The Hudson Lookout is a striking three-storey residence set within the beautiful rolling landscape of New York State’s Catskill Mountains. Designed by Brooklyn-based architect Kimberly Peck, the project brief arrived fully formed from the client. Their intention was to create a ‘modern watchtower’, a Hudson Valley house to use as a vacation rental, and they had spent many years searching for the perfect spot.
Hudson Valley house with a view
As its name suggests, the Lookout is a tower, with a 20ft square base, rising up three storeys from its site atop a small hill. Every single vista has been carefully considered, with different-sized windows precisely placed to make the most of specific views. A winding, black-painted steel staircase is set in one corner of the plan, ascending all the way up to roof level, where a full terrace offers an impressive 360-degree panorama over the surrounding wooded hills.
The main living space is set on the third level, to maximise daytime light and views. An open-plan kitchen/diner and seating area, it has a warm and comfortable feel with timber ceilings, contemporary fixtures and fittings, and a cinemascope-scale window at treetop level. Two generous bedrooms are located on the first and second floors, each with an en-suite bathroom, while there is also a utility room next to the entrance and a small office on the second floor. The master bed features a freestanding tub with a view, and the house has everything you need for a short, recuperative stay.
Designed to be as energy-efficiency as possible, the Lookout is very heavily insulated, with heating embedded in the concrete slab and ‘energy recovery ventilation’ that cools the house and dehumidifies it in summer, while reversing the process in winter, using energy given off by the HVAC system. The exterior walls are clad in vertical timber slats, which emphasises their height, with flush, frameless glazing that mirrors the trees and passing skies.
Kimberly Peck set up her Brooklyn studio in 2004, after working for Adam Tihany and Ogawa Depardon Architects. The practice has completed a number of residential lofts and private houses in the New York area, as well as working on commercial projects for W Hotels, Club Monaco, Jonathan Adler, and others. The Hudson Lookout is perhaps the most modest and low-key project in the practice’s portfolio, a structure that makes the most of its spectacular site.
INFORMATION
The Hudson Lookout is available to rent. More information can be found at @thehudsonlookout.
-
Rio Kobayashi’s new furniture bridges eras, shown alongside Fritz Rauh’s midcentury paintings at Blunk SpaceFurniture designer Rio Kobayashi unveils a new series, informed by the paintings of midcentury artist Fritz Rauh, at California’s Blunk Space
-
New York restaurant Locanda Verde’s second outpost will transport you to a different time and placeLocanda Verde’s expansive new Hudson Yards osteria exudes a sophisticated yet intimate atmosphere overflowing with art treasures
-
LVMH watch week 2025: everything we know so farOur guide to LVMH Watch Week 2025, taking place in New York and Paris, starting 21 January; keep an eye out for our updates
-
LA Mayor Karen Bass outlines her plan for rebuilding the cityFollowing the devastating LA wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, the city’s mayor has outlined her plan for reconstruction
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House, a Usonian modernist Michigan gem, could be yoursFrank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House in Michigan is on the market – a chance to peek inside the heritage modernist home in the countryside
-
Cabin House is a simple modernist retreat in the woods of North CarolinaDesigned for downsizing clients, Cabin House is a modest two-bedroom home that makes the most of its sylvan surroundings
-
A Texas ranch house blends Californian charm and Asian minimalism in a 'balance in hybridity'Pontious, a Texas ranch house designed by OWIU, is a home grounded in its owner's cultural identity, uniting Californian, Chinese and Japanese roots
-
The three lives of the Edith Farnsworth House: now, a modernist architecture icon open to allThe modernist Edith Farnsworth House has had three lives since its conception in 1951 by Mies van der Rohe; the latest is a sensitive renovation, and it's open to the public
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A vacant Tribeca penthouse is transformed into a bright, contemporary eyrieA Tribeca penthouse is elevated by Peterson Rich Office, who redesigned it by adding a sculptural staircase and openings to the large terrace
-
We walk through Luther George Park and its new undulating pavilionLuther George Park by Trahan Architects and landscape architects Spackman Mossop Michaels opens to the public, showcasing a striking new pavilion installation – take a first look
