Hi there, cuties! I hope everyone is settling into the holiday season and able to gather and celebrate with loved ones. This time of year is one of my favorites and it’s actually the perfect moment to share our latest interior design project reveal: A modern transitional masculine, yet cozy, (aka: it’s the perfect space for holiday gatherings) 6-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home in the heart of the Hudson Valley, surrounded by thousands of acres of orchards and a vineyard.
This project also has a special spot in my heart because the client, digital strategist and Tony-, Grammy-, and Olivier Award-winning Broadway producer Tyler Mount, is a longtime close friend of KKH’s former Design Manager Emily Donald. Emily was with KKH for many years–and I now count her as a dear friend–before striking out on a new chapter to join her college bestie Tyler as the Managing Director of his digital and brand strategy company Tyler Mount Ventures.
Motivated by the challenges of being stuck inside an NYC apartment during the pandemic, Tyler purchased a home in the Hudson Valley in Marlboro, NY, to serve as an escape from the city and be a sanctuary to gather his friends and family together for years to come.
“I didn’t buy this house to flip–I bought it as a lifelong investment. I want to have this place for my future children and for my parents and my friends and my chosen family. That’s important to me because I want to continue to create memories.” —Tyler Mount
He came to Emily–who actually spent some of the pandemic from March-May, 2021, living with Tyler in the then-empty house while they worked on the design alongside the KKH Design Team–with his vision. The result is truly something special, built on love, over a decade of friendship, and inspiration from the breathtaking natural scenery of Tyler’s property.
We caught up with Emily and Tyler to chat about how they worked together as friends and as designer-and-client, Tyler’s fave Kathy Kuo Home pieces, and the magic of the Hudson Valley!
Photos by Joshua McHugh | Styling by Leslie Tynik
The exterior of Tyler Mount’s Marlboro, NY, home
Tyler, what inspired you to purchase in the Hudson Valley? What was the home like when you bought it?
Tyler: Being trapped inside for so long during COVID, I thought: “I am never going to be in another position where I have to stay trapped in a small studio for a year and a half.” So, that’s ultimately why I purchased upstate. Obviously, there was no one else I would rather have had been involved in the actual styling of the space and the design of it than Emily and KKH–and she wouldn’t have given me the option not to work with her!
“I wanted a place to escape to, first of all. I also wanted a place that was moderately close to New York City. I went to see this listing, and the realtor and I drove up and I immediately said: ‘This is the house!’ It has the most stunning, gorgeous panoramic view I have ever seen in my life. It was a no-brainer before I even walked the home.”
The house was newly finished, and wasn’t like a fixer-upper, but right away I decided we were going to rip up the carpet, change all the lights, fix the bathrooms. It made a lot of sense, especially with Emily there with me–I could see what this house could be. I made an offer within an hour of seeing it.
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Shop Tyler Mount’s Living Room Look
What was the design vision for this home, and what was the process like?
Emily: The word to describe this home would be “transitional.” The main thing to note with this process is that the speed of things–Tyler always declares that he is the most efficient human being on earth–and we got a total of 12 rooms designed in a matter of four weeks or so. It was pretty crazy, but it was because we got all of our rounds done quickly. I would show him a mock-up of something and he would say “yes” or “no” on everything very quickly.
“Those rounds are part of the process–and even me, as his best friend, I couldn’t nail everything right off the bat. There’s always going to be inspiration involved and that’s the fun part. People should embrace that–you can still have those inspirational conversations and also keep a fast pace on a project.”
I knew that Tyler liked very modern pieces, but I wanted to embrace the fact that the property is literally in the woods and has a lot of cozy elements to it. I think that you can’t forget that as you’re creating the design for the space. It was a matter of keeping silhouettes a little more masculine and modern, but bringing in more cozy elements through the textiles in each room. There’s hardwood everywhere so we added a lot of rugs. We brought in earth tones as a nod to the surrounding environment but also to make the space feel super-inviting and cozy.
