With urbanites flocking to the lush, maple-dotted valleys and idyllic mountain towns that flank the state’s storied river, New York’s Hudson Valley is having a moment. Now the opening of The Maker Hotel by Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, co-founders of pioneering beauty brand Fresh, along with hospitality pro Damien Janowicz (Tides Beach Club and Cape Arundel in Kennebunkport, Maine), ensures that hip, architecture-rich Hudson is making a lasting impression in the imagination of travelers everywhere.
The 11-room escape fuses three buildings: a Georgian mansion, an 1800s carriage house, and a Greek Revival building. A six-year restoration, during which the founders obsessed over every detail, has resulted in a warm and singular sense of place enhanced by the thoughtful contributions of local craftspeople who created several elements, including furnishings, millwork, hand-painted wall treatments, and stained-glass windows. The property has given Glazman, brand director of Fresh, creative license to unleash his inner aesthete throughout the 14,000-square-foot property. He personally helmed the interior design and curation of every space, mashing up his love of all things La Belle Époque, Art Deco, and midcentury modern. He also incorporated his private collections of artwork, photography, and antiques.
A hallmark of the property is sustainable design. More than 70% of the decor is vintage, sourced eclectically from Parisian flea markets, Moroccan souks, New York’s hidden shops, and other far-flung fairs. “I wanted to celebrate different periods and design in a major way,” says Glazman. “More importantly, I wanted to celebrate anybody who takes part in what we’re doing here. There are so many talented people in this region.”
Roytberg’s creative director sensibility is evident in the patterned wallpapers she designed, creating a layered effect. Her signature attention to detail and branding mastery imbues the hotel with a rich color palette of deep reds and moody greens.
Glazman credits the pair’s intuitive working process to 30 years of building their beauty empire together. “I imagine something and she knows exactly what it needs to be,” he says. “We are a great combination on the design side, which ended up organically expressed in the hotel’s Bohemian sensibility.”
All rooms come with covetable amenities, like full-size Fresh bath and body products. The public spaces are alluring, from a pool that invokes Mad Men style and The Maker Lounge with its grand Belgian 1878 neoclassical fireplace and plush, speakeasy feel, to the glass-ceilinged conservatory that houses The Maker Restaurant and its pastoral wall mural by painter Michael Allen.
Of the many jewel-box discoveries to be had here, Glazman’s tiny, curtained Fragrance Library is the most unique. A glass case holds a myriad of personally curated fragrances from around the world for folks to spritz, dab, and explore. It’s a nod to his ongoing passion for developing scents at Fresh. The scent architect also co-created The Maker’s Hudson Eau de Parfum with local fragrance maker Christopher Draghi of Source Adage. Sales support Friends of Hudson Youth, a nonprofit that gives back to local youth and families in need.
From $350.
Getting there: The Maker is a two-hour train ride or drive from New York City.
On the town: Flanked by colorful historic buildings, Hudson’s walkable Warren Street boasts treasure-filled antique shops, upscale boutiques, eclectic eateries, and galleries, including homewares and textiles at Les Indiennes and MINNA, French fare at Le Gamin Country, and to-die-for pizzas at Baba Louie’s.
Day trips: See the stately home and gardens of Olana New York State Historic Site, a curious architectural masterpiece by Frederic Edwin Church, icon of the Hudson River School of landscape painting. A 15-minute jaunt to Ghent delivers you to Art Omi, a not-for-profit art center with a 120-acre sculpture park. Contemporary art is a must-experience at Jack Shainman Gallery, a perfectly preserved old schoolhouse in Kinderhook featuring the work of the most thought-provoking artists of today. Get an authentic sense of the region wandering the medicinal plant gardens at Churchtown Dairy, a working biodynamic farm dedicated to sustainable and regenerative agriculture, that produces delicious cheese and boasts a soaring feat of architecture: a light-filled, vaulted barn inspired by environmentalist William Coperthwaite.
