Madrigal House by FIG Design Studio

FIG Design Studio, a New York-based creative house, beautifully transforms a classic Greek Revival home into a whimsical and romantic retreat.

Madrigal House sits on a sprawling 10-hectare property and farm in Germantown, just a leisurely 16-minute drive from Warren Street in Hudson, New York. “George and Michael, or ‘the boys’, as I like to call them, reached out to me when they were on the precipice of purchasing their first home,” recalls Nina Garbiras, principal at FIG Design Studio. “Honestly, I didn’t want to take on another project outside the city, but we scheduled a call and it clicked. I immediately liked them both – they were so cool, warm, funny, intelligent and clearly up for an adventure,” she reflects.

The existing home – cosy for a Greek Revival residence yet strikingly proportioned with refined details – boasts an inherent warmth and inviting quality.

Approaching the home from the street, Madrigal House is nestled behind a shield of trees. “It’s so easy to drive right past it, tucked away… then all of a sudden, the driveway gives way to the prettiest little house surrounded by wildflowers and a large pond – a setting that is as fairytale as you can imagine,” recalls Garbiras. The existing home – cosy for a Greek Revival residence yet strikingly proportioned with refined details – boasts an inherent warmth and inviting quality. These elements were what Garbiras wanted to retain and capture.

The brief called for a sensitive renovation of the existing residence that would honour its history while transforming the land – currently home to over 3 hectares of wheat – into a lush, romantic retreat. The spaces have been designed to comfortably accommodate the family, their friends and, eventually, groups and artists they’re passionate about – particularly queer and BIPOC-owned or oriented organisations. Garbiras’s design approach embraces a sense of contrast: balancing dark, moody rooms for retreat with grand, vibrant and light-filled spaces for gathering.

Garbiras’s design approach embraces a sense of contrast: balancing dark, moody rooms for retreat with grand, vibrant and light-filled spaces for gathering.

The interior design is inspired by the spiritualism and colour palette of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, as well as the subtle glamour and eclecticism of Creole-infused spaces like Maison de la Luz in New Orleans and the Southern American modernism of Workstead’s Charleston House. The result is a space that combines bold wallpapers, rich hues like purple and mahogany, and statement pieces such as a feather chandelier in the main hall, with elegant materials like marble, velvet and fur. It almost feels like “Anna Madrigal’s 28 Barbary Lane in Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City [trilogy],” says Garbiras, hence the name Madrigal House.

Madrigal House is a place to gather and rest – whether it’s sitting on an armchair by the fire with a cocktail, or watching fireflies outside the kitchen window while preparing a hearty meal. There’s a sense of lavishness and reprieve that lingers long after one leaves.

Interior architecture and design by FIG Design Studio.