.886.9015 | tailgateandparty.com

At Tailgate and Party, the party starts in the store! Whether you’re looking for festive party supplies, your friend group’s next favorite drinking game, or home décor that’ll make your guests laugh out loud, the Phila Street store has something for you. Does your bar cart need an upgrade? Shop unique barware like decanters, glassware, bar mats and other home bar supplies. Taking your drinks to go? This cheeky clutch is the perfect vessel for a Black Cherry White Claw.

GNH Lumber 898 New Loudon Rd., Latham • 518.313.1229

GNH Lumber 898 New Loudon Rd., Latham | 518.313.1229 | gnhlumber.com

GNH Lumber 898 New Loudon Rd., Latham • 518.313.1229 • gnhshowroom.com

• gnhshowroom.com

Remodeling your home adds style, functionality and many years of enjoyment. Are you thinking about adding new energyefficient windows and doors? Want a kitchen or bath that fits your lifestyle? GNH can help! Visit their design showroom in Latham for home remodeling ideas and inspiration; GNH’s professional designers will answer questions about style, materials and budget and will help you construct a home remodeling plan. Stop in or call for an in-home consultation today!

Remodeling your home adds style, functionality and many years of enjoyment. Are you thinking about adding new energy-efficient windows and doors? Want a kitchen or bath that fits your lifestyle? Or anything else you can imagine, we can help! Visit our design showroom in Latham for home remodeling ideas and inspiration. It is a great place to explore options and get familiar with styles and products available. Our professional designers will answer questions about style, materials and budget and will help you construct a home remodeling plan. Stop in or call for an in-home consultation today!

Remodeling your home adds style, functionality and many years of enjoyment. Are you thinking about adding new energy-efficient windows and doors? Want a kitchen or bath that fits your lifestyle? Or anything else you can imagine, we can help! Visit our design showroom in Latham for home remodeling ideas and inspiration. It is a great place to explore options and get familiar with styles and products available. Our professional designers will answer questions about style, materials and budget and will help you construct a home remodeling plan. Stop in or call for an in-home consultation today!

d.o. organize

Saratoga Springs

518.926.0942 | doorganize.com

d.o. organize is ready to help you take control of your clutter, offering organizing services, clean outs, home staging, and moving/estate sales—everything to get you from cluttered to cleared!

d.o. organize will evaluate the entire project; take control of the situation; help you decide what to keep, donate, sell or trash; and set up systems to enable you to maintain the space clutter free. Let d.o. organize help you gain control, from your home space to your workplace…and everywhere in between.

Home Technology

Saratoga Springs

518.792.3240 | hometechnologyinspections.com

When it comes to keeping your family safe, trust the experts at Home Technology, an approved NYSDOH mitigation contractor serving Warren, Washington, Essex, Saratoga and Albany counties. Radon is an odorless, colorless, radioactive gas that can accumulate to potentially dangerous levels in home basements. Home Technology’s state-of-the-art energy efficient mitigation systems reduce levels of the naturally occurring gas in your home in as little as a day, satisfaction guaranteed.

Southern Adirondack ReStore

1373, US 9, Fort Edward

518.793.7484 | glensfallshabitat.org/restore

Rather than shopping at a big box store the next time you need a piece of furniture or home décor for your home, make the short drive up to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, located off Exit 17 of the Northway. ReStore receives donations of new to slightly used sofas, cabinets and other home goods daily, resulting in a wide selection to fit every style and budget. At ReStore, all the shop’s proceeds go to building affordable homes in the area, so you’ll be purchasing with a purpose.

Overhead Door Company of Glens Falls

1584 US 9, Fort Edward

518.798.4228 | garagedoors-glensfalls.com

Locally owned and operated since 1978, The Overhead Door Company of Glens Falls is your go-to source for residential and commercial garage door installation and repair services in Saratoga, Warren, Washington and Hamilton counties. Choose from a variety of garage doors to suit any style or need. The Overhead Door Company honors all manufacturer warranties on installations, and provides a one-year labor warranty on its work. Call today for a free estimate.

HOME IMPROVEMENT 411

Allerdice Ace Hardware and Building Supply

41 Walworth Street, Saratoga allerdice.com

@allerdiceacehardware

 518.584.5533

GNH Design Showroom

898 New Loudon Road, Latham GNHshowroom.com

@GNHLumber

 info@gnhlumber.com

 518.313.1229

Interior Designs Atelier

3 Franklin Square, Suite 6, Saratoga interiordesignsatelier.com

@interiordesignsatelier

 518.886.1204

Marcella’s Appliance Center

15 Park Avenue, Shoppers World Plaza, Clifton Park

marcellasappliance.com/locations/park

 518.952.7700

Plum & Crimson Fine

Interior Design

51 Ash Street, Saratoga plumandcrimson.com

@plumandcrimson

 518.306.5283

California Closets

952 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham californiaclosets.com/albany

@californiaclosetsupstateny

 518.785.5723

Zobel & Co. Kitchens

11 Broad Street, Glens Falls zobelandco.com

@zobelandco

 518.588.1034

Wolberg Lighting Design & Electrical Supply

Albany, Kingston, Saratoga, Schenectady wolberg.com

 800.342.4304

FLORISTS

Balet Flowers & Design

5041 Nelson Avenue Ext., Malta baletflowers.com

@baletflowers

 518.584.8555

PAVING SERVICES

Luizzi Asphalt Services

Paving & Sealcoating

70 Tivoli Street, Albany luizziasphalt.com

 518.439.7325

Mahoney Alarms

15 Copper Street, Glens Falls

mahoneyalarms.com

 518.793.7788

d.o. organize Saratoga doorganize.com

 mail@doorganize.com

 518.926.0942

Oxi-Fresh Carpet Cleaning

Saratoga oxifresh.com

 518.871.9844

Overhead Door Company of Glens Falls

1584 US 9, Fort Edward garagedoors-glensfalls.com

 518.798.4228

CR Gas Logs & Fireplaces

15 Drywall Lane, Voorheesville crgaslogs.com

 518.765.4279

LANDSCAPING

Pure Perfection Landscaping

1780 NY 196, Fort Edward pureperfectionlandscaping.com

 518.744.9560

Redbud Landscape Design

2 Commerce Park Drive, Wilton redbuddevelopment.com

@redbud_development

 518.691.0428

RADON MITIGATION

Home Technology

Saratoga

hometechnologyinspections.com

 518.792.3240

A b o u t O u r G a l l e r y

S p a F i n e A r t p r o u d l y r e p r e s e n t s a n o u t s t a n d i n g g r o u p o f o v e r 2 0 0 n a t i o n a l l y a n d w o r l d r e n o w n e d a r t i s t s . R a n g i n g i n s t y l e f r o m t r a d i t i o n a l t o c o n t e m p o r a r y , S F A o f f e r s a w i d e s e l e c t i o n o f s u b j e c t m a t t e r - c o n v e n i e n t l y l o c a t e d i n t h e h e a r t o f h i s t o r i c d o w n t o w n S a r a t o g a S p r i n g s . C e l e b r a t i n g 1 5 y e a r s o f m a k i n g b e a u t i f u l c o n n e c t i o n s o f a r t w o r k - t o - c o l l e c t o r .

S E R V I C E S P R O V I D E D

H i g h l y q u a l i f i e d a r t c o n s u l t a n t s

I n - h o m e c o n s u l t a t i o n s

C u r a t e d v i r t u a l p r e v i e w s

F u l l y i n s u r e d w o r l d w i d e s h i p p i n g

C o m p l i m e n t a r y h o m e i n s t a l l a t i o n s

F l e x i b l e f i n a n c i n g o p t i o n s

" P i n k P e o n i e s "

" B l u e R i d e r "

" S t a b l e m a t e s "

w w w s p a - f i n e - a r t c o m

" S t a r t i n g G a t e "

PAINTING A PORTRAIT

TWO YEARS AFTER OWEN WILSON MANIA SWEPT THE SPA CITY DURING THE FILMING OF THE INDIE FILM PAINT, WE GO BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE NOTORIOUSLY LAID-BACK STAR TO TALK ABOUT THE MOVIE AHEAD OF ITS APRIL 7 RELEASE, HIS TIME IN SARATOGA AND—FOR ALL YOU WHAT’S GOING ON SARATOGA? FACEBOOK GROUP MEMBERS—HIS THOUGHTS ON CHICK-FIL-A.

