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By all appearances, New York designer Ghislaine Vias and husband Jaimes Arts and Crafts cottage in the Hudson Valley seems stylistically aligned to the 43 acres of bucolic idyllcomplete with forested pockets and babbling brooksthat it has anchored since 1927. Purchased in early 2022, a newly painted exterior was the easiest way for Vias, the AD PRO Directory member, to give the aging house a fresh look. While her choice of monochrome white emphasizes the homes provincial charm, once you step inside, all preconceived notions of the countryside aesthetic take a hike.The homeowners, interior designer Ghislaine Vias (left) and husband Jaime Vias, a graphic designerDespite ascribing to no color palette in particular, no style of art specifically, and bearing no loyalty to anything other than the sentimental value of travel souvenirs and furniture already in the familys possession (chalk the latter up to the mindset of downsizing empty nesters like these former Bucks County, Pennsylvania, residents and parents of two grown daughters), the home looks and feels intentional in all of its whims and weirdness.Homeowner and interior designer Ghislaine Vias installed Mad Plaider, a palm green tartan wallpaper she designed for Wolf Gordon, in the living room of the Hudson Valley Arts and Crafts cottage she shares with her husband, Jaime. The Flow lounge chairs by Luke Pearson are covered in Sir Stripe A-Lot in the color Sheepish by Ghislaine Vias for HBF Textiles. Artist Bethani Blake painted the piece above the fireplace, titled Magical Girls. Of such decorative mashups, Vias believes that one must possess a certain amount of audacity to seek accord among the inherently discordant.I acknowledge that sometimes I like things that are a little freaky, says Vias. From a vaguely sinister bunny-eared figurine made by a student at Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), where Viass youngest daughter goes to school, to entryway photographs of life-sized gnomes engaged in horticultural maintenance, to a powder room hung with vintage oil-painted portraits of women (Ive given them all names, too, like Pamela and Olivia, says the designer), Vias considers the eccentric art collection the soul of the house.The kitchen is the largest room in the house, and feels like a stylistic departure considering its strong black (featuring IKEA cabinets) and white color blocking. The wooden barstools are by David Chipperfield, and the kitchen island was custom made to fit the set. An interpretive portrait of Abraham Lincoln by SCAD alum Marcus Kenney presides over the space.A Big Sur table from Crate & Barrel provides an earthy foil for the Tom Dixon Peg chairs in Fluoro, which Vias claims shes loved every day for 10 years. Here, they set a tonal color palette for the dining room, where a wall-mounted assemblage of travel souvenirs is thematically red. Superman by Adam Lowenbein in the corner; Nosfertube candelabras on the table.For all of their uneasy gazing and silent discernment, artful visages are a key element in the decor. Since familiarity is an undisputed hallmark of an inviting home, Vias has included a few faces that are instantly recognizable. For example, an interpretive portrait of Abraham Lincoln by SCAD alum Marcus Kenney presides over the kitchen, the largest room in the house characterized by tidy black-and-white colorblocking and right angles aplenty, a departure from the seeming spontaneity of the rest of the house. In the stairwell, a multimedia work the homeowners acquired on a trip to Pakistan, Girl Without a Pearl Earring by Abil Aslam, is a mosaic rendering of the famous Vermeer oil vignette in metal eyelets. Against a backdrop of unorthodox palm-green plaid wallpaper, the portrait finds solidarity in its spin on a classic.Most PopularMotoringThe 17 New Cars Were Most Excited About in 2025By Brett BerkHomes + Decor35 Soulful Rustic Kitchen Ideas Youll Want to CopyBy Kate JerdeCelebrity LifestyleThe Beatles Behind the Scenes: 15 Photos of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr at HomeBy Michael Gioia Perhaps the most aesthetically quiet space in the house, the primary bedroom features two birdhouses by Upstate artist Dan Ladd. Their spherical form is echoed by the Artemide Castore Tavolo lamp, but is also a handcrafted foil to the sleek manufacturing. Charcoal drawing by Saskia Vias.Formerly a closet, the primary bath is now painted in fresh mint