Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Cozy Updates for a 1908 New York Colonial
Slow but steady updates transform an upstate New York farmhouse into a charming home for 4
Leah Hallenbeck Olson and Michael Olson’s 1908 Colonial-style farmhouse in Niskayuna, New York, nestles in a tree-lined neighborhood filled with picturesque turn-of-the-century homes. “The home is sentimental to me because [it’s where] I brought both my newborn baby boys home,” says Leah, a part-time attorney with a passion for cooking, entertaining and decorating.
After they moved in, Leah slowly worked on refurbishing each room with help from her father to give it a personalized touch, including painting, refinishing the original flooring and updating the lighting fixtures. “The money I save on labor goes into what I put in the home,” Leah says. What was once a fixer-upper with potential has now become the couple’s forever home that their two sons can enjoy for years to come. Its serene color palette, candles burning amid the smell of fresh fruit and lemon Bundt cake, and mix of rich, warm textures come together to create an inviting interior.
After they moved in, Leah slowly worked on refurbishing each room with help from her father to give it a personalized touch, including painting, refinishing the original flooring and updating the lighting fixtures. “The money I save on labor goes into what I put in the home,” Leah says. What was once a fixer-upper with potential has now become the couple’s forever home that their two sons can enjoy for years to come. Its serene color palette, candles burning amid the smell of fresh fruit and lemon Bundt cake, and mix of rich, warm textures come together to create an inviting interior.
Leah scored the 1930s area rug at an estate sale. The rush of color in the otherwise muted palette grounds the living room.
This casual and comfortable space is where the family gathers at night. “On winter nights, I bake batches of cookies, and we get cozy and watch our favorite shows together,” Leah says.
Cube table: Home Goods; pillows, Target
This casual and comfortable space is where the family gathers at night. “On winter nights, I bake batches of cookies, and we get cozy and watch our favorite shows together,” Leah says.
Cube table: Home Goods; pillows, Target
A typewriter that once belonged to Leah’s great-great-grandfather is on display on the living room’s built-in shelves, along with a raku jar from an estate sale and pottery from Target. Leah enjoys mixing artisanal crafts with reproductions to make her space feel more dynamic.
The midcentury chair is from the 1960s. It was originally lime green with blue flowers before Leah painted it white.
The midcentury chair is from the 1960s. It was originally lime green with blue flowers before Leah painted it white.
Leah used white paint with warm undertones throughout the house. “I wanted it to feel spacious and open,” she says. Her light color palette and minimalist style make her one-of-a-kind pieces stand out.
Traditional style furnishings are a signature of the home. “I wanted to use furniture that would have been in the house at the time it was built,” Leah says.
Mirror and console: Pottery Barn; braided jute area rugs: Home Decorators
Traditional style furnishings are a signature of the home. “I wanted to use furniture that would have been in the house at the time it was built,” Leah says.
Mirror and console: Pottery Barn; braided jute area rugs: Home Decorators
The spacious dining room has been the site of many holiday meals and get-togethers for family and friends.
The walls were in bad shape when Leah moved in, so she repaired them using a process known as skim coating. “I just asked someone at Home Depot how to fix a plaster wall, and he told me what to do…. It was just like frosting a cake,” Leah says.
Mirror: estate sale; table: Nichols & Stone; chairs: Pottery Barn
The walls were in bad shape when Leah moved in, so she repaired them using a process known as skim coating. “I just asked someone at Home Depot how to fix a plaster wall, and he told me what to do…. It was just like frosting a cake,” Leah says.
Mirror: estate sale; table: Nichols & Stone; chairs: Pottery Barn
The mirrors over the buffet are from the couple’s wedding and, like her family members before her, she’ll likely keep them in the family to be enjoyed by her children and grandchildren.
Buffet: Nichols & Stone; mirrors: Pottery Barn
Buffet: Nichols & Stone; mirrors: Pottery Barn
A colorful vintage rug in the kitchen adds a point of interest among the pale furnishings. The table is a hand-me-down and fits it in nicely with the farmhouse style.
The framed portrait is an early 1800s American painting that Leah’s grandmother bought at an auction in the 1960s. It was stored in the attic for many years before Leah found it, along with other paintings, at her family’s lake house.
Eames-style chairs: eModernDecor
The framed portrait is an early 1800s American painting that Leah’s grandmother bought at an auction in the 1960s. It was stored in the attic for many years before Leah found it, along with other paintings, at her family’s lake house.
Eames-style chairs: eModernDecor
Leah thought that the window above the kitchen sink needed a contrasting visual detail, so she painted the frame black after being inspired by pictures of black-framed windows she saw online. She says, “I used an oil-based paint in small quantities to get the super glossy look as opposed to glossy latex.” The result is an eye-catching statement window. From here, Leah enjoys watching her boys walk to school as she brews her coffee and soaks in the morning rays.