By Abby Tegnelia

pipe dreams

Owen Wilson leaned on Broadway’s James & Sons Tobacconists to help his character look more authentic.

“I smoke a pipe in the movie, and I’ve never smoked a pipe before, or even cigarettes,” Wilson says. “So I hung around in there for a couple of days. The guy helped me out with some little pointers so it looked believable that I was someone familiar with a pipe.”

ate-April 2021, and the setting in Saratoga was all about perspective. If you were part of a certain film crew working with Hollywood heavyweight Owen Wilson, the Spa City was re-imagined as 1970s Vermont, the setting for a new movie, Paint, which was filmed exclusively in and around the Spa City. If you were a star-crazy Saratogian, locating said film crew and flooding the local Facebook group with photos of it was your new sport of choice. For all, it was mostly post-pandemic bliss. There was an indescribable electricity in the air after being cooped up for a year but at long last being able to work again (if you were part of the film crew), and not be scared of being in a crowd—if you were one of the die-hards with your face pressed up against a window trying to catch a glimpse of Wilson.

And then there’s Wilson himself. Like the movie characters that have made him an international star, he took it all in stride, man.

“I had a great time,” he says, calling in from Maui, where he was vacationing with his two sons for their winter break from school. “I really did. It’s such a beautiful town, and I couldn’t help but meet people. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming to us. I had never really spent time in upstate New York, and I loved it.”

(The film’s executive producer, Richard J. Bosner, was more effusive: “It was really wild!” he says of the local crowds, especially the end-shoot work, including barbershop scenes shot at Lucy’s on Caroline Street before it was Lucy’s. “We definitely felt it. The entire town was watching!”)

That barbershop is pretty crucial to the indie comedy—Wilson’s character, Carl Nargle, is based on the iconic TV painter Bob Ross, enormous perm and all. Across the street from Lucy’s, the dive bar Desperate Annie’s serves as the town water cooler in the film, familiar houses on Circular Street can be seen as he drives his retro van through town, and Olde Bryan Inn serves as the romantic setting for a date with an aggressive fan. Nargle’s art studio is a barn in Greenfield Center, and his work shots take place— of course—at WMHT’s television studios. Other local spots that appear in the movie include the Hidden Lake Girl Scout Camp, the intersection of Railroad Place and Division Street, the Lincoln Baths, and various residences around Saratoga.

“Carl’s look was obviously inspired by Bob Ross, and his painting, of course,” says Wilson. “[Director] Brit McAdams used that as a jumping off point to imagine this character who works at a PBS station in a small town. I’m the big fish in a small pond, and everyone caters to me. But then a new painter comes along

to each his owen (above, clockwise from top left) Lucky local fans who met the star include Feathered Antler artist Gretchen Louise Tisch at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market; Sean Shaughnessy at Saratoga National Historical Park; and Stephanie Marotta and Lisa Mitzen, also at the Farmers’ Market; Wilson shooting a scene outside of Spot Coffee; (opposite) Wilson in a still from his latest film, Paint, in which he plays Carl Nargle, a TV painter based on PBS icon Bob Ross. “Bob Ross is a good person to be obsessed with,” Wilson says of the current resurgence of interest in the late iconic TV star. “He does have a sort of cachet among hipsters and young people. Even here on Maui, I saw a lady wearing a Bob Ross T-shirt. So he really does have a following.”

and steals my thunder. I really enjoyed the story and the world that Brit created. This was genuinely my sense of humor—and there aren’t many scripts that are my sense of humor!”

We’ll be able to see this world for ourselves when Paint—and Saratoga—hits the big screen April 7.

Wilson, who rose to stardom alongside brother Luke, hails from Dallas and was seemingly born to be an actor. The son of a renowned photographer, he credits his parents for opening the door for him to choose a creative field, a destiny that has brought him fame via movies such as Rushmore, Zoolander, Night at the Museum and Wedding Crashers. Early in his career, he co-wrote the screenplay for The Royal Tenenbaums with director (and close friend)

Wes Anderson, earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

“I just kind of fell into it,” he says. “I was an English major in college and became friends with Wes and then he and I were roommates. He was very focused on wanting to be a director, so we started writing together. And then he wanted me to act. Both of my parents were creative. My dad was the head of the PBS station in Dallas and did some books and things. My mom was a photographer who photographed Donald Judd before he passed away. I always loved looking at the pictures she did of [west Texas artist enclave] Marfa and the installations there. I enjoy being around creative people because that’s how it was growing up—always around interesting and funny people. It’s been a fun life. I consider myself fortunate.”

“THIS WAS GENUINELY MY SENSE OF HUMOR— AND THERE AREN’T MANY SCRIPTS THAT ARE MY SENSE OF HUMOR!”

owen the distance (left)

was just in London for

Disney+

His dad’s running of a PBS station is but one of many full-circle moments for the star and his latest movie. His buddy Peter Brant, the worldrenowned art collector and a producer on Paint, has a house in Saratoga. And then there’s that tranquilizingly slow Bob Ross TV delivery that Wilson didn’t really have to practice.

“Carl does have a very soothing, calm way of talking, much like Bob Ross,” Wilson says. “I mean, I’m from Texas, so hopefully that’s in my wheelhouse to speak in that way—if you’re from Texas, you probably speak more slowly. I’m not great at doing voices and haven’t done them that much in movies. I can only think of one movie where I really, kind of changed my voice, and that was a sort of fake southern thing in The Life Aquatic [with Steve Zissou]. I’m sure it had no bearing on an actual Kentucky accent, but it was something that Wes thought was good and funny for the character.”

Executive producer Bosner and director McAdams loved the “unique vibe” that Saratoga was able to offer Paint. “Saratoga Springs has a timeless feel,” Bosner says. “Brit loved that version of the world that we were trying to create for Carl.”

Mother Nature even cooperated, delivering a cold spring— and late-April snowstorm.

“It snowed on our first day of filming,” Wilson says. “I was actually really excited because we had wanted to film a little bit more in the winter originally, when there would be some snow. I took it as a very good omen.” Then the southern boy paused before adding, “Yeah, it was pretty cold shooting in Saratoga in May.”

title character. His next project doesn’t begin until summer, leaving time to hang out with his two sons; (opposite) no stranger to the red carpet, Wilson has been a bona fide movie star since the late 1990s, when he burst onto the scene with brother Luke in Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket.

as

On a personal level, history nut Wilson loved Saratoga’s vibe as well—and shout-out to “landscapers Andy and Bob” for showing him around. “Growing up in Dallas, there’s not a lot of history,” Wilson says. “If you have a 7-Eleven that was there since 1978, it’s considered a landmark. So it was nice to be in Saratoga and have some genuine history. On my day off, I drove over to that great park [Saratoga National Historical Park] where you can see some sites regarding Benedict Arnold—you drive in and there are different places where you stop and look. One place is overlooking a valley, and it was a strategic place to set up cannons. And the place [Grant Cottage], where Ulysses Grant finished writing his memoirs! I’m interested in history, so that stuff was fun for me. And then, just the natural beauty of the area. We went for a hike up Buck Mountain. I even went swimming in Lake George. Now that was a cold swim.” (No kidding.)

LANDMARK.”

Wilson loved Saratoga so much that he’s determined to come back sometime during track season. Bosner says that the crew still talks about the horse crossings that stop traffic, and Wilson was impressed after riding his bike over to the track to check things out. “It’d be fun to go see the horse races,” he says. “I met one of the trainers and got to see the horses doing their morning runs. It’s such an interesting, cool world.”

Wilson seems to have a true affection for small towns and their quirks. So after two years of endless jokes connecting him with Chick-fil-A (confused? Search the What’s Going On Saratoga? Facebook group), the man himself—most recently referred to on social media as both the owner of Chick-fil-A and “mayor of Saratoga, head of the Chick-fil-A party”—was finally asked what he orders when he pops into the popular fast food joint that has so far eluded Saratoga.

“I’ve never eaten at Chick-fil-A!” he says, laughing. “Why? Is it really good?” So I took one for the team and quickly ran through the memes and jokes that have flooded our local social media circles. “That’s funny, because I do see them in Atlanta, and one just opened up in Maui,” he says, admitting his sons must like those famous waffle fries because they wanted to go to the new Maui location. “I’m not a huge chicken eater or fast food eater. Is there one in Saratoga? Oh, they want one…”

The inexplicable running joke is confusing. But in the words of Wilson’s character Carl Nargle, “It’s hard not to feel a little lost…just take it all in.” See you on the big screen, Owen.

