My Houzz: Serene Outdoor Sanctuary in New York
Take a visual dip into this updated home’s infinity pool, with its views of lushly forested hills
Tom Hannigan Jr. and Carree Syrek have been on a four-year-long journey to bring the exterior of their 1952 home in New York back to life. When the couple bought the house, the roof and siding were in bad shape, deteriorating from dry rot and leaks. Hannigan devoted free weekends to reviving the home’s exterior in stages: cleaning, sanding and oiling the original cypress boards by hand. The result of his labor is a gorgeous wood-paneled home with retro-modern appeal. The couple also restored their backyard infinity pool, which is set in a stone patio with stunning views of the surrounding trees.
The couple bought the teak table and chairs when they lived in Sydney in 1999. The set moved around with them from Sydney to Singapore, Bangkok and back to Singapore until they finally moved back to the U.S. and into this home in 2010.
“We needed a dining room table, and we had no idea that we would be in Southeast Asia for as long as we were — so that purchase was with the eye on it being an exterior piece when we moved back to the U.S.,” Syrek says. “Little did we know it would be a dining room table for almost nine years. It has served us well.” They sand and oil it each year.
The couple bought some of the existing furniture pieces from the previous homeowners, including the Bubble club sofa in light green, designed by Philippe Starck for Kartell, and a Russell Woodard set called Sculptura. They put the round table from the set outside by the pool in the summer.
“We needed a dining room table, and we had no idea that we would be in Southeast Asia for as long as we were — so that purchase was with the eye on it being an exterior piece when we moved back to the U.S.,” Syrek says. “Little did we know it would be a dining room table for almost nine years. It has served us well.” They sand and oil it each year.
The couple bought some of the existing furniture pieces from the previous homeowners, including the Bubble club sofa in light green, designed by Philippe Starck for Kartell, and a Russell Woodard set called Sculptura. They put the round table from the set outside by the pool in the summer.
What Hannigan and Syrek love most about their beautiful views is being able to enjoy them from the pool. “I think the common theme here is ‘calm and serene.’ We were so, so ready for that after living in some of the crazy, busiest cities on Earth, like Bangkok,” Syrek says.
From the infinity pool is a clear view of the surrounding open areas. “We can see Bear Mountain Bridge and Perkins Point on clear days. Now that the fields are clear, it’s great to walk around the property on a sunny day and watch the birds flying around,” Syrek says. She also enjoys seeing all the “critters that either live in or pass through the yard and meadow. Looking out and seeing three generations of deer sitting in the meadow and chilling is priceless.”
From the infinity pool is a clear view of the surrounding open areas. “We can see Bear Mountain Bridge and Perkins Point on clear days. Now that the fields are clear, it’s great to walk around the property on a sunny day and watch the birds flying around,” Syrek says. She also enjoys seeing all the “critters that either live in or pass through the yard and meadow. Looking out and seeing three generations of deer sitting in the meadow and chilling is priceless.”
“I think one of the things that took us by surprise even from the first year here was the ability to forget you were in New York. You can be lying on a lounger in the pool and can easily visualize being somewhere on the water in Thailand,” Syrek says. “The sound of the water circulating over the infinity edge coupled with the view just sends you to another place.” Neither Hannigan, a Massachusetts native, nor Syrek, from Chicago, knew anything about New York or Westchester County before moving here, but both quickly fell in love with the area.
The homeowners replaced the pool tile on the infinity edge in 2013 and changed out the top course of tiles on the interior in 2014. When Syrek and Hannigan moved in, some of the pool tiles were cracked and missing, and the pool was generally in disrepair.
“We wanted something that would play with the colors of the interior of the pool, turquoise and deep gray, which had become mottled over time. I went through a ton of samples from TileBar, trying to get to the right shades,” Syrek says. “When the sun hits these, especially when they are wet, the shimmer is astounding.”
BEFORE: Hannigan noticed that parts of the cypress wood siding on the 70-foot-long retaining wall behind the pool were rotting, so he took off the boards. “What I discovered was that the plants from behind the wall were growing over it and pushing the dirt behind the cypress. Water and mud were causing the siding to warp and rot,” he says. The light fixtures were also improperly mounted.
Seen here is an in-process shot showing the boards Hannigan removed and cleaned with a Shop-Vac. “You can see the rot on the tops of the boards and how warped they are. I sat on a bucket for days with a drill, a hammer and nails” and rebuilt the wall, he says. “I reused whatever boards I could salvage.” To get the new wood to blend with the old, Hannigan spent six hours lightly scorching each board with a blowtorch. Once he was done with the torch, he applied a vinegar solution with steel wool. “It turns dark like tea and helps age the wood. Then I finally applied Brazilian rosewood oil to the whole wall to protect it