A collection of copper pots is imaginatively displayed in this section of cabinetry.
Refrigerator: Viking
Refrigerator: Viking
The sunroom and office is where the boys hang out with their friends and play computer games. Leah decided to leave it free of curtains to bring the outdoors inside. “In the winter, it’s the warmest room in the house,” she says.
The vintage chair is from an estate sale.
The vintage chair is from an estate sale.
A small desk in the sunroom sits against the brick wall that forms the back of the living room fireplace.
Desk: Pottery Barn; desk chair: Bloomfield Flea Market
Desk: Pottery Barn; desk chair: Bloomfield Flea Market
The staircase landing lets in the midday sun and gives a view of all the bedrooms.
Moroccan trellis rug: NuLoom via Overstock
Moroccan trellis rug: NuLoom via Overstock
Leah kept their master bedroom’s color palette light and airy, and its furnishings minimal. “I need a serene environment to get a good night’s sleep,” she says.
To give the dresser some interest, Leah added a 1930s mirror with the built-in lights still intact. The lights over the bed not only add a warm glow, but also double as reading lights when Leah’s boys read in bed with her.
Throw pillow: So Vintage Chic; Savannah bed and headboard: Pottery Barn; stool: Target
To give the dresser some interest, Leah added a 1930s mirror with the built-in lights still intact. The lights over the bed not only add a warm glow, but also double as reading lights when Leah’s boys read in bed with her.
Throw pillow: So Vintage Chic; Savannah bed and headboard: Pottery Barn; stool: Target
Leah furnished her sons’ bedrooms in a fairly minimal style since they spend most of their time downstairs. While the decor consists mainly of her choices, she was guided by their preferences.
This nautical-style bedroom for her older son fits in with the Americana theme of the rest of the house. The decorative oar is vintage and came from the family’s lake house.
Desk: Ikea; chair: antique; rug: The Christmas Tree Shops
This nautical-style bedroom for her older son fits in with the Americana theme of the rest of the house. The decorative oar is vintage and came from the family’s lake house.
Desk: Ikea; chair: antique; rug: The Christmas Tree Shops
A glow-in-the-dark mobile from Hayden Planetarium hangs over the bureau.
Wall paint: Arctic Shadow, Behr; bedding: Pottery Barn Kids; window garland: Martha Stewart via Michael’s
Wall paint: Arctic Shadow, Behr; bedding: Pottery Barn Kids; window garland: Martha Stewart via Michael’s
The couple’s younger son requested a surf-inspired room, so Leah included a few subtle design details, such as the natural fiber rug and surfboard quilt, that still fit in with the farmhouse style.
An antique bureau completes the space, and the red suitcases on the bureau keep small toys organized.
Bedding: Pottery Barn Kids
An antique bureau completes the space, and the red suitcases on the bureau keep small toys organized.
Bedding: Pottery Barn Kids
The guest bedroom mixes Leah’s bohemian and Colonial style sensibilities.
The backyard is where Leah and her family love to entertain. They’ve already made many memories while hosting parties for family and friends here.
The two-car garage was once a stable for the horses that were used for carriage driving. It still has the original fireplace used to warm the horses in the cold winters of upstate New York.
This screened-in porch is also used to host family parties. The couple installed new wood-look tile flooring that blends with the original flooring throughout the home. The rattan furniture is secondhand.
The blue-painted stucco exterior is complemented with a red slate roof. The couple painted the parts of the exterior that needed touch-ups. “We can’t paint the whole house because of the vines,” Leah says.
The vines were just starting to grow when the couple bought the house. They’ve since blossomed into plush greenery that adds color, softness and an organic element to the exterior. The home feels rooted in the family-friendly neighborhood, and the family enjoys walking to friends’ homes or to get an ice cream cone.
The vines were just starting to grow when the couple bought the house. They’ve since blossomed into plush greenery that adds color, softness and an organic element to the exterior. The home feels rooted in the family-friendly neighborhood, and the family enjoys walking to friends’ homes or to get an ice cream cone.
While Leah, pictured, loves her updated home, she says it’s always evolving and there’s still more to be done. “I want to turn the walk-up attic into another bedroom and half bath, and make the smallest of bedrooms into a large bathroom with a large shower and free-standing claw-foot tub,” she says.
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See more photos of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Michael and Leah Hallenbeck Olson, and their two sons, ages 11 and 8
Location: Niskayuna, New York
Size: 2,100 square feet (195 square meters); four bedrooms, two bathrooms
Year built: 1908
Leah describes her style as eclectic with antiques and hand-me-downs from different eras, including 19th-century American oil paintings, farmhouse furnishings from the 1800s, rugs from the 1930s and midcentury items from estate sales.
Plants can be found throughout the home as well. “I love decorating with plants and flowers,” Leah says.
Chair: HomeGoods