HOUSE FEATURE
Natural Selection
A Renovation in Garrison is Inspired by the Verdant Land Around It By Jessica Leigh Hester | Photos by Steffen Thalemann
K
imball Richmond fondly recalls childhood summers spent in her hometown of Shaker Heights, Ohio, playing barefoot in the grass after barbeque dinners and experiencing nature up close. It wasn’t easy to re-create that magic in the Tribeca loft she shares with her husband, Rodney, and three children: Lulu, 16, Jackson, 13, and Riley, 9. “I wanted my kids to be able to look for frogs or hear crickets,” says Richmond. In 2009 the family rented a seasonal retreat near New Paltz. The two-hour drive was too taxing for a busy brood with multiple commitments, and when they happened to pass a house for sale in Garrison, Richmond jumped at the chance. When traffic’s light, the journey is only 40 minutes from the George Washington Bridge. The house, though, was unremarkable. It reminded her of a quaint cottage— tiny and neat, but lacking in character. “It was just a little white box with ugly, asbestos-filled siding,” says Richmond. Plus, it had an outdated design, including a galley-style kitchen with linoleum floors and ancient appliances.
Top: A screened porch, outdoor eating space, and balcony offer wooded views. Left: The Richmond family gathers in the living room.
upstate HOUSE
| SPRING 2015 • 3 1