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A Millbrook, New York, couple completed a Greek Revival-style home in 2012 to display the owner’s collection of mainly 18th- and early-19th-century English antiques. The new house was designed to look established in its wooded setting, drawing on local and English architectural references.
A couple in Millbrook, New York, built a Greek Revival-style home to display a collection of English antiques assembled over about 30 years, according to a house tour published by Veranda. Completed in 2012, the house was designed to feel at home among the area’s older buildings and wooded landscape rather than read as conspicuously new.
The owner’s collection consists primarily of 18th- and early-19th-century English furniture, alongside an extensive art collection. Many pieces had been in storage while the couple considered a larger home than their farmhouse, also in Millbrook. They initially looked at another lot, but the owner said they changed course after deciding they wanted to stay among the trees on their existing property.
The house sits at the bottom of a slope, behind large oak trees. The owner said the couple wanted to avoid placing a new house on an exposed hilltop. They hired architect Cynthia Filkoff of Di Biase Filkoff Architects to shape the building and interior designer Lynne Stair of McMillen Inc. to help arrange the antiques and art.
Filkoff studied exterior details on a nearby circa-1848 Presbyterian church and visited English country houses designed by Robert Adam, including Syon House, for design references. Interior features include an entry hall with antique limestone floors and a hand-carved stair railing, a dining room with Georgian furniture and a custom oxblood finish, and a morning room with de Gournay wallpaper. The former porch was converted into a bar and cocktail lounge.
A New House Designed for Old Antiques
The project shows how the couple adapted a new home to the scale and character of a collection accumulated over decades. Rather than simply furnishing a larger version of their farmhouse, they planned the house around the antiques, art and rooms in which the pieces would be displayed. That approach shaped decisions from the site’s placement to the interior finishes.
It also connects the house to its surroundings through specific references: the architect used a nearby 19th-century church as a guide for exterior moldings, while English country houses informed the entry hall’s scale. These are the design choices described in Veranda’s report, not evidence that the home itself is historic; it was completed in 2012.
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From Farmhouse to Greek Revival
The couple’s Millbrook farmhouse stood on a property of about 100 acres, but they wanted more room and a style better suited to the antiques. The owner said some pieces were in storage as they considered where and how to build. A possible alternative lot offered a treeless hilltop location, which did not fit their preference for the wooded setting.
The owner described the desired effect as a house that appeared settled rather than newly imposed on the landscape. The couple retained Filkoff for the architecture and sought Stair’s help with the interiors. Stair, an English expatriate who previously worked at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, said her role was to make a backdrop for the owner’s collection without letting the decoration overwhelm it.
The rooms balance period references with varied colors and materials. Stair selected a sunny yellow for the drawing room and paired green drapery and a glass chandelier with wallpaper in the morning room. The family room opens toward the gardens, while the bar—previously an unused porch—became a favored place for entertaining, according to the owner.
““That was our goal, to make it look and feel like it’s always been here.””
— The homeowner, as quoted by Veranda
What the House Tour Leaves Unspecified
Veranda’s report does not provide a full inventory or valuation of the antiques, nor does it identify every work in the art collection. It also does not detail the home’s construction budget, square footage or the complete design and building timeline. The owner’s account of how the house and rooms are used reflects his experience and is not independently quantified.
No New Project Is Announced
The source describes a completed home and does not report a new construction or renovation project. The house tour focuses on the design, the couple’s decision to remain on their Millbrook property and the way the collection is displayed. No future changes or project milestones are given.
Key Questions
Where is the Greek Revival home?
It is in Millbrook, in New York’s Hudson Valley, on the couple’s wooded property.
When was the house completed?
The home was completed in 2012, according to the Veranda report.
What does the owner collect?
The collection is made up mainly of 18th- and early-19th-century English antiques, alongside an extensive art collection.
Who designed the home and its interiors?
Cynthia Filkoff of Di Biase Filkoff Architects worked on the architecture. Lynne Stair of McMillen Inc. guided the interior design and arrangement of the collection.
Was the home built on the couple’s original property?
Yes. The couple considered another lot but decided to build on the property where their farmhouse stood, placing the new house behind large oak trees and at the bottom of a slope.
Source: veranda.com