Wilson

six months working on the second season of the

series Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston

the

“GROWING UP IN DALLAS, THERE’S NOT A LOT OF HISTORY. IF YOU HAVE A 7-ELEVEN THAT WAS THERE SINCE 1978, IT’S CONSIDERED A

lake life Local cofounder Domenick Pfau’s sister, Sara, makes jewelry using the Lake George design she drew and sells it on iwearlocal.com ; (opposite) locals repping the brand at The Sagamore in Bolton Landing.

LIKE A LOCAL

HOW BOLTON LANDING NATIVES

DOMENICK PFAU AND MATTHEW PETERSON BUILT A BRAND ON THE BACK OF ONE OF MOTHER NATURE’S OWN ICONIC DESIGNS: LAKE GEORGE.

BY NATALIE MOORE

pparel brands that pay homage to a particular place aren’t necessarily a new phenomenon—Straight Outta Compton shirts, Keep Portland Weird! buttons and OBX bumper stickers have been helping natives tout

their hometown pride for years. But when budding entrepreneur and Bolton Landing native Domenick Pfau wanted to wear his hometown (literally) on his

sleeve, he realized he didn’t even need to use the words “Lake George” in his logo design. Locals would get it anyway.

It all started with Pfau’s sister, Sara, who was using an outline of Lake George that she’d drawn to make jewelry. After graduating from high school, Pfau got the long, skinny shape tattooed down his spine, and, sitting in economics class during his freshman year at the University of South Carolina, he got an idea. “I was doodling designs that would look cool with that design in the margins of my notebook,” he says. “I had ideas for life jackets, T-shirts…I even drew stuff for the straps on goggles—you know, stuff that you would use around the Adirondacks.” When Pfau and his friend Matthew Peterson, a fellow USC student and Bolton native, came home for the summer, they decided to screen print those designs onto tank tops. And with that, the Local brand was born.

(Pfau and Peterson) LAKE GEORGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

branding together (clockwise, from left) Local founders Domenick Pfau and Matthew Peterson; Mark Pelersi models a Local shirt on the lake; in addition to apparel, Local sells merchandise like charcuterie boards and water bottles.

Throughout college, the business partners sold Local merch out of the trunks of their cars. “I don’t know if we ever had more than $300 in the business fund at any time,” Pfau says, “because we’d take [any profit we got] and spend some on T-shirts and then the rest on beer.” Still, that model allowed them to play around with different designs. By the time they graduated, the Local brand had grown to about a dozen products and was so successful that Pfau and Peterson opened a brick-and-mortar store in Bolton Landing in 2014. “We were planning on doing it for the summer, and it was so successful that we went all the way through Christmas,” Pfau says. “We closed and opened up the next spring. That year, we realized we were so busy that we had to stay open all year long.”

Since then, Local has expanded to a second location in Lake George Village, and also has products— everything from shirts and hats to cutting boards and coasters, plus Sara’s jewelry—available online at iwearlocal.com. Pfau, who now lives in Saratoga, says the biggest sellers are hoodies and, unsurprisingly, decals, which have become so popular that you can’t drive north on I-87 without spotting one of the iconic white stickers on the back of someone’s Subaru. “It’s almost like a secret club,” Pfau says. “It doesn’t say Lake George, but if you know, you know. And if you don’t, you’re not a local.”

OH, SNAP!

While Domenick Pfau has been busy dominating Lake George’s apparel scene with his brand Local since 2014, the pandemic brought a new venture to the Saratogian’s doorstep. Stuck at home but still wanting to be creative, Pfau and another one of his friends from USC—Charlotte, NC resident Nick Hurd—got to talking about a concept Hurd had been ruminating on for a few years. “Nick remembers that he had this meeting where a guy came in with these multi-colored buttons on his shirt, and every single person in the meeting said something about them,” Pfau says. “It ended up being that the guy’s wife sewed them on by hand. So Nick’s gears started turning.”

His idea: What if he could find a way to change the color of your buttons, or accessorize those buttons, and make it easy enough for you to change them from day to day?

The solution was Button Ups, small plastic covers that snap onto a shirt’s existing buttons, allowing you to customize a single shirt in many different ways. Pfau and Hurd launched the product on button-ups.com in 2021, and currently offer them in eight colors including The Maverick Blues (navy), The Smoking Aces (slate) and The Power Moves (red).

The business world, Pfau believes, is ready for a product like this, given the postpandemic fashion trend toward a more casual look. “Nobody is wearing ties anymore,” he says of professional work environments. “You can wear your goofy socks, but nobody sees those.” So for those men looking to stand out from the hordes of whiteshirted, blue-blazered suits? Help is only a tube of Button Ups away.

pressing buttons

Created by Domenick Pfau and Nick Hurd, Button Ups clip onto existing buttons allowing wearers to customize their look.

FLORAL ASPIRATIONS

AS HER COUNTRY-CHIC WILTON HOME COMES ALIVE WITH FRESH FLOWERS, BETHANY BOWYER KHAN

GEARS UP TO REPRESENT THE SPRING SEASON (AND UPSTATE NEW YORK!) IN A SOONTO-BE-RELEASED COFFEE TABLE BOOK.

BY ABBY TEGNELIA PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN ASHBY

ethany Bowyer Khan has been slowly curating her country-chic dream home for the past two years, after moving to Saratoga County from Brooklyn (by way of a 10-month stop at her family’s farmhouse in northeast Ohio). The details and authenticity with which she has created her family’s home have already caught the eye of Wiliams Sonoma Home and publications as far away as the UK—and now she’s representing upstate New York (and the spring season!) in an upcoming book on farmhouse living.

Escape to the Country is an aspirational coffee table book for the post-pandemic era, featuring the architecture, precious interiors and enviable garden designs of a dozen farmhouses and farmhouse-type homes across the country, with three representing each of the four seasons. The book’s author, Ben Ashby, himself a New York transplant who’s landed in Kentucky, is onto something— his FOLK Magazine Instagram account boasts more than 600,000 followers.

When Ashby visited Khan’s home—which she shares with husband Jamil; daughter Natalie, 3; and son Christopher, 1— he missed out on seeing it in full bloom. “He came during the deadest part of the year,” laughs Khan. “It was freezing cold but not winter anymore. But we talked about gardening and slowing down to think about what came before us and how we want to shape the home as an intentional environment.” Soon after, her yard came alive. “Perennials come back every year and are this special gift you give to the world,” she says. “I was pregnant during our first fall here, but I still planted 500 daffodil bulbs. We had more than 1,000 blooms our first year.”

Khan comes from a five-generation-long line of gardeners, and grew up in her grandparents’ former farmhouse, Bowyer Farm, in Ohio. “Gardening has always been a part of what I’ve done my whole life,” she says. “When I was in first grade, we moved into the house I grew up in after my grandfather

pros and khans (from top) A favorite view of Bethany Bowyer Khan’s sought-after kitchen design; a close-up of the kitchen hutch that's adorned with gardening and farming touches from Khan's childhood home; (opposite, clockwise from top left) a floral arrangement on the mantel, including live tulips in water tubes and dried hydrangeas; Khan after giving author Ben Ashby a tour of her home; antique gardening tools from Khan’s childhood home; the Greek Revival–style home’s signature gable roof peeking from behind the property’s inviting maple tree; (previous page) Khan’s antique hoosier from her childhood home topped with bowls from her parents’ kitchen.

passed away. We inherited all of my grandmother’s gardens. We had vegetable gardens, but the heirloom perennial flowers were what I loved the most.”

When Covid hit, Khan and her husband (he worked in the renewable energy sector, she in commercial real estate) were both working remotely in their 53-story apartment building right across the street from Brooklyn Hospital, taking care of then-infant Natalie and a dog. The location was so chaotic and heavy during those dark Covid times that they eventually jumped at the chance to spend some time at Khan’s 40-acre childhood home.

In Ohio, Khan’s mom watched Natalie while the ex-Brooklynites worked, giving Khan the chance to fall in love with farm life all over again. “I would work outside on

the porch, gardening and tending to the blueberry bushes my grandmother planted 75 years ago,” she says. “Meanwhile, I’d be on a conference call talking about a return on investment on whatever energy upgrade. One day my dad’s tractor broke down, and I was on a call talking about budgets while steering the tractor back to the driveway and up to the barn.” She spent her evenings going through the attic, lovingly pulling out old recipes, photos and knick-knacks to take home—wherever that ended up being.

