When completed in 1891 in the Catskill Mountains, a house that became known as Witchwood functioned as a three-room rustic retreat from New York City. Over the years, though, it grew into a grand residence that now fulfills its owner's goals to "Restore it, make it strong, make it pretty."




Staircase Ornamentation

In lieu of having a guest book, the original owners of Witchwood encouraged visitors to sign the risers of the main staircase. One of those guests, the Canadian architect and artist George Reid (1860--1947), also a designer of many houses in the Catskills area, marked one of his visits with a miniature painting depicting a harp-playing woodland nymph.



Restored Living Room

"It was my fantasy," says Iliana Moore, the interior designer of Witchwoods transformation, "to create a house that wasn't period perfect but looked like one owned by a family for a hundred years." To Accomplish that in the living room, she combined Art Nouveau, Victorian, and Edwardian motifs. The rebuit fireplace features its original painted musical notes, likely a tune by the first owner, Mary Knight Wood, a composer.



Dining Room

Although formal dinners were common in Victorian homes, Witchwood, like other early houses in the Onteora Club, had a small dining room, as most meals were taken at the clubhouse. For a more defined room, the owners added French doors. "In deference to the Victorians' love of showing off travel souvenirs," says Moore, "I filled a wooden rack with patterned Moroccan plates."



Kitchen Counters

Light-colored wood counters paired with green cabinets and windows make the Witchwood's kitchen inviting



Kitchen Table

Neutral wooden furniture balances bold green windows and cabinets in the Witchwood kitchen



Sunroom

Within a sunroom, once part of an open porch, designer Moore wainscotted the walls, re-covered a banquette, and created a herringbone-pattern ceiling.



Decorative Pillow

A quirky pillow celebrates fall in the Witchwood sunroom



Witchwood Guest Bedroom

A night in a guest bedroom is akin to a camp stay. Knotty-pine beadboard was used on the walls and a ladder made of branches gathered from the surrounding woods leads to an additional loft area. A fixed porthole window, installed in a 1970s renovation, brings in sun and moonlight.




photo credit: Gridley & Graves