green and outfitted with a skirted cabinet that reminds Vias of the flouncy trim on a can-can girls skirt. Ruvati bathroom sink; vintage mask.Such mashups strike Vias as comical, and she believes that one must possess a certain amount of audacity to seek accord among the inherently discordant. Though Vias never intended for the widespread plaid to convey an iota of, as she calls it, stuffy library, she wasnt opposed to conjuring a cozy, insular feeling suitable for the sylvan setting. So while it appears that you can take the plaid out of the study (after all, the pattern, dubbed the Mad Plaider, may qualify as a contemptuous take on tartan), you cant deny its essential nature. Most interesting to me is to pull from something historic and look at it through a more contemporary lens, says Vias.In that case, you might consider the entire cottage a kind of 1,600-square-foot cabinet of curiosities, an Italian Renaissanceera tradition of collecting objects for purposes of flaunt, delight, or intrigue. Here, such bibelots include a zoos worth of animal figures, some even serviceable, like a Seletti white-resin monkey swinging in the kitchen with a working light bulb in its grip, or a life-size pig table by Moooi in the entryway, poised to collect keys and mail. To underscore the siren-hued Tom Dixon chairs in the dining room, a wall-mounted assemblage of travel souvenirs is obligingly red, and comprises a fly-swish procured during a trip to Africa, as well as a weathered barber pole that appeals to the designers affection for candy striping.Most PopularMotoringThe 17 New Cars Were Most Excited About in 2025By Brett BerkHomes + Decor35 Soulful Rustic Kitchen Ideas Youll Want to CopyBy Kate JerdeCelebrity LifestyleThe Beatles Behind the Scenes: 15 Photos of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr at HomeBy Michael Gioia In the den, the most used room in the house, a painting by the designers frequent collaborator Mark Mulroney provides a view into the designers dark side with an arched painting called Look That Way, which depicts a subversive medley of fleshy tree limbs oozing grubs, an ominous vice grip, and an apple showing signs of rot. Striad lounge chair by Herman Miller. Sculptures by Ashley Benton.In the den, Viass favorite painting could be considered a mini freak show within the house-wide attraction: On a wood canvas provocatively (and intentionally) shaped like an arched church window, Mark Mulroneys Look That Way depicts a subversive medley of fleshy tree limbs oozing grubs, an ominous vise grip, and an apple showing signs of rot. Im not 100% sure why I like this stuff. My children are like, Youve scarred us for life, says Vias. Oh well. Theres always therapy.A newly painted exterior was the easiest way for Vias to give the aging Arts and Crafts cottage a fresh look. The monochrome white emphasizes the homes provincial charm, while the door paint (Baby Chick by Benjamin Moore) hints at the playfulness awaiting inside.This guest bedroom features a mixed bag of travel souvenirs, from a painting of a young girl by Pakistani artist Hala Nasir, a plaid study by Saskia Vias (the youngest daughter and a student at SCAD), and a pig cabinet by Seletti. The metal art over the bed is called Circles of Race by Sumbal Sultana.Most PopularMotoringThe 17 New Cars Were Most Excited About in 2025By Brett BerkHomes + Decor35 Soulful Rustic Kitchen Ideas Youll Want to CopyBy Kate JerdeCelebrity LifestyleThe Beatles Behind the Scenes: 15 Photos of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr at HomeBy Michael Gioia A powder room is hung with vintage oil-painted portraits of women. Ive given them all names, too, like Pamela and Olivia, says the designer. The custom avocado-shaped mirror plays off the green paint, Talipot Palm by Sherwin-Williams.Guest room featuring Untitled by Syed Shoaib Mahmood above the bed. IKEA Lisabo desk in ash and Emeco Alfi chair.Electric Orange by Benjamin Moore provides the focal point of this guest bath, as the vibrant hue emblazons a vintage Dutch hanging cabinet and creates the appearance of a vanity nook.Most PopularMotoringThe 17 New Cars Were Most Excited About in 2025By Brett BerkHomes + Decor35 Soulful Rustic Kitchen Ideas Youll Want to CopyBy Kate JerdeCelebrity LifestyleThe Beatles Behind the Scenes: 15 Photos of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr at HomeBy Michael Gioia Purchased in 2022, the home anchors 43 acres of bucolic idyll in the Hudson Valley.