Then Saratoga County came calling. The couple found an 11-year-old, Greek Revival–style home that had farmhouse charm despite being so new. And off they moved to Wilton— determined to not lose the country charm of their sabbatical from city life. “I wanted to be intentional and make sure that every detail had meaning,” Khan says. “We custom-milled the moldings and baseboards of our kitchen island to match the old general store counter that was my kitchen island growing up.”

Various other antiques and vintage prints are dotted throughout the home, adding meaningful touches that remind Khan of her ancestry. And her husband, Jamil, isn’t left out either. “His late father was from Pakistan, and his mother grew up in Bolivia,” Khan says. “We have vases and rugs— neat things from their travels in the Middle East and India. I’m always thinking of textiles or how I can do something that is South American–inspired. It creates a sense of curiosity and learning on one hand and on the other there’s also this foundation of feeling open-minded and connecting to things that are not familiar to you but you make them familiar to you. It’s a way to create community and bring cultures together.”

As for spring, Khan will be doing her usual—finding creative ways to bring all of those flowers inside, including into her young daughter’s bedroom. Escape to the Country was originally scheduled for a March release but is now hitting bookstores June 22; Khan is starting work on her own book while she waits. Plus, this spring sees the launch of her own interior design business (arcadianrevival.com), for which her popular country-chic Instagram (@arcadianrevival) served as the springboard. Her business will include garden design and even have one-off floral designs for sale.

“I’m also in the middle of a huge construction project—my 1,500-square-foot basement,” she says. “It has a bunch of natural light so it doesn’t even feel like a basement; it feels like you’re stepping into the lower level of an old farmhouse, but with modern amenities. And I want to give my screened-in porch a facelift. I’ve fantasized about having a little woman’s dinner back there, with string lights and some good wine. I’ll make it so special.”

Escape to the Country: Living On The Farm, authored by Ben Ashby and published by Lannoo Publishers, is available now for preorders and will be released on June 22, 2023

heady copper Natural material accents adorn the countertops, including various tones of wood, copper, marble and cotton. An antique yellowware bowl from Khan’s mother’s extensive collection once served as a design staple in her childhood home; (below) Escape to the Country will hit bookstores June 22.

The Wright

that’s the spirit A rendering of the Wright Spirit, a 100-passenger electric plane

Way

ELECTRIC AIRPLANE TAKE FLIGHT. INAMALTATECHPARK, DESIGNS FOR THE WORLD’S LARGEST

By Elissa Garay

designed by Malta-based aerospace startup Wright Electric that is projected to take to the skies in 2026.

f all the goals people hope to achieve in celebration of their 40th birthdays, Jeff Engler’s is a unique one. The Wright Electric CEO—whose milestone birthday is this month—wants to build the world’s largest electric plane.

The challenges are immense, but Engler must be doing something right: Major backers such as NASA, the US Air Force and easyJet have already lined up behind his buzzy electric aerospace start-up, which recently relocated to Malta. The aviation world is excitingly on the precipice of a greenenergy revolution, with first-generation electric commercial planes set to launch in the next few years—and Engler says his company’s planned 100-passenger Wright Spirit will be among them come 2026.

Founded in 2016 and formerly based in Boston and cities in California, the 15-person company set up shop last summer in the woodsy 280-acre Saratoga Technology + Energy Park— the former site of the government-run Malta Test Station, a rocket testing and research facility that is now a haven for various high-tech, clean energy companies.

“We make a very specialized motor and a very specialized computer to control that motor, and there aren’t a lot of places in the world where there are people who have deep expertise in that,” Engler says of the talent pool here in Tech Valley, citing the presence of high-tech companies such as GE Research and GlobalFoundries and techy higher-learning institutions like Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “There are lots and lots of engineers and suppliers and general knowledge through academia, as well. It’s a virtuous cycle.”

Engler seemed destined for a career in sustainable aviation. His grandfather was an aerospace engineer, and his parents were ardent environmentalists who instilled in him a love for the planet and the great outdoors. “I love all the outdoorsy activities in the Capital Region, north and south,” he says. “There’s extraordinary hiking and biking; the nature in the area is unparalleled.”

After growing up in Westchester, Engler went on to receive an MBA from Harvard Business School before eventually eyeing an online calculator that measures one’s personal carbon footprint. He was so affected by seeing how his shot up with every flight he took that he stopped flying completely for six months. He found that wasn’t a viable long-term solution in the modern world, but the exercise changed his life.

“What’s already happening with electric vehicles is going to happen with planes, too,” he says. His mission is to eliminate carbon emissions from all flights under 800 miles by the year 2040. In pursuit of that goal, Wright Electric set out to design

an emissions-free, electric propulsion system that’s compatible with either batteries or hydrogen fuel cells, which can ultimately convert planes to all-electric power. With a worsening climate crisis, there’s no time to lose. The aviation sector is behind a billion tons—or about 3 percent—of the world’s annual carbon dioxide emissions, with projections for aviation’s carbon emissions to triple by 2050 without the implementation of sweeping decarbonization measures. While most airlines have agreed to meet the United Nations–set net-zero carbon emissions targets for 2050, in order to avert the worst effects of climate change, those goals can only be successful if fossil fuel–free airplane technologies are developed. Electric aircraft not only serve to eliminate jet fuel emissions, proponents say, but also reduce noise and slash operating costs, too.

Luckily, Wright Electric’s planes are not some far-off fantasy. The company’s first electric aircraft, the 100-passenger Wright Spirit a retrofitted BAe 146 plane from British aerospace company BAE Systems—is targeted for 2026. The four-engine planes are expected to have a flying range of about one hour, or 400 miles; ground testing on the electric propulsion unit is currently underway, with flight tests expected to follow in 2024.

Engler says there are many advantages to retrofitting an existing plane with electric motors, rather than designing an entirely new aircraft. “Because you’re starting with an existing airplane,” he says, “you get to market more quickly, and there’s less work to be done.”

All the same, Engler says he has some major hurdles to overcome as well, including a stringent regulatory process to clear with the Federal Aviation Administration. “There’s a lot of technology still to be built, and not just the motors that our company is doing,” he says. “People are working on this technology, and it also needs to be validated and verified.”

And finally, there’s a certain amount of inertia to counter.

“There are a lot of people within the airplane industry who are really happy with existing airplanes, and so we’re sometimes looked at as a disruptive force,” Engler says. “With any new company that comes in with a new technology that has the potential to have some advantages but disrupts the existing supply chain, you sometimes see headwinds.”

Further out, with a target for the early 2030s, the company is angling for an all-electric new-build commercial plane. Dubbed the Wright 1, it will be designed from scratch, with a 186-passenger capacity and 800-mile range. Engler says that the planes’ designs won’t look much different than standard

jet planes, though they will have several more engines underneath each wing.

“It’s kind of like how from the outside a Tesla doesn’t look very different from a regular car,” he says. “But under the hood, it’s quite different.”

Most of Wright Electric’s fellow electric aviation start-ups focus on smaller passenger planes requiring less battery power (such as United’s planned fleet of 19-seat electric planes). But that was never enough for Engler. “We’ve been laserfocused from day one on building technologies to decarbonize airplanes larger than 100 passengers,” he says of the plane size that’s responsible for the vast majority of emissions in the aerospace industry. “Even though, of course, it’s a harder technical challenge and is going to take longer, that’s where the biggest opportunity is for carbon emissions reduction.”

It’s an ambitious strategy that he says has put the company “years ahead of the competition” and has attracted some major government contracts, and partnerships with shorthaul behemoths such as the aforementioned easyJet in Europe and Viva Aerobus in Latin America.

For its part, the Capital Region, with its key crossroads location along historical transportation routes, is no stranger to aviation innovation. In 1910, this area gave us America’s first long-distance intercity flight, piloted by Glenn Curtiss between Albany—whose airport was established two years prior as America’s first municipal airport—and New York City. Meanwhile, Schenectady County Airport, now home to the Empire State Aerosciences Museum, was once the site of the General Electric Flight Test Center, which was responsible for major advancements in aviation. Famed American aviators Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart once hopped between these early regional airfields.

