Designer Josh Young’s 1780 Virginia Farmhouse Is the Coziest Country Escape
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Artist and designer Josh Young is redefining country house style. His debut book, Artful Home, offers a never-before-seen look at Sycamore House—his 1780 Quaker-style stone farmhouse near historic Middleburg, Virginia. “Growing up in Pennsylvania, I’ve always had an affection for 18th-century Quaker fieldstone homes. They were scattered throughout the landscape, and I always dreamt of owning one,” he says.
After Young and his husband, Ignacio, settled in Washington, D.C., they stumbled upon their future weekend escape online and made the hour-and-a-half-or-so drive to Virginia’s hunt country to scope it out. “I immediately noticed the original door hardware, flooring, and fireplaces…the previous owners did an amazing job of maintaining the integrity of many of the original features of the home,” says Young. An over-400-year-old sycamore tree beside the property’s original spring house inspired the home’s moniker.
In Artful Home, Sycamore House is presented harmoniously alongside Young’s urban townhome and studio. His design principles—palette, texture, form, layers, and nostalgia —guide readers through the book and offer insight into how he applies his creative process to the three distinct spaces.
“As an artist and designer, it was important for Sycamore House to be a true escape from the city and my studio, a place where I could dream up new ideas. I wanted to be surrounded by things that I loved and felt inspired by,” says Young.
There’s no shiplap to be found in this country house. Rather, Young conjures a refined rusticity while honoring the home’s heritage. “I wanted to lean into its history by filling it with antique furniture, vintage and antique portraits (which I’m known for collecting and using in my own work), and books,” says Young.
“While there is an old-world feel, I focused on making the space feel current and modern. I didn’t want it to feel like a house museum, so I incorporated my own color palette to bring more balance,” he adds.
He reimagined the double parlor, for instance, in a golden yellow (Farrow & Ball’s Dorset Cream). “I know yellow can be a very polarizing color, but there is so much warmth, brightness, and vibrancy that it can provide,” says Young, who gave the shade its starring moment by pairing it with off-white trim and upholstery.
“The way I have always loved using color both on and off the canvas is in a monochromatic manner, where the color becomes such a focal point that it acts more of a neutral,” he says. “Because of the size and scale of the room, a double parlor with mirrored fireplaces, I knew it would be where we would entertain guests and where Ignacio and I would relax by the fire. This color envelopes you in the two spaces. The natural light the living room gets allows the color to really glow as it evolves throughout the day.”
Young threads the shade into the dining room with straw-hued curtains. Here, custom white gathered skirts soften the antique Chippendale chairs with curved ladderbacks and add a layer of a nostalgia to the space.
“Nostalgia is more so about creating an overall feeling that produces a sense of warmth, a dreamlike quality where things are very much rooted in the past, bringing familiarity and comfort,” Young says.
His collection of antique mirrors (“they’re an integral part in all my designs,” Young says) helps deliver that familiar age. In the butler’s pantry, a playful Art Deco mirror found in Connecticut contrasts to the Colonial-era built-ins, while a 19th-century silver-leafed mirror from a local shop adds a hint of sparkle to the parlor.
“To know me is to know my love of all things silver, all things polished nickel; while searching for a gilded mirror, we stumbled upon this one and I immediately fell in love with it,” says Young.
It wouldn’t be an artist’s home without his works on display, like his signature mixed-media portrait art, hand-drawn botanicals, and Géométrique series on pages of antique books. Young also surrounds himself with a mix of scenes that not only inspire him but also lend a nostalgic spirit.
“Throughout the home you may see Truman Capote, Wallis Simpson, Lady Diana, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, or Billie Holiday mixed with antique portraiture from the 17th, 18th, or 19th centuries, as well as landscapes I love, such as a winter scene, and old black-and-white family photos,” he says. “I’ve always gravitated toward beautiful photography, specifically vintage and antique photographs. It brings a lived-in quality to a space.” His guests are often drawn to the quirkier imagery, which sparks inspiring conversation.
Through a deeply personal look into his homes, Young seeks to inspire readers to apply his guiding principles to their own spaces. “So much of my work is intertwined with my personal life. There is some degree of an intentional, artful approach to everything I do, whether it be entertaining, sourcing antiques, how I work, or things I include in my studio (even down to the vessels that hold my brushes),” he says.
“I hope readers will assess which principles inform their own artistic points of view and how they can be applied not only in their work, but in their lives.” See more of Sycamore House, Young's D.C. townhome, and his studio in Artful Home, available now.
Artful Home
amazon.com
$40.90
You Might Also Like
