Longley Guest House
Real. Cozy. Rowhouse
This charming row house, located two blocks north of Hudson’s main street, dates back to approximately the 1860s, as the Upstate town was experiencing a post-Civil War housing boom. The home’s original owner was John B Longley, a successful attorney who appears to have rented the two apartments while living nearby and working at his law office on Warren Street, or as the Columbia County District Attorney.
The new owners wanted modern creature comforts for themselves and guests while bringing back some charm to this old house. Near-invisible interventions accomplished their goals: the damaged entry door was recreated with salvaged trim, and new storm windows were installed over the restored originals. The wood entry surround is all original – we highlighted it into the evening by inserting micro-LED lights on automatic controls.
Bring Back that Trim!
We love trim! In older homes, these decorative elements would protect plaster from furniture and give spaces an extra sense of scale – so we brought back trim to this home. This gave us opportunities for bright colors in unexpected places – check out that dreamy light-gray bedroom ceiling, or the bright blue wainscot in the dining room.
In the background, we did some major mechanical upgrades. See that new range hood? It’s connected to a new vent through the roof – no more smokey cooking! All the new mechanicals included smart controls that could be programmed and controlled remotely to help manage the rental, bringing this 150-or-so-year-old house into the twenty-first century.
Project Credits
| Client | Private |
| Architecture | Walchitects |