Today, the region is once again promising more pioneering work and headline-making achievements in the aviation space. And Engler, who hopes his planes will soon fly out of Albany and other airports, emphasizes that there’s not a moment to waste in launching this new era of electric flight. “With every flight, a little bit more carbon goes into the air,” he says. “It’s a race against time.”

fan club Wright Electric CEO Jeff Engler, seen here with a jet engine fan, moved his company’s headquarters to Malta in part because of its techy talent pool; (opposite) an electric engine prototype.

SWEET Summertime S

ONE YEAR AFTER UNVEILING HER EASY, BREEZY LINE OF TRACK-READY WOMENSWEAR, DESIGNER KATHLEEN ROURKE IS READY TO LAUNCH HER 2023 COLLECTION WITH ALL-NEW DESIGNS AND A NATIONAL AUDIENCE.

By Vanessa Geneva Ahern

print preview (clockwise, from top left) The Lauren Maxi Dress with a sailboat print; the Molly Dress in pink and green floral; the Molly Dress in bubblegum pink; given that Kathleen Maeve was named after designer Kathleen Rourke’s daughter, it’s only right that the brand would carry Mommy & Me dresses; (opposite) designer Kathleen Rourke in Saratoga.

lbany-born fashion designer

Kathleen Rourke, owner and designer at Kathleen Maeve, always dreamed of being a business owner but didn’t know what kind of business she’d have.

After graduating from The College of Saint Rose, she worked as an accountant for four years before taking some time off to raise her son, who was born in 2019.

On a trip to Cape Cod in the fall of 2021, the Saratogian was inspired by the business owners she met who had opened shops right after graduating college. Having a penchant for “girly style and pastel-y” fashions, she was in pursuit of a pink Cape Cod souvenir sweatshirt, but couldn’t find one. It turned out to be the lightbulb moment that led to her flipping the narrative of her life. “Wait a minute,” she thought to herself. “I don’t have to be an accountant. I can do whatever I want to do. I live in a tourist town. I’m going to create pink sweatshirts.”

With that fresh mindset, Rourke began looking for opportunities. Instead of a pink sweatshirt, though, she progressed to dresses with bow-tie straps. She had a sample dress created, and nine months later launched Kathleen Maeve, a brand named after her then-18-monthold daughter.

Rourke knew from the moment she held the sample dress in her hand that she could sell it; her cotton linen dresses are versatile and can be worn for weddings or dressed down with sandals for a day at the track. “These are my true designs from scratch,” she says. “Pattern, design…the artwork that’s on the dresses is also from my ideas.”

maeve of honor (from top)

Kathleen Rourke and her daughter, Maeve; a selection of the brand's dresses for little girls; (opposite)

Kathleen Maeve also sells accessories like headbands and handbags.

On April 21, 2022, Rourke unveiled a 20-piece collection of dresses, tops and accessories on kathleenmaeve.com that were immediately scooped up by those who had been anxiously awaiting the drop on social media; of @shopkathleenmaeve’s 200 followers at the time, 70 bought a dress. Now with nearly 3,500 Instagram followers, Kathleen Maeve has caught the attention of national fashion influencers including the popular Teggy French, who placed a large order of rainbow plaid dresses for her online shop.

New for her second year of business?

Downtown's Caroline + Main will be carrying Kathleen Maeve products beginning later this spring, and the designer plans to host more pop-ups like the one she held at The Adelphi last July. Oh, and she’s designing. “I plan to add more types of garments to my brand,” she says. “Slow growth is important to me and I want to enjoy the process. I currently have 14 new dress styles in production, in addition to replenishing my stock of top sellers from last season. I am so eager to launch these designs this spring, and even have a dress that is specific to brides.” Another project that’s in the works? A new dress that will be sold at a lower price point on Amazon.

And while she loves the fact that she achieved her goal of being a business owner, Rourke is especially happy that she’s living out that dream in Saratoga. “My husband was born and raised here, and we love SPAC, the lake, the racetrack and Bolton Landing,” she says. “It’s been so much fun connecting with the other business owners in Saratoga. I feel like I’m in a special club.”

PHILIP SCHUYLER

IS ONE OF SARATOGA COUNTY’S MOST NOTABLE HISTORICAL FIGURES, BUT RECENT CONTROVERSIES HAVE SPARKED DEBATE OVER HIS MEMORY.

THE SCHUYLER LEGACY

BY BRIEN BOUYEA

The cast and crew of Hamilton are headed to the Capital Region for a 16-show run at Proctors beginning March 14, bringing with them more than one reference to upstate New York. As most locals know, the play’s threepeas-in-a-pod “Schuyler Sisters” and their family were from Albany and led a privileged life in the area thanks to their father, Philip, a prominent politician and Army general. His presence is implied throughout the musical, although his character makes only one quick cameo—to give Founding Father Alexander Hamilton his blessing to marry his daughter Eliza.

In real life, that is of course but a footnote in the legacy of the famous patriot. The name “Schuyler” is one that Saratogians would have to work hard to miss.

First, there’s the nearby Schuyler Mansion—where Eliza grew up with her parents and seven surviving siblings—that is now an official National Historic Landmark. Plus we’ve got the village of Schuylerville, our neighbor just 15 minutes to the east—and an almost 100-year-old statue of the man himself that remains at the center of a well-publicized and polarizing debate to this day.

Alas, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning master work is about the story of Hamilton, not Schuyler, leaving the latter’s history— both the good and bad—to us to share.

The historical evaluations of many of America’s founding patriots are complex and tend to ignite contentious debate and critical assessment. The life of Philip Schuyler is no exception. During his time, he was regarded as a popular and stalwart leader who fought for independence from an oppressive

statue of limitations

monarchy, but he simultaneously was one of New York’s most significant enslavers. This creates a great confliction in studying Schuyler, a man with a substantial record on opposite ends of an ideological spectrum that could not be further apart from a morality viewpoint.

Before Schuyler became one of the most notable figures in Saratoga County history, he was born into a prosperous family of Dutch heritage in 1733 and attended public school in Albany during his youth. As an adult, Schuyler’s notable military career that earned him so much acclaim kicked off when he fought for the British in the French and Indian War. He developed a provincial company—a regional troop of soldiers—and was commissioned as its captain by his cousin, New York Lieutenant Governor James Delancey. In 1756, the Albany native accompanied British officer John Bradstreet to Oswego, where he gained experience as a quartermaster. He also participated in the battles of Lake George, Oswego River and others. Following the war, Bradstreet sent Schuyler to England in 1760 to settle reimbursement claims for expenses incurred during the war effort.

But after what turned into a three-year job in England, the Capital Region beckoned.

After returning home to upstate New York, Schuyler took over the management of several farms and business enterprises, including a lucrative lumber venture in the Saratoga area and a flax mill—the first in the American colonies. He went on to become colonel and commander of a militia district regiment in 1767, and entered the budding nation’s political scene when he was elected to the New York General Assembly in 1768. He was eventually elected to the Continental Congress in 1775, the year in which the first shots of the American Revolution were fired.

Schuyler was prominent in preparing the American defense strategy during the Battles of Saratoga in 1777. (After all, he owned an estate in the area and had somewhat of a home-field advantage.) The British plan was to cut the colonies in two by invading and occupying the New York colony. So that summer, General John Burgoyne marched his British force from Canada, through the valleys of

A statue of Philip Schuyler located outside Albany City Hall has sparked controversy in recent years; (opposite) in addition to the village of Schuylerville, Schuyler is the namesake of the town of Schuyler in Herkimer County as well as counties in New York, Illinois and Missouri.

(painting) JACOB LAZARUS

Lake Champlain and Lake George. On the journey, he took the small American garrison occupying Fort Ticonderoga between the two lakes. Following the abandonment of Ticonderoga by General Arthur St. Clair, Schuyler, being responsible for its defense, was accused of dereliction of duty and replaced by General Horatio Gates. In 1778, both Schuyler and St. Clair faced a court of inquiry over the loss of the fort; both were acquitted.

The British offensive continued on but was eventually stopped by the Continental Army, then under the command of Gates and Benedict Arnold (before he famously switched sides), at—you guessed it—Saratoga. That victory, the first overwhelming defeat of a large British force, is widely known as the turning point in the American Revolution, in large part because the outcome convinced France to enter the war on the American side.

