Opening Shot

A Historic Catskills Farmhouse Gets a Contemporary Makeover

Preserving the feel of its past life as a Borscht Belt–era country inn, the newcomer shows off elevated offerings like a speakeasy-style bar, modern European bistro, and A-frame cabins.

Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with interiors to drool over. 

Farmhouse Catskills

Location: Catskills, New York 

On Offer: A restored century–old farmhouse serves as the centerpiece of a sprawling property designed to entice a new generation of travelers to The Catskills. The hotel’s 75 guest rooms, many appointed with Simmons mattresses, Bower Studio lighting fixtures, and sculptural tubs by Jaime Hayon, are scattered among several unique structures including a handful of bungalows, a cluster of secluded A-frame cabins, and a retrofitted two-level pool house. The menu at the indoor-outdoor bistro is made up of simple, seasonal dishes that showcase regional produce, organic meat, farm-fresh cheese, and sustainably sourced fish. The beverage program includes selections from nearby vineyards, breweries, and distilleries. 

Standout features: Contemporary touches have breathed new life into the former country inn, with a curvaceous mahogany Cava bar greeting guests in the reception and natural tones offsetting textured jute rugs and an eclectic collection of restored midcentury furniture adorned in sherbet-hued velvet in the speakeasy-style bar. A handblown, rose gold deer head above the fireplace passes as Farmhouse’s version of taxidermy. (Coming soon: a rehabbed steel-frame pool and glass-front wooden sauna overlooking the surrounding forest.) But the real showstopper is coming this fall: The Hayloft, a circa-1859 hay press barn sourced from Indiana and reconstructed across the road next to a bass-stocked pond. The space will host everything from weddings to art exhibitions once it debuts

(Photos courtesy Design Hotels)

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