See How This Interior Designer DIYed a Hotel Back to Life
When Megan Pflug wanted to decamp from New York to the Hudson Valley and live on a property that doubled as a business, running a hotel wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. But Megan, an interior designer, has a great eye for potential, and when she found an upstate New York property that had it, she knew it was a match.
The 1962 A-frame lodge needed some love to greet the 21st century in style, but that wasn’t Megan’s biggest obstacle. If anything, the opportunity to transform a property into something of her own vision was a huge plus. Rather, the tiny hurdle Megan had to deal with was that the former hotel wasn’t technically for sale.
Luckily, Megan was working with a Realtor®, a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. The Realtor® was a local with great relationships in the area and great instincts: She sensed both that the seller would be open to if Megan made an offer, and that Megan could turn the property into something magical. Right on both counts.
A little over a year later, and Megan’s transformation is complete. Below, she shows us five of her favorite DIYs that made Woodhouse Lodge the beautiful home and business it is today.
Soapstone Countertops
“The old kitchen layout was low on prep space, so I reconfigured the existing cabinetry and added soapstone countertops. Because soapstone is so soft, I was able to cut it on site with a wet saw.”
Shaker Rails
Megan used 1′ x 3′ boards and one-inch dowel rods to create these rails; in some rooms, they support shelves, and in others they hold hanging rope shelves. “These accomplished a couple of things: They are a simple, economical way to add architectural details, and they are a versatile storage solution. They do a great job of jazzing up the drywall walls.”
Custom Headboards
“Brooklyn-based Moses Nadel makes the lodge’s felt-and-leather headboards, but you could easily adapt my DIY shaker peg to hang textiles to use as a headboard.”
Record Shelves
“Record storage is hard to find, and we needed a lot of it. I took some wooden crates that we had and stacked wood planks (found on Facebook!) between them to make the shelves. The simplest DIY I’ve ever done!”
Repainted Exterior
“The exterior was painted a reddish brown that did not do the building any favors. We modernized it with a blue-black by Farrow & Ball and had the color matched in a solid stain. We applied most of the paint with a roller and brush, learning too late that a sprayer (even a little electric one) uses less paint and goes about 10 times faster.”
Working with a Realtor®, Megan got the perfect home she didn’t even know she was looking for. Now that it’s imbued with her midcentury-meets-modern style, we can’t wait to book a stay.
This post is sponsored by the National Association of REALTORS® and was created by Apartment Therapy Creative Studio.
Thank you for supporting the brands that make Apartment Therapy possible.