Schuyler resigned from the Army in April 1779 and served two more sessions of the Continental Congress in 1779

and 1780. But it is what he did after the war that has ignited locals today.

Schuyler expanded his Saratoga estate in what’s now fittingly called Schuylerville to thousands of acres. The home had been destroyed by General Burgoyne’s Army in October 1777, and in rebuilding, Schuyler used enslaved people as laborers. The property included tenant farmers, a general store and mills for flour, flax and lumber. Schuyler also built several schooners on the Hudson River, the first of which he named Saratoga

For most of the 1780s, Schuyler served in the New York State Senate. He went on to represent New York in the first United States Congress but, as Hamilton fans know, lost to young upstart Aaron Burr in New York’s 1791 State Senate election. Schuyler won election to the United States Senate again in 1797 as a member of the Federalist Party, but resigned a year later because of declining health. He died at the age of 70 at his Albany home on November 18, 1804, just four

park place The country home of Philip Schuyler is now part of Saratoga National Historical Park.

months after his son-in-law, Hamilton, was famously killed in a duel with Schuyler’s former political opponent, Burr.

Schuyler is buried at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands and honored locally via the aforementioned almost-100-year-old statue that has been in the news since 2020. The statue’s controversy began four years prior, when the Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site published on its website that through “census records, receipts and Schuyler letters, we can piece together that between 8 and 13 people were enslaved under Philip Schuyler at the Albany estate over the years.” An additional population at Philip’s Saratoga estate brought the total to at least 30.

And thus, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan ordered Schuyler’s statue be removed from the front of City Hall, where it has resided for almost a century. The directive, one of many calls nationwide for the removal of statues of slave owners in recent years, was met with mixed reaction. The fate of the statue has yet to be decided, though possible sites for its relocation include the Schuyler Mansion Historic Site in Albany, the Schuyler family burial plot, and the Schuyler House on Route 4 in Saratoga County that is operated by the National Park Service. Meanwhile, Albany’s Philip J. Schuyler Achievement Academy, which serves primarily Black students, has started a process to change its name and disassociate itself from Schuyler, while the village of Schuylerville has resisted calls to change its name. “By no means do we condone or approve the owning of slaves,” Schuylerville Mayor Dan Carpenter has said. “However, there’s a steep tradition in history that our village has with General Schuyler.”

As time progresses and the perception of legacies of historical figures such as Philip Schuyler continue to evolve, one truth will remain: History—like the individuals who create it—will forever retain complexities and controversies. Or, as George Washington tells a young Hamilton in the musical written more than 200 years after his death, “History has its eyes on you.”

Michael L. Bird Architect P.C. Serving

off track

saratoga living’s Single in Saratoga: Valentine’s Day Edition

FEBRUARY 8 • BAILEY’S

photography by KONRAD ODHIAMBO

This past February, just in time for Valentine’s Day, saratoga living once again teamed up with Deep Eddy Vodka to play Cupid via hosting a one-of-a-kind singles event at Bailey’s. Singles and wingmen and wingwomen of all ages showed up for the mixer, which featured Valentine’s Day–themed games and activities, a raffle and, of course, Deep Eddy cocktails. No word yet on how many Valentine’s Day dates followed. Follow saratoga living on Eventbrite to be the first to know about future singles nights!

SARATOGA’S HOTTEST TICKETS

Hattie’s Mardi Gras

JANUARY 28 • CANFIELD CASINO

off track

SARATOGA’S HOTTEST TICKETS

Palette’s Lunch Ladies Red & Pink Disco Luncheon

FEBRUARY 17 • THE ADELPHI HOTEL

photography by MORGAN CAMPBELL

Sustainable Elegant Living

Innovative New York City architect Thomas Politi returns to his Capital Region roots to design his own contemporary home and open a studio in Saratoga.

Modern living. Sustainability. Simplicity.

This is what architect Thomas Politi stands for—and his distinctive vision is evident in all of his designs.

“I don’t simply design homes or buildings,” he says. “I design site-specific sanctuaries that my clients enjoy every day.”

One of his recent projects is a prewar coop in the heart of the West Village that was gutted for a complete renovation. Another is modernizing a duplex penthouse on Manhattan’s Central Park South. But don’t let these tony city addresses fool you. His roots—and heart—are in the Saratoga region. This is where he’s designing and building his own contemporary home called Blackhouse, and working on several client projects.

Clifton Park’s Stonehouse is a beautiful example of Thomas Politi’s commitment to modern architecture that represents a symbiotic relationship between the built environment and the landscape.

“I grew up in Amsterdam, a small upstate mill town, and my heritage is Puerto Rican, Cuban and Italian,” says Politi, who is proud to be a Certified New York State Minority Owned Business Enterprise (MBE). “My upbringing definitely influences my design. We always designed and constructed different tiered gardens in our yard, and I believe that’s where my passion for designing within the landscape started.”

Politi is the founding partner and lead designer at Politi & Siano Architects, which now has design studios in both Manhattan and Saratoga Springs. The firm prides itself on redefining architecture as a symbiotic relationship between landscape, engineering, urban design and art. It serves innovative and scrupulous clients who prioritize exceptional design and value creativity.

“Every day in our architecture studios, we reimagine the built environment by creating design concepts that not only meet our client’s requirements, but focus on blurring the boundaries between the built environment and nature,” says Politi. “Simply put, we design innovative and sustainable spaces where people want to live, work and play.“

Clifton Park’s Stonehouse, which Politi designed in 2009, for

example, uses local and reclaimed materials. Like all of his creations, this home maximizes day-lighting, natural ventilation, storm water control and solar power. Last but not least, Politi & Siano’s furniture and custom millwork adds a unique flair to every project and is something few other boutique architectural firms offer.

The firm also enjoys taking on urban design projects and has worked on several in Manhattan and in the Capital Region. “As an architect and urban designer,” Politi says, “I know what a positive impact well-designed buildings, gardens and urban spaces can bring to a city.”

So whether you’re a local government launching an urban renewal project, a corporate client expanding your business, or a homeowner seeking to blend your space with the environment, Politi is committed to making it unique.

“Through design, we make the intangible a reality,” Politi says. “I love creating a space with my clients that they cherish. And I look forward to bringing my love of modern architecture and landscape design to the Saratoga region.” ■ For further information, go to www.politiarchitecture.com

(below, from left) Whitehouse; Upper East Side; Watertown

Remodeling your home adds many years of enjoyment. Stop in or call for a free consultation.

Greenville | Windham | Latham

home etch:

Spring Ahead

THE WEATHER MAY STILL BE FRIGHTFUL, BUT AT LUCIA BOUTIQUE , SPRINGTIME IS A MINDSET.

photography by DORI FITZPATRICK

with warmer weather around the corner, it’s time to swap that black turtleneck you’ve been wearing all winter for some colorful and fun styles from Lucia. First up, we have an earthy green matching set that’s perfect for a springtime lunch date. The lightweight fabric makes it comfortable to wear on even the warmest of days. Dress it up with a pair of heels or down, like I did, with Nike sneakers, a beige bag and a hat—this is Saratoga, after all!

But don’t stop there: This sweet, white dress paired with a bold, pink blazer is perfect for a special occasion or night out on the town. With delicate detailing and a flattering silhouette, the dress will make any woman feel beautiful, and the satiny blazer will make you stand out in the sea of fabulous Saratogians out and about this spring.

—CLAIRE BURNETT @clairewburnett

LUCIA BOUTIQUE:

FLAVOR OF TUSCANY MINI DRESS | $72

KIMIA BLAZER | $158

GALAXY EVENING BAG | $80

COOL CLASSIC CROP BLAZER | $82

COOL GIRL CLASSIC PANTS | $78

FELT FEDORA WITH RIBBON | $75

STORMI PURSE | $70

home stretch:

Grocery Score

THE WAIT IS OVER: PDT MARKET OPENS ITS DOWNTOWN DOORS.

OPEN FOR BIZ

running errands in Saratoga is about to get a whole lot more fun. Eight months after announcing that PDT Market would take over the storefront left vacant by the closing of Price Chopper Limited on Railroad Place, PDT creator Adam Foti is finally ready to transform Saratoga’s grocery scene from errand to experiential.

let it brie (clockwise, from left) PDT’s baked brie en croute with fresh berries and honey; PDT will host a pasta-making class on April 5; PDT creator Adam Foti; French macarons will be available in the market; PDT’s Niçoise salad.