Tyler: I have a very different design aesthetic than Emily does, but we both love very beautiful, nice, expensive-looking things. Emily will want florals, whereas I want a look that’s contemporary, masculine, and with clean lines. But I still wanted the space to feel more homey and lived-in than I would if I were designing a penthouse in the city.
Ultimately it was a great experiment to have Emily’s ability on the design side, and have her come in and say: “Okay, I can combine my design sensibility with yours as a client and we can come to a middle ground.” We always ended up agreeing on the pieces eventually and ultimately we created a contemporary-modern-transitional home!
“Some of my favorite things in the home are from when Emily literally went out onto the property and picked foliage or brought in branches. I love the homage to the land that we’re living on here in the Hudson Valley.”
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Shop Tyler Mount’s Formal Sitting Room Look
The two of you have been close friends since college–what was it like working together and drawing on your friendship as the foundation for the design?
Emily: One thing that is nice and sweet about this story is that this home is really like a friend-environment. Our other best friend–who was a longtime roommate of mine and introduced to me by Tyler in college–has been friends with Tyler since grade school, was legally adopted into Tyler’s family, and she and I both have rooms in this home. That was the most fun part of designing it.
“It was fun to base each bedroom off of people’s personalities, whom I know very well and have known for the past decade!”
There are a lot of bedrooms and a lot of times on a project, those would just be regular guest rooms. It’s all about “chosen family”–Tyler is an only child and his family has been really gracious in adopting us as their own. A really nice, sweet part of designing the home was knowing that I wasn’t just designing guest rooms–I was able to say: “Okay, this is going to be an Emily room, this is going to be a Tyler room, this is going to be a room for Tyler’s parents.”
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Shop Tyler Mount’s Dining Room Look
Tyler, do you have a favorite space in the home?
Tyler: Ultimately–call me bougie!–I love having a family living room as well as a formal sitting room. They are both beautifully designed. The family room is certainly more warm and inviting and masculine and comfortable, versus the sitting room, which has the most gorgeous view you’ll ever see. It’s very practical and beautiful.
The sofa is gorgeous and wildly comfortable. I just love the juxtaposition between the two. My favorite single piece is probably the bar cabinet. It’s absolutely to die for. I just love that room, and the view is something you could never buy.
Are you looking forward to hosting in your new space for the holiday season?
Tyler: I love hosting–it’s my favorite thing to do. I love having people over and having a space where my friends can come. We had 14 people here for Thanksgiving. That gorgeous dining table expands and can fit 14 people, which is very exciting.
I also went and got Christmas decorations and I have someone coming to install holiday lights and make it feel like a Hallmark movie. In NYC, we don’t always go home for Christmas and we would end up just hanging out in an apartment–but now we’re going to have a really fantastic time upstate in the Hudson Valley!
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Shop Tyler Mount’s Master Bedroom & Study Look
Overall, what was it like working with Kathy Kuo Home’s Design Team on a project of this size with so many rooms and so many different pieces involved?
Tyler: Obviously, Emily did a fantastic job designing the home and making it exactly how I wanted it. But once her job was done and the pieces had been ordered–and typically your designer doesn’t live with you for 90 days–beyond that, my project manager at KKH, Alyssa, was the key to the entire process. We became best friends and spoke daily over the course of six months. I couldn’t have done this without her.
“The level of service that KKH offers is instrumental to the process–it’s not just about the beautiful design–it’s about coordinating the logistics, and it is so important.”
A lot of the timing and delivery is out of KKH’s control. When you’re dealing with an entire home’s worth of furniture, involving thousands of shipments, it is easy to get frustrated about shipping and tracking. My project manager was essential to my mental health and the success of the project.
Alyssa would send me weekly updates and massive spreadsheets. And then some things might arrive damaged–and that’s not KKH’s fault, that’s the third party shipper–but I could call her and she would say: “You have a new one on the next truck out,” or “That’s been refunded.” I would stake my life on Alyssa’s organizational skills!
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Shop Tyler Mount’s Guest Bedroom Looks
Kathy Kuo Home Design Services
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