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Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

Manhattan couple builds themselves Upstate New York holiday home

New York architects Todd Rouhe and Maria Ibañez de Sendadiano have completed a holiday home in the Catskills, filled with designs from Danish retailers Hay and Vipp.

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

The couple, who run Manhattan firm IDS/R Architecture, designed the Mount Tobias property to serve as a nature retreat for themselves and their two daughters, Inez and Luz
.

Rouhe and Ibañez de Sendadiano had purchased a piece of land in the middle of a protected wooded area on Mount Tobias in New York's Ulster County, after wanting a more permanent place to enjoy nature.

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

For 10 years, they had been travelling to the mountainous region to hike in the fresh air and unplug.

The couple's Mount Tobias home is two-storeys high and built like a longhouse, with a rectangular footprint and a gabled roof.

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

The ground floor has two bedrooms and two bathrooms at either end of the house, and an open-plan kitchen, dining area and living room in the middle. Sliding glass doors flank this space, and provide access to decks at the front and at the back of the home.

Upstairs is a mezzanine that functions as a spare room, office and storage.

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

Almost everything in the house is either by Danish brands Hay or Vipp, or designed by Rouhe and Ibañez de Sendadiano.

Custom pieces include daybeds upstairs and the pale wood dining table, with Hay's Result Chairs in oak. The couple also designed wood-panelled walls, window trim and closets.

In the living room is a grey, L-shaped Hay sectional, and a bedroom has Hay's Copenhague 90 desk.

Paired with these are numerous Vipp accents including lights, linens, wool rugs, pillows and ceramics.

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

A freestanding, black Vipp kitchen counter is integral to the kitchen's design.

The couple had struggled to find a design solution that did not compromise the spaciousness or minimalism of the room. It is free-standing and includes a refrigerator, sink and stovetop built into it.

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

Also seen in the home are a black Rondo fireplace by Danish brand Rais, a vintage Eames white fibreglass rocking chair, and a coffee table design by Tina Michelle Cheng.

The tile floors are quarry and from Summitville, New York.

The house, which measures 2,000 square feet (185 square meres), took about six months to build, with another six months to finish the interiors.

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

It is built on top of a concrete base and a steel frame platform and is clad in prefabricated high-insulated panels.

The project is perched on a hillside that is also a watershed that provides drinking water for New York state, and the home runs on solar energy from spring to fall.

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

The Catskills region is more mountainous and further inland than the Hudson Valley, and both are popular getaway destinations for New Yorkers.

The area also has fresh water for swimming in the summer, and plenty of snow for winter sports.

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture

Other holiday homes in the Catskills include a concrete-block house by the husband-and-wife team behind American firm J_spy and the Hudson Woods house designed by Magdalena Keck, which forms part of a development by Lang Architecture made up of modern holiday homes.

Two boutique hotels have also recently opened in the region – the Eastwind Hotel and Scribner's Catskill Lodge.

Photography is by Eric Petschek.

More images and plans

Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture
Ground floor plan
Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture
Loft plan
Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture
Basement plan
Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture
Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture
Mount Tobias house by IDS/R ArchitectureMount Tobias house by IDS/R Architecture