New Site, Same Soul: Millbrook School’s Reimagined Pulling House

Millbrook School, set amidst the rolling hills of Millbrook, New York, is not unlike a traditional New England village. Punctuated by a white chapel, the campus consists of playing fields, dormitories, and a proper quadrangle. With buildings of red brick and white clapboards, it is bucolic and charming, an educational oasis in the Hudson Valley. 

In 2019, the school tasked Voith & Mactavish Architects with developing a comprehensive plan to prepare holistically for the needs of students, staff, and alumni. During this process, the head of school’s house, aka Pulling House, a converted 1930s farmhouse (named after Edward Pulling, the school’s founder), came under scrutiny. 

To make room for another building, the firm and client decided to recreate Pulling House 40 feet from the original site. They kept the look and feel while making a more functional plan for its resident family.

“Our new-old version is built on a slightly smaller scale, but the layout of the formal rooms is very similar,” explains firm partner and Director of Residential Design J. Scott O’Barr. General contractor Consigli ensured a seamless build, with its millwork department executing Voith & Mactavish-designed cabinetry, shelving, and custom kitchen cabinets. 

Many components were salvaged to keep the structure’s character as true to the original as possible. “The front door and its fanlight and sidelights were saved along with fireplace mantels and some light fixtures,” says O’Barr. Millwork was replicated from photographs and detailed on-site survey work.

O’Barr collaborated with Daniela Holt Voith, the firm’s founding partner and director of design, on the project. The duo steered the architecture and interior design in one seamless process. 

“The millwork, finishes, wall coverings, and furnishings balance Millbrook’s storied tradition with modernity,” explains Voith. “The school wanted a young, fresh outlook so the public spaces would feel welcoming to students, families, and alumni.”

From the start, the challenge was the building’s intended multiple functions. The design team had to pair more formal, public-facing spaces used regularly for events with private family living areas. The solution was to clearly delineate two wings via two respective entrances.

“The idea was that a formal function could occur on one side of Pulling House while the family preps dinner and finishes homework on the other,” notes the architect. 

A brick walkway leads to the public wing’s more formal entry. “Here, a glass vestibule provides a break in case of snow, which is prevalent in Dutchess County,” explains O’Barr. This mud area with pegs for coats (another salvaged feature from the original Pulling House) leads into the public rooms, where traditional forms harmonize with colors, patterns, and textures that are purposefully bright and strong.

“For the interior design, we were tasked with taking a fresh approach versus recreating 19th-century Americana,” describes Voith. “We wanted it to feel comfortable yet refined.”

The public wing’s showpiece destination is a large, gracious living room with plenty of seating centered on a fireplace (complete with mounted portrait of Edward Pulling). Here, Voith anchored the space with blue, but not just any blue: “The school has its own branded shade of ‘Millbrook Blue,’ which we matched with fabric samples,” she relays, adding, “We really enjoyed pulling in contrasting oranges and reds to make the blue stand out even more.”

Besides a powder room and catering kitchen, the head of school’s study and dining room round out this wing. “He wanted a contemporary feel in his study, and the result is an aesthetic influenced by midcentury modern,” says Voith. “It’s a welcoming touch-down space for private conversations.”

The other half of the first floor is dedicated to the head of school and his young family. Accessed via a secondary entry with portico, this section is meant to feel more contemporary and livable. “We chose furnishings to stand the test of time but that, down the road, could be swapped out to suit the tastes of a new school head,” notes Voith.

Downstairs, the family enjoys a modern kitchen with built-in banquette tucked comfortably into a light-filled corner. Informal country furniture accommodates their busy lifestyle. The dining room easily hosts more formal gatherings but doesn’t take itself too seriously thanks to Scandinavian simplicity. Meanwhile, the family room’s vaulted ceiling delivers plenty of air and light.

Yet another new feature courtesy of the rebuild is a rear bluestone courtyard, flanked on one side by the public living room and the other by the family’s private living room. “It’s a great shared amenity,” points out O’Barr. A self-contained en suite guestroom above the public entry is used for important visitors and is accessed by its own set of stairs.

Ultimately, the finished project is a success by every measure. Evocative of a traditional farmhouse outside, the house encourages easy, contemporary living inside. It is a testament to the school’s respect for the past and emphasis on the future.  TB