A Mid-Century “Modern Moroccan Mountain” Catskills Cabin
Name: Meagan Mullens
Location: Wurtsboro, New York
Size: 1100 square feet
Years lived in: 6 years, owned
I’ve lived in NYC for the past 17 years. And as soon as I discovered that you can drive just an hour and half north of the city and be in the mountains, I was hooked. I started off renting places all around the Catskills/Hudson Valley and Berkshires. And I always thought to myself… “I should just buy a place.” But of course that seemed like just a pipe dream. I would stalk Zillow and Trulia from a rental house and then eventually signed up for notifications and updates, but my price range left me mostly in the manufactured home range.
Then, in 2012, on the 4th of July, this property popped up and the photos were just amazing. I immediately thought…”I wonder how old these photos are and what’s wrong with it?” On a whim, I clicked the “contact agent” button saying I was interested and 10 minutes later I had an email from the agent and she asked if I would want to come up and take a look. As soon as I walked in the door, I knew it was mine. It was almost as if I had been in the house before—it was EXACTLY what I had been picturing in my head for all those years when I imagined my “cabin in the woods.”
I had no clue what buying a house entailed. I put in an offer and the real estate agent asked if I’d been approved for a mortgage. I just stared back at her blankly (oops). By the time I got back to Brooklyn, I had a call back and my offer was accepted! It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made, hands down. Juggling running an event production company in NYC, having an apartment in Brooklyn and having this house has been a little trying at times, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Any advice for creating a home you love? Always buy housewares as “souvenirs” no matter where you are traveling. Skip the t-shirts and knick-knacks and buy a piece of pottery, a blanket, a rug, etc… anything you can look at and/or use daily. I can point to almost anything “decorative” in my house and tell you a story about it.
What is your favorite room and why? The dining room. It has huge windows on two sides and in thebwinter, the sun shines in all day long. I even built in a little “day bed” bench at the dining table and I basically don’t move from that spot from the time I sit down with my coffee until the sun goes behind the mountain some days. In the summer, the leaves on the trees surround the windows and it really does feel like I’m living in a tree house.
Thanks, Meagan!
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