Inside a Colorful Hudson Valley Farmhouse Kitchen: Design Details and Renovation Highlights

BySamantha Weiss-Hills,Photography byKate Jordan,Styling byKate Berry

PublishedFeb 21, 2025 3:10 AM EST

Domino Reno: Before + Afters, DIYs, and Advice From the Pros

Domino Reno: Before + Afters, DIYs, and Advice From the Pros

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When engaging designer Nick Spain for a residential project, clients participate in his signature Marry/Date/Dump exercise. When Spain and cookbook author Dan Pelosi (aka GrossyPelosi) collaborated to create a candy-coated kitchen and pantry that would harmonize with the chromatic interiors of Pelosi's historic Hudson Valley home, their first meeting involved reviewing photos of miniature horses, chartreuse Shaker cabinetry, and gentleman farmers.

The premise is straightforward yet remarkably effective for establishing what Spain calls a "shared language" for the project. A "marry" selection requires an explanation of why the image resonates. A "date" choice calls for describing its appeal without long-term commitment. A "dump" signals a visceral reaction of loathing—no further notes needed. "The whole exercise is geared toward helping clients begin to understand and articulate what exactly they're looking for, bringing some levity to the overall process," Spain explains.

Together with architect Stephanie Lee and contractor William Tyroll, the team determined that the circa-1940s kitchen and garage were beyond saving—that the structures' disrepair presented an opportunity to realize the home as Pelosi envisioned. During the design process, Lee and Spain drew on ramshackle New England farmhouses, midcentury West Coast ranch architecture, and Pelosi's Italian heritage to inform their decisions. "We imagined the interior as though some kind of older woman had come into this old farmhouse during the Women's Lib movement and decided to give it a redo," Spain says. "It very much feels like taking the Grossy brand through a time machine."

Explore the detailed design decisions behind this renovation below.

Drawing on Heritage and Family Tradition

"What excited me most about working with Dan was that he wanted his home to be a true extension of his personality—deeply rooted in fun-loving family tradition, layered with comfort, and built for gathering," says Spain. Pelosi recognized a kindred creative spirit in someone who finds inspiration in unconventional places. "He's very rooted in history and respecting that," Pelosi says.

Together, they wove the cookbook author's biography into every corner of the renovation, incorporating meaningful family heirlooms and patina-lending vintage pieces wherever possible. Cushions and curtains were sewn by women in Pelosi's family, his grandfather's armchair was reupholstered (it now sits near the antique dishes cupboard sourced in Hudson), and lighting over the kitchen table recalls those from Pelosi's grandparents' home. The beam supports across the ceiling are even a nod to his partner Gus Heagerty's childhood home, all the way down to the bolt placement.

A Color Palette Derived from Art

Pelosi's extensive art collection served as a rich resource for developing the renovation's color palette. By identifying key paintings and extracting hues from them, the pair assembled color combinations that surprised even Spain. He illustrates the point by highlighting how they paired varying shades of red with a spectrum of blues and blue-greens to dazzling effect.

"I fell in love with a few color combinations that I never would've dreamt up had I not been fully immersed in this world," he says. He adds that Pelosi was equally open to exploration, embracing a shade of vivid mint green so fully that he applied it across his entire bedroom.

Maximizing Natural Light with Expansive Windows

The foremost priority for Pelosi was maximizing natural light in the kitchen. While the original home featured colossal 10-foot windows, the added-on cookspace was afforded just two small ones, and "it just didn't take advantage of the beautiful light that comes up in the morning and at the end of the day," he remembers. The new 750-square-foot addition now features an abundance of glazing: a nearly entirely glass view into the backyard, a row overlooking the sink and countertops, and several panes facing the driveway and road. "The way that the kitchen was oriented was really important," Pelosi explains. "I wanted to place the stovetop where the sun sets, and I created a huge counter that's surrounded by windows in the front of the kitchen so that I could have a surface to shoot my photos on and also serve food."

An Expansive Pantry as the Heart of the Home

Spain drew further cues from regional architecture when conceiving the connection between the main house and the kitchen. "There's a long history of New England settlers creating covered breezeways to link their barns with the main house so they could avoid the snow in winter," he says. But with Pelosi's affinity for midcentury California aesthetics, the designer married both ideas by modeling the addition after old rancho outbuildings like hay lofts and horse stables. The breezeway became home to Pelosi's spacious pantry, powder room, and mudroom. "With the amount of cooking and hosting Dan does we knew that we had to create a space that was highly functional," Spain says.

A full wall of cabinetry keeps extra appliances, a stackable washer-dryer, and expansive dry goods storage behind closed doors, the entire unit cloaked in a bold farmhouse red. After finishing the countertops in green tile and adding Shaker-style open shelving, they took the wallpaper all the way to the ceiling "to give the impression that you're floating in some kind of Pop-Art-inflected garden."

Full-Height Tiled Range Hood and Work Surfaces

While Spain initially considered adding a chimney or open stove to the kitchen (a key feature of early rural New England kitchens, he notes), Pelosi's Italian heritage led to a deep exploration of rustic cucinas. "Part of their vernacular is that they often have these vast tiled range hoods and work surfaces," he explains. They combined the visual impact of a chimney-like column with the Italian affinity for tile, extending it all the way to the ceiling—a detail that also speaks to the home's New England locale. The stacked pattern evokes midcentury ranches, just as those that informed the addition's interior architecture.

A Farm Table for Gathering and Entertaining

When the previous owners of the home left behind their 10-foot farm table, Pelosi immediately saw its potential in the kitchen. "I love the idea of people sitting at the table, chopping vegetables and decorating cookies," he says. They positioned the table across from the island and closest to the wall of windows, surrounding it with repainted vintage chairs—a convivial setting for any culinary occasion.

Samantha Weiss-Hills

Managing Editor

Samantha Weiss-Hills is the managing editor for Domino. She edits and writes home tours and features, and she's the friend who everyone texts for glassware, sofa, and sheet recommendations. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Alex, and their beagle-corgi, Elsa.

Kate Berry

Chief Creative Officer

Kate Berry is editor at large at Domino. Previously, she was the chief creative officer, guiding the brand's visuals, design, and experiential offerings.

Kate Jordan

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