Megan Pflug: Catskill Mountain Retreat

For this Tastemakers’s Table we bring you a collaboration between creative colleagues who all met when working at One King’s Lane. The story takes place at the Woodhouse Lodge in Greenville, NY.

Established in 1962, The Woodhouse Lodge re-opened just this summer in time for the influx of city dwellers looking for a modern escape in the country. Interior designer Megan Pflug and her husband J. Penry lovingly renovated this ten-room shaker meets mid-century modern hotel tucked in the hills of the Catskill Mountains. We were delighted when art director Elizabeth diGiacomantonio reached out to introduce us to Megan and J and together with photographer Franck Frances, collaborate with us for this Tastemakers’ Table incorporating some of our work into the chic spaces of the Lodge. Of course we have a soft spot for people who leave the city for the country to make their dreams into reality and though about an hour and half from our home and studio we consider them neighbors. So welcome to the neighborhood! We want to know all about you.

Mixed in with Megan's vintage plates and bowls from left to right:  Pinch Pitcher, Battuto Cup + Battuto Vase

Megan, what brought you to the Catskills?
I have always loved Upstate. Luckily, in the last few years, it seems that the cultural scene of makers, business owners, chefs, etc. has exploded to the point where living and working upstate seemed like a viable option. It feels like Brooklyn in the early days pumping with creative energy and ripe with space for creative people to occupy. 

Tell us about the Lodge…
The Lodge itself is a ten-room hotel with an a-frame in the center. The first floor of the A-frame is a common space with an open kitchen and lounge with a large fireplace. The second floor of the A-frame is where we live. It's a two bedroom one bathroom one kitchen space with a great view. The windows are huge and our cats love the transition from Brooklyn apartment sized windows to the glass wall of windows they have access to now. I also have upped my houseplant ratio now that our living space is essentially a greenhouse. 

We thought that we were looking for an older building, but this space fits the bill regarding the layout and the A-frame gives the space such a unique look. 

My favorite feature of our apartment is the ceiling. It’s so nice to have big windows and high ceilings after living in Brooklyn for years.  Right now my favorite decorative pieces are our mostly vintage. We sourced vintage rugs from Revival Rugs, and those add a tone of character to the space. The fact that they are overdyed gives them a modern feel. Of the new pieces, I love our linen chairs by Noir (from Periogold) they have a vintage shape but a modern upholstery job. They are also really comfortable. I DIY-ed about a zillion shaker peg rails for the lodge. In the guest rooms, I used them to hang our custom headboards made by Brooklyn leather studio Moses Nadel. It was essential to me to work with brands and products that I loved when I was sourcing for the lodge. Our Mattresses are also a total favorite of mine they are from US-based Luft mattresses & people love them.  

Pull up to the island on a Devon Tall Stall.  Black, white and wood accessories with a touch of metal including pieces from our Bare, Pinch and Battuto Collection and that one of a kind MEND Battuto Bucket.

How does our collection work within your space and all the beautiful things you’ve chosen to furnish the spaces with?
We love that the collection is a little modern but blends so well with all of our vintage pieces. The serving pieces work especially well for us. Blending old and new is my favorite way to decorate and to use DBO HOME.

What’s for breakfast?
We serve a simple seasonal breakfast usually local eggs, local bread and jams or avocados to top it off. We also serve yogurt with my favorite granola.

Are you the cook in the family?
Neither of us are "cooks" per say but we are both fans of food. For breakfast here we tried to keep the focus on whole ingredients and locally sourced items that people can combine themselves.  This way it is not so much about cooking. Right now we love Omnivore salt & brad from Bonfiglio And Bread (a local bakery) 

Breakfast is served on the island mixing up textures in black and white.  Honeycomb, Bare, Battuto and Pinch.

Presently we do a simple breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning. We are hopefully expanding our food and beverage program over the course of the next year. Also, we have snacks for sale in the kitchen. As far as cooking in the kitchen, that’s reserved for guest chefs (doing pop up dinners. We are working out dates for those now) and guests who buy out the whole hotel for events like weddings or birthday parties. We also have a second building that will be exclusively dedicated to events and food in the works. We also have a few bbq grills on the ground, and people are more than welcome to grill outside. 

What’s the evening vibe at the Lodge?
We love to entertain and are looking forward to renovating our event space and gods willing doing a small wine bar in the spring. 

We don't have our liquor license yet but have partnered with a local natural wine shop on a selection that we will deliver to your door. I would like this to be the type of place you can show up to on a Friday night get a glass of wine and something small to eat and not have to leave until you’re ready. Most of our guests have traveled from the city and I want people to feel like they can relax when they get here and not have to drive all over to enjoy an evening. 

 cocktails are served ...Pinch Pitcher holding The Woodhouse Lodge Signature cocktail

The Woodhouse Lodge Signature Cocktail Recipe:

The Mezcal Paloma
In honor of our new bar cabinet, I asked Susan and Shai to share a drink recipe just in time for the weekend! Susan and Shai refer to Mezcal as Tequila’s smokey older brother. When mixed with fresh grapefruit and soda water, it’s about as refreshing as it gets on a hot summer day.

