Thinking about taking a fall holiday to see the foliage in all its autumnal splendor? It might be argued that fall is the best time of year for a country getaway — the sun is still warm, but the air is crisp — the perfect weather for hikes in the woods and drives along country lanes antiquing. And since time off work is the greatest of luxuries, why not invite some friends to join you in admiring nature’s handiwork and rent a stylish country home to serve as your home base?
1.The East Point estate in Garrison, New York
Just an hour’s drive north of Manhattan, in Garrison, New York, East Point was designed by the architect Edgar Tafel, a student and associate of Frank Lloyd Wright. In keeping with the master’s domestic vision, it offers open-plan living with no walls between the living and dining rooms or kitchen and a multitude of floor-to-ceiling windows to admire the views of the majestic Hudson River and the wooded mountains beyond. In keeping with the midcentury architecture, East Point is furnished with pieces by Vladimir Kagan, Arne Jacobsen, Eero Saarinen and the Eameses. In addition to being close to some of the best hiking trails in the area, like Black Rock Forest, it is also nearby two great design destinations, Manitoga, the estate of the visionary midcentury designer Russel Wright and Boscobel, one of the finest example of a Federal-style house in the northeast.
Image via One Fine Stay.
2.The Purdy Hollow House in Woodstock, New York
Yes, the actual town that never actually hosted the legendary festival, but lent it its name, where Bob Dylan once lived and Steve Earle still does, Woodstock is home to artists and seekers of all kinds, not to mention an increasing number of burnt-out, once high-powered New Yorkers. It’s only two hours away from the city by car, but a world away in pace and attitude. You can check out the vibe for yourself when you pick up the keys to Purdy Hollow, a welcoming 14-room country estate complete with its own gym and wildlife pond, just ten minutes drive from Tinker Street, Woodstock’s main drag. As befits the quirky terroir, the house is filled with eccentric art, antlers, and stuffed pheasants, along with sleek contemporary furniture in rooms with striking dark-stained wood floors, bright white walls and handsome timbered and beamed ceilings. If you’re up for hiking, it’s a short drive to trails leading to the stunning Kaaterskill Falls and Huckleberry Point for the panoramic views of Plattekill Clove, which inspired the Hudson School Painters. If you want instead to enjoy the fall foliage in town, there’s good antiquing on leafy Tinker Street. While you’re moseying about, stop into the Center for Photography at Woodstock, a nonprofit exhibition space opened by 1stdibs dealer Howard Greenberg. And here’s a cool bit of folklore, the building was once Café Espresso where Bob Dylan and Joan Baez both played.
Image via One Fine Stay.
3. Winner’s Circle in Sebastapol, California
For those on the West Coast, one of the most gorgeous places to take in the changing of the seasons is Sebastapol, California in Sonoma County. And what better place to stay than Winner’s Circle? This stunning contemporary hilltop estate is set amidst 60 acres in the Russian Hill Valley, with 360 degree views of vineyards, woods, and mountains. Drink in not only the stunning reds and oranges of the county’s stately trees — and vines — but also its Pinot Noir, while you’re at it. If you get tired of nature, Sebastopol also happens to be the West Country’s arts and culture hub, with great galleries, shops, and dining.
Image via Home Away.
4. A modern chalet in Mount Tremblant, Quebec
It’s known for skiing and ski-boarding, but Mount Tremblant can be a stunning destination when the sugar maples, yellow birches and American beeches that cover the Laurentian mountains become a symphony of orange hues. Hike the hills from this cozy, but modern chalet nestled in the woods, but just a five-minute drive from the famous Tremblant resort, which celebrates the season with a poetry, music and nature festival.
Image via Home Away.
5. The Balancing Barn in Suffolk, England
What better place to contemplate the beauty of nature than in a work of thought-provoking contemporary architecture? A number of years ago, the essayist and philosopher Alain de Botton — How Proust Can Change Your Life, The Architecture of Happiness — decided to to “revolutionize architecture and UK holiday houses” by establishing the Living Architecture project, a series of homes designed by leading contemporary architects which were affordable for the public to rent. One of the first was the Balancing Barn, designed by the Dutch architecture firm MVRDV. With its pitched roof and reflective steel cladding, the barn is barely visible from the road and its outline suggests a small and simple abode. But the house is actually 98 feet long and is dramatically cantilevered over a slope. While the design provides incredible views of the Suffolk countryside and adjacent lake, trees planted along the building’s length provide privacy to its inhabitants. Inside, Studio Makkink & Bey, another Dutch design firm, have digitally manipulated paintings by John Constable and William Gainsborough, both local artists, to create abstract adornments for the walls and floors. In addition to furniture they designed specifically for the house, Studio Makkink & Bey have furnished it with pieces by leading Dutch designers. If you want to contemplate further parts of the Suffolk countryside, drive to the charming hamlet of Flatford, which was the inspiration for many of Constable’s paintings and take a walk along the tree-lined River Stour.
Image via Living Architecture.
6. The Long House in Norkfolk, England
This austere but colorful house is by two legendary British modernists, Michael and Patty Hopkins. The designing couple were keen to create a house that would enable visitors to “experience living, eating and sleeping in a modern, thoughtfully designed environment.” They consider themselves expert in this goal, as they live and work in buildings of their own design. For inspiration, they looked to the flint-walled barns and churches of North Norfolk. A chance to spend some time living with the house’s stunning spiral staircase and vaulted ceiling seems reason enough to book Long House, but the opportunity to see James Turrell’s “Lightscape” before it closes at nearby Holkham Hall, one of England’s finest Palladian houses, is certainly another.
Image via Living Architecture.
7. Georgian Manor Home in Suffolk Estate, England
For those who would like the experience of living in a stately English home, it’s possible to rent a Georgian manor house, surrounded by 4,500 acres of land, with landscaped parks, woodland and a lake. With its floral wallpapers, print covered walls, and generously upholstered leather furnishings, and in one marble bathroom, a freestanding copper tub, the house is everything that you would expect from a country manor, but it has other modern accoutrements as well such as a fully equipped gym and home cinema. Invite your friends for your own Downton Abbey-style shooting party.
Image by Loyd Townsend & Rose.
8. Contemporary Castle in the Scottish Highlands
Perhaps you like the idea of being a lord of the manor, but when it comes to architecture your tastes run more modern than baronial. Well we’ve go the place just for you in the Scottish Highlands, a Moshe Safdie-designed castle on 57,000 acres of hills, moors, glens and lochs, with its own private train station! As befits such a magnificent home, it is outfitted with classic contemporary and midcentury furniture, along with impressive antique tapestries and rugs. Play the laird and smoke a cigar, sip a dram of Ardbeg Uigead and play snooker with your buddies or retire to your sauna with its own view of the loch! If you’re into hiking, bag a munro or take one of the Icelandic ponies from the stables and go tolting in the hills. Of course, there’s also clay shooting, stalking, and fishing.