“You go to the city and there are places like Eataly or the Tin Building or Le District,” Foti says of New York markets that have become culinary

destinations. “Once you get down past Newburgh, you’ll find a lot of this kind of stuff, but it’s something that just doesn’t exist up here.” PDT Market—a grocery store/bar/café hybrid that at press time was scheduled to open before midMarch—aims to change that.

Here’s what to expect: a relaxing grocery store atmosphere focused

on only the freshest foods where, in addition to your produce, dairy, meat and pantry products, you can also pick up home goods such as candles, fresh-cut flowers, pre-made meals and everything you need to create your own charcuterie board. Then—and here’s where the Eataly comparison comes in—PDT is the first grocery store in the area that also has a bar area and lunch counter, which, combined, account for about 50 seats for in-store dining and drinking. There’s also a full kitchen in which PDT will host cooking classes beginning in April.

“The great part about this for me is that you can come in, get a drink, and shop around,” he says. “You can sit down and have a good-quality lunch without having to be here for two hours—you’re in and out in a half hour, 45 minutes. We didn’t go into this with the intention of going after Whole Foods or Fresh Market. We’re doing what we think is missing.”

saratoga living invites you to 2nd ANNUAL OVERDRESS TO IMPRESS!

Ditch your winter loungewear and don your favorite dress—Overdress to Impress is back in all its glitz-and-glam glory!

THURSDAY, MARCH 23 6–9pm

THE ADELPHI

Welcome Champagne courtesy of BOCAGE CHAMPAGNE BAR Surprises to be announced soon!

EMCEE: ZAC DENHAM of Bocage Champagne Bar

FRIENDLY JUDGES: JOY RAFFERTY of California Closets

TAYLOR RAO of Two Buttons Deep ANDREA ZAPPONE, former saratoga living cover star

Thank you to presenting sponsor Keeler Mercedes, and sponsors California Closets and N. Fox Jewelers.

home stretch:

outside the box In addition to selling cookies online and in person, Troop 3608 hopes to sell cookies to local restaurants for use in themed dessert menu items.

Mug Life

This Site Uses Cookies

SUPPORT SARATOGA’S LOCAL GIRL SCOUT TROOP WITH YOUR ONLINE COOKIE PURCHASE.

springtime means warmer weather, longer days and, most importantly, Girl Scout cookies. And while the world has changed since you were a Brownie, school-aged girls in Saratoga are still slinging Thin Mints and Tagalongs just like in the good ol’ days.

on february 2, Henry Street Taproom (HST) unveiled its brand-new mug club, a program that gave its most devoted regulars a chance to buy one of 100 mugs, which, for the next year, would get them 20-ounce pours for the price of 16-ounce pours. On February 4, less than 48 hours later, the mug club was officially sold out.

“People were scrambling to get in there,” HST owner Ryan McFadden says of the two-day rush, which saw bartenders wisely telling interested beer lovers not even to wait the time it would take to ask one’s wife in the next room. “It was pretty awesome.” In addition to four free ounces with every beer, mug club members will get perks after they’ve drunk a certain number of drinks—after 100 beers they get their mug engraved with their name, after 200 they get some free beer, and after 300 they get a customized sweatshirt—as well as access to a muggers-only party.

For those who missed their chance for a mug, McFadden says there’s already a waiting list. Next February, mug club members will have the opportunity to re-up their membership; if they don’t want to, the waiting list members get first dibs.

“We basically did this to give our regulars a bit of a discount for their loyalty,” McFadden says, “and as a way for them to feel like they’re more a part of the bar.”

“They still go door to door,” says Girl Scout Troop 3608 leader Diana Juracka. “It teaches girls not only sales, but also how to talk to people that they wouldn’t necessarily talk to.” Selling season in the 21st century also teaches girls about e-commerce—you can now buy all your favorite cookies online, and the brand-new Raspberry Rally is available exclusively online. “What are we trying to teach you about?” Juracka prompted her daughter, Amelia, a fifth-grader at Greenfield Elementary whose sister is also in the troop, during a recent Scout meeting. “It’s a big word: omnichannel business.”

Cookies are available for online purchase now; scan the QR code at the right to have your purchase support Troop 3608.

INSIDE THE SCRAMBLE FOR HENRY STREET TAPROOM ’S COVETED MUG CLUB MEMBERSHIPS, WHICH SOLD OUT IN LESS THAN 48 HOURS.

beer necessities Henry Street Taproom’s sold-out mug club gets members more beer per pour plus other perks.

home stretch:

Getting That Bread

CINDY ROSENBERG AND LEIGH RATHNER LEFT CALIFORNIA DETERMINED TO TURN THEIR COVID PASTIME INTO A CAREER—AND JUST OPENED THEIR FIRST BRICK-AND-MORTAR BAKERY IN BALLSTON SPA.

when covid hit and Leigh Rathner’s job as a cameraman in Hollywood was put on hold, he used his newfound downtime to reassess his career— and to bake a lot of bread. “He got a little obsessed,” Leigh’s wife, Cindy Rosenberg, says of the common Covid pastime. “But we saw it as our opportunity to get out of the city. He was like, ‘I’m going to open a sourdough bakery.’ And I was like, ‘You don’t know how to do that.’”

Regardless, that’s what Rathner did. After moving to Wilton in 2021, the couple launched NightWork Bread Co., baking out of a pizza oven in a kitchen borrowed from 9 Miles East’s Gordon Sacks. “We were working all week to produce enough for all the farmers’ markets, and then if there was bad weather on one of the weekend days, the whole week was shot,” Rosenberg says. “We had a vision [to bake] things that were more perishable

and hard to send to markets, so we thought we’d keep our eyes open for a spot.” When they learned that a fellow farmers’ market vendor was leaving her location on Science Street in Ballston Spa, they jumped on the opportunity. In February

of this year, the couple opened a small bakery that at press time was open Friday to Sunday selling loaves, pastries and breakfast and lunch foods including bagels, specialty toasts and soup, plus coffee from Knockabout Coffee Roasters, flowers from Goode Farm and tea from Saratoga Tea & Honey. Even the tables in the bakery are locally sourced; they came from a woodworker the couple met at a farmers’ market.

OPEN FOR BIZ

you knead this NightWork Bread Co. owners Cindy Rosenberg and Leigh Rathner first got into baking bread because they are gluten intolerant; they figured out that if they used organic flour and long-fermented the bread, they could eat it.

How has Rathner been handling the change of pace from Hollywood life? He says that while he’s still working long hours, it’s because he wants to, not because he has to. “Honestly,” he says, “in two years I have not once gotten up and been like, ‘I don’t want to go to work.’” Adds Rosenberg: “His job on set was pretty thankless. They would come down hard on you the minute you screwed up, but every single shot you got right? Nobody cared. Here, what he hears all day long is, ‘Oh my God, thank you for being here, this is the best bread I’ve ever had in my entire life.’”

“Some people don’t care much about that,” Rathner says. “I care.”

home stretch:

On Paper

SARATOGA DESIGNER ETEANNETTE SEYMOUR EXPOUNDS THE BIG BUSINESS OF BOLD WALLPAPER, AS SEEN IN THIS GLENMONT COUPLE’S ‘NEW ENGLAND ECLECTIC’ DINING ROOM.

BY NATALIE MOORE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELIZABETH HAYNES

from the window to the walls, Eteannette Seymour loves this Glenmont dining room. “One of the most undervalued interior design elements is window treatments,” says the Saratoga-based designer behind the room’s remodel. “We worked with the wonderful team from local company Curtain and Carpet Concepts, and the beautiful pinch pleat curtains pull everything together.”

But while Seymour has a keen eye for details like sills, jambs and frames, less trained eyes are sure to focus on another design element entirely when walking into the room. “The wallpaper is definitely our swing-for-the-fences moment,” she says. “And everything else supports that in a steady way.”

Seymour and her clients ended up selecting a print called Hydrangea Drape from the luxury design company

Schumacher because its vertical lines make the room feel taller than it is.

Seymour is fully on board for the great wallpaper revival that kicked off shortly before Realtor Magazine declared that the trend was making a triumphant return in 2019. (The wallpaper market was valued at $2.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $3.2 billion by 2031.) Her suggestions if you’re thinking about going big for the walls in your own home? Collect samples before ordering rolls—“scale, color and print can look very different from the online image”—and hire out the installation—it can be tricky to apply and you don’t want the outcome to be less than perfect.