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt
• 1 lime wedge
• 1/4 ounce lime juice
• 2 ounces grapefruit juice
• 2 ounces mezcal
• 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
• 2 ounces soda water
• 1 grapefruit (or lime) wedge, for garnish
• Rub the rim of the glass with the lime wedge and then dip the rim in the salt, spin slowly until the rim is lightly coated.
• Pour lime juice, grapefruit juice, mezcal and sugar into a glass. Using a spoon, stir until sugar has dissolved. Fill glass with ice cubes and top with soda water.

Enjoy the Woodhouse Lodge playlist with your cocktail
https://open.spotify.com/user/1212324183/playlist/6vawpXnQpMA9WfyS1esBDx?si=kMQJE4xbRDy-l35LD5ajDg 

We know you’re on a one-woman mission to elevate DIY to an art form and a firm believer that creativity, not budget, is what truly dictates style. Tell us about your work and your style (which we love).
I started out in the Fine Arts and pretty quickly realized that I was as interested in the spaces where art would live as much as the actual pieces of art. In this way, I always had my toe in two worlds. I love interior design because it allows me to make one of everything. 

I grew up in Missouri, with a grandmother and a mother who were always sewing and making. They have his pioneer resourcefulness and a DIY sensibility that’s pretty pervasive in the Midwest. It was funny to move to the East coast and realize that everyone isn’t crafty. I always joke that I have pioneer skills.

I love to mix modern pieces with antiques and build a space that feels collected rather than decorated. I feel that most styles have something great to offer. The principles of good design extend beyond any particular style. 

Again, it's all in the mix of texture, old and new, in a simple palette and one big statement piece Birch XL Bowl

I design pretty intuitively, but one thing I knew going into this space was that I did not want it to be overly Mid-Century. The impulse with modern architecture is sometimes to decorate very literally with pieces from the era of its origin. I feel like that approach can look cartoonish and ultimately doesn't let a space evolve. I tried to honor the MCM era while mixing it up. I used Shaker Rails in most of the rooms. The Shakers were the original modernists, I think, and they lived in this part of the country. I also collected a lot of vintage and antique pieces from the area so even though they are not "modern" they are regional; I think that helps the mix feel grounded. 

When I'm looking for accessories, I always look to vintage first. They bring a collected layered feel to any space.  When I'm thinking about finishing touches like accessories, I also like to consider lighting. A pretty table lamp can bring warmth and create a little vignette on a tabletop or shelf. I used a mix of vintage and new lighting for the lodge. I especially love our bedside lamps that are a modern interpretation of an old school candle holder ( these and a lot of our lighting are from Hudson Valley Lighting). 

Shop Local:
We are lucky to have made friends with a lot of business owners who run the gamut from designers, artists, and chefs. All of our branding work was done by Susan Baldaserini from Pilothouse Paper (@pilothousepaper). She has a really great shop and studio space in Coxsackie. Across the street, she and her husband Shai own our favorite natural wine shop, the Reed Street Bottle Shop (@reedstreetbottleshop). Shai is a former chef, and they bring in such delicious and unique wines!  

Tell us about partnering with Elizabeth and Frank.
Liz started her career as an interior designer then transitioned into styling, eventually taking a job at One Kings Lane where we met along with still life and home photographer Frank Frances. Liz is now an art director creating content for home, interior and lifestyle brands.  I was excited to get together with Liz and Frank and essentially play. It's really fun to do what you love with talented people for fun. 

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Want even more inspiration? Check out our previous Tastemaker's Tables. 

See more of Megan’s interior design work: http://meganpflugdesigns.com and follow on Instagram @mepflug

And make a reservation at the Woodhouse Lodge: https://www.thewoodhouselodge.com and follow on Instagram @thewoodhouselodge

Elizabeth diGiacomantonio lives in Brooklyn, NY with her two cats and is always looking for new projects to stay inspired.  She is very enthusiastic about food and travel. Learn more about her work: http://www.edigiaco.com and follow on Instagram @__elizabeth_

Frank Frances is a Brooklyn-based still life and home photographer. With an MFA in photography, his style is influenced by fine art legend photographers such as Gordon Parks, Roe Ethridge, and Ezra Stoller. Paying close attention to historic and contemporary  photography, painting and sculpture, He uses this curiosity to inform his craft through lighting, composition, color and texture. Frank enjoys nachos, burgers and milkshakes. See Frank’s portfolio: https://www.mbreps.com/frank-f-home/ and follow on Instagram @frankfrancesstudio