Nearly two centuries old, the historic structure housing Wm. Farmer and Sons in Hudson, New York was the obvious inspiration for the restaurant and bar’s rustic aesthetic. Having opened its doors last year, the space, which sits atop two floors that now function as a boarding house, boasts designs by Shelter Island, New York-based firm SchappacherWhite Architecture that revel in the storied past.
“From the start, we discussed texture as opposed to color and all natural elements for depth,” says Wm. Farmer and Sons’ co-owner Kristan Keck. “Conceptually we liked the idea of a rich textured monochromatic base with the idea being that all color would come from the food, drink, patrons.”
Originally three separate buildings constructed in the 1830s and purchased in 2013 by Keck and her husband Kirby Farmer (also the restaurant’s chef), the main level below the boarding house remained vacant prior to a full-scale renovation that introduced a 69-seat dining room and bar.
New street-level windows were added to the façade, which also received a fresh paint job and gas lanterns. Inside, some of the structure’s original details are still intact following the remodel, including original joists and flooring in the barroom’s attached general store, and the preserved brick and stone party wall in the bar, which itself is fronted by reversed beadboard, stained black. Custom and purchased hanging light fixtures accentuate the bar’s soapstone countertops and custom metal work.
The restaurant’s seating also has its own unique history. Obtained from a salvage shop in downtown Baltimore, 60 of the dining room chairs were recovered from a former dining hall at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland—complete with built-in bottom shelves that provided students a place for their hats during meals. And while existing beams possessed a historic appeal, they were not structurally sound, so the team brought in new milled heavy timber beams along with 9-inch wide plank white oak floors and tables with custom wooden tops.
The building’s uneven distribution of daylight made illuminating the space a concern—and simply adding overhead lights created a shadowy interior. “If only overhead lights are used it casts shadows on guest’s faces; very unflattering,” says Steve Schappacher, one of the project’s lead designers, whose solution was low-level fixtures with linen shades. “They provide a warm illumination on tables, but also provide a glow to the face.”
Additional lamps are mounted on the steel ledge of a custom double-sided banquette, which maintains an even height in both the bar and the sunken dining room.
