WEEKEND GETAWAY
Deborah Lloyd’s home in upstate New York is a light-lled showcase of mid-century style
As the president and chief creative officer of Kate Spade New York, a fashion brand that is the epitome of all things girlie and fun, Deborah Lloyd’s typical workweek is an incredibly busy one. So come the weekend, she likes nothing better than to escape from Manhattan and head to her second home in Sullivan County, upstate New York – a modern, lightfilled house with views of the mountains and a lake. The house features a clean, box-like architectural design, an aesthetic that is mirrored by the predominantly mid-century style of the interior. “I love the mid-century modern look. They are design classics and the secret is in their name – there is a modernity to them that looks timeless,” says Lloyd. “I like it for the upstate home because the clean, unfussy lines go well with the austerity of the house.” The style choice was also the ideal middle ground to reflect both Lloyd and her husband’s tastes. “I’m very feminine and girlie and my husband is very masculine, so midcentury modern is a nice design compromise. “Our city home in Brooklyn is a little bit more refined and classic, a little more ladylike, and there is more colour,” says Lloyd. “Our upstate home has more of a neutral palette because I wanted the colour to come from the views.” This palette prevails throughout the house, with the furniture providing pops of colour. The black window frames provide a striking contrast to the white walls and create ‘framed’ views of the beautiful countryside surrounding the house. Many of them are French windows, helping to blur the lines between the outdoors and indoors while flooding the house with light. Lloyd worked closely with the architect on the design, as she was very particular about the windows and how they would bring in
the views and enhance the home. “I based everything around those windows because the view was spectacular,” she says. “I wanted to create a house where, everywhere I was... I could look out and see the views, whether I was in the kitchen reading the Sunday newspaper or watching the TV. I can see everything that is going on and the house feels seamless with the beautiful surroundings. “We have a tailored lawn but the edge of it meets the forest, which is beautiful and wild. I can sit in the bathtub and see a deer, which I adore, and eagles flying around.” As a creative professional herself, Lloyd understands that creativity knows no bounds, but she advises that practicality is key when working with an architect on a home. “You have to understand how you want to live in your house and you have to plan your home accordingly,” she says. “We spent most of our time in our kitchen and that’s our social area, so it’s really important for that to be comfortable.”
“You need to find the right architect – someone who will understand how you want to live in your house. Or you end up with these gorgeous spaces that you can’t use because they are not warm enough, or you can’t fit the right furniture in it. The house has to reflect you and your lifestyle.” And she notes that all homes, whether it is a main residence or a weekend house, are a work in progress. “A house is never really finished, it evolves, and we’ve been working on the pool house for the summer. From our recent trip to Morocco, we came back with all sorts of goodies for the house. We make changes to it according to the seasons – it becomes more of a summer house in the warmer months and then we will add a table-tennis table or a gym in there for the winter months.” One thing is clear: you can take the girl out of the Kate Spade New York office, but you can’t take the brand out of the girl. The house is dotted with pieces from the Kate Spade New York homeware line – such as the Worthington chair in green that takes pride of place in the library. “I felt that the beautiful rich green helped pop some of the colours I collected in the library. I love that as it is the right hit of colour in the room,” says Lloyd. “I’ve also included two credenzas from the collection. We put down a faded oak floor upstairs that has a coolness to it and it goes perfectly well with the credenza, which has a black glass top and a cool brown exterior with a burr pattern.” Lloyd also chose a rug with a woodgrain pattern to go under the blue Flexsteel Thunderbird sofa in the living room, because it echoes the scenery outside and complements the redwood coffee table. But with only 52 weekends in a year and much of her time spent working and travelling, how often does Lloyd head upstate to enjoy her beautiful home? “Every weekend if I possibly can,” she laughs. “I’m feeling itchy at the moment to get up there because it has been three weeks already.”