And which rooms of your house are best suited for bold prints? Seymour says powder baths, children’s rooms and, obviously, dining rooms. “Formal dining rooms especially are a great place to use wallpaper because you want it to feel sophisticated yet fun and joyful,” she says. “You want your friends hanging around the table having one too many glasses of wine.”

ettie or not See more of Seymour’s work at ettieandco.com and on Instagram at @ettieandco.

home stretch:

Outside In

move over, victorian mansions: The Spa City has a new architectural aesthetic that’s on full display at 499 Union Avenue. Nestled within the city’s greenbelt between Saratoga Lake and Lake Lonely, and just across the street from the former home of Longfellows, this sleek structure might look like it teleported from the future, but it actually has quite a surprising history.

“The center of the house (20' x 20') was the original chicken coop to a dairy farm that was redeveloped as Longfellows,” says homeowner Ardie Russell. Along with her husband, Dan, she spent 2019 through 2021 reimagining the historic property into a

modernist space with tones of the Bauhaus movement. “When I travel to California, I’m struck by how beautifully these contemporary homes fit into the landscape,” says Russell. “It’s that vision of working with the natural landscape instead of against it.”

Russell’s passion for contemporary art and nature helped guide her design decisions both inside and out.

“Honoring the existing landscape was critical to our design,” she says. The home’s surrounding black walnut

trees quickly became a central theme, with floor-to-ceiling windows providing dramatic forest views, and harvested wood from removed trees being utilized by Dan in furniture and stair treads. Throw in a living, indoor plant wall and tongue-and-groove pine exteriors, and, well, what more do you need to feel like you’re immersed in nature?

“This has helped us escape this fast world we live in,” says Russell about the natural-yet-minimalist redesign of

THIS MINIMALIST, MODERNIST HOME—A FORMER CHICKEN COOP— WAS DESIGNED TO BE AN IMMERSION IN NATURE. n BY JEFF DINGLER Before

her home. “We de-cluttered our lives by building this house—it’s just one bedroom and one loft.” The Russells earn sustainability bonus points for utilizing geothermal pumps to heat and cool their house. The interior concrete flooring also helps retain temperatures throughout the year.

“Even though this town has a history with the Victorian era, it’s having a rebirth of the contemporary,” says Russell. “We hope this house inspires others in the community to rethink building trends that have historically dominated our region. Our experience has been a positive one and we’re proud to leave this legacy to our children.”

estate of union (from top)

The dining room; a backyard patio; (opposite, clockwise from left) the front of the Union Ave home; a 30-foot sculpture by artist Beverley Mastrianni signifies the owners’ appreciation for nature and contemporary art; looking down into the living room from the loft; the center of the house used to be a chicken coop.

osteria danny

Run by chef Danny Petrosino and his wife, Patti, osteria danny specializes in Italian-American cuisine with an emphasis on simplicity and creative development. As such, the menu is updated frequently to encompass new culinary concepts and locally sourced ingredients whenever they are available. Although the menu is continuously evolving via Danny’s creative will, the original recipes remain a pivotal influence on the dishes that osteria danny produces.

Open 5-9pm Sunday, Monday and Thursday; 5-10pm Friday and Saturday. Open 7 days a week beginning in April.

26 HENRY ST, SARATOGA SPRINGS osteriadanny.com 518.423.7022

Henry Street Taproom

Good food, lots of beer and an atmosphere that’s the perfect mix of relaxed, cozy and chic? That’s what you can expect at Henry Street Taproom, which has been serving local craft beers and ciders, classic cocktails and locally sourced, made-from-scratch food since 2012. Ten years in, Henry Street is still a go-to spot for locals who never tire of cozying up to the fire or settling in on the patio when the weather breaks.

Open 4-10pm Tuesday-Friday; 2-10pm Saturday; 2-9pm Sunday.

86 HENRY ST, SARATOGA SPRINGS

henrystreettaproom.com • 518.886.8938

Dunning Street Station

Located less than 10 minutes from downtown Saratoga Springs just off Exit 13S, Dunning Street Station is known for its laid-back environment and front-of-mind customer service. Chef Bruce Jacobsen, formerly of sister restaurant Lake Ridge, has curated an impressive menu that features many Italian-inspired classics with a twist, which are available for dine-in or takeout. Add in plenty of parking and ample space at the bar (where Maureen, who was named the region’s best bartender, will take care of you), and Dunning Street Station is a winning option for a night out. Open at 4pm daily. 2853 STATE HWY 9, MALTA dunningstreetstation.com 518.587.2000

Prime at Saratoga National

Prime at Saratoga National is your one-stop shop!

The beloved steakhouse boasts indoor and outdoor seating options, extensive wine and cocktail lists, a grand patio overlooking the infinity pool, and 18 holes of championship golf with incredible hospitality. Enjoy first-class service in an atmosphere of casual elegance with American steak classics. Join Prime for its annual Mother’s Day Brunch or Derby Day Party, or host your next life event with Mazzone Hospitality. Prime and Mazzone have you covered. Open 7 days a week for lunch, dinner, brunch, and seasonal happy hour beginning mid-April.

458 UNION AVE, SARATOGA SPRINGS primeatsaratoganational.com • 518.583.4653

Seasonal Cocktail Corner

Express Ya’self

To make The Bourbon Room’s take on an espresso martini, shake Mr. Black coffee liqueur, Ketel One vodka and fresh cold-press coffee vigorously. Pour into a glass and don’t forget to top it with three espresso beans!

8 CAROLINE ST, SARATOGA SPRINGS 518.791.6199 sipsaratoga.com

1/2 ounce Lillet blanc aperitif Garnish: lemon twist

The Single Files

IS SARATOGA LIVING AFTER HOURS THE NEXT GREAT DATING SERVICE?

photography by KONRAD ODHIAMBO

these days, i’m feeling more and more like a dating consultant than a magazine editor. It all started last year when, to complement saratoga living’s “I Do!” Issue, we dubbed the corresponding edition of CAPITAL REGION LIVING “The Dating Issue.” My story research got me thinking about how effective dating apps really are, and prompted my friends to hatch an idea: saratoga living should host an IRL (“in real life,” for those of you old enough to remember when dating was exclusively done IRL, negating its need for a cutesy acronym) singles night.

After multiple brainstorming sessions with Matt Beecher from Bailey’s, Single in Saratoga

was born, and since then we’ve hosted three well-attended singles nights on Wednesday evenings at the downtown bar. Something I’ve learned in chatting with the all-ages crowds at these singles nights? People love to talk about dating. Another thing I’ve learned? They also love to read about dating, whether they’re on the market or not.

And so I’ve started to document the local dating scene on Saratoga Living After Hours, an informal newsletter that covers whatever’s hot in the Spa City on any given week. While the first Single in Saratoga recap focused on the fact that “men are too big of wimps to show up to something like that,” per one man weighing in on the

i’d tat that Natalie Moore sporting a festive temporary tattoo at Single in Saratoga: Valentine’s Day Edition at Bailey's on February 8; follow saratoga living on Eventbrite to be alerted when tickets for the next singles night go on sale.

evening’s 41:7 female to male ratio, men manned up after that, and our most recent Single in Saratoga Vibe Check explores what Saratoga singles are actually looking for—a question easier asked than answered. Mark Behan, the very-off-the-market president of Behan Communications and Saratoga Living After Hours superfan, called SLAH’s take on the event “brilliant, witty and thought-provoking.”

If Single in Saratoga is my baby (I did bring it into the world and it does sometimes keep me up at night) and the CRL Dating Issue is its older sibling, the SLAH segment I call Missed Connections is the forgotten middle child. I’ve (very) sporadically shared stories of sparks almost flying between two singles, only for the interaction to end in a wave of disappointment, at least for one of the parties. Missed Connection Monday is the place for second chances, and while the majority of the interactions I write about are, in fact, about myself (no shame), I dream of a day when stories of missed connections—or Single in Saratoga success stories!—will flood my email inbox (editorial@saratogaliving.com, for anyone dying to reconnect with a long-lost would-be lover) and SLAH will fulfill its destiny as Saratoga’s one-stop shop for all things Spa City dating. And when that day comes? You’re going to want to be there.

Never miss a connection again—scan the QR code to subscribe to SLAH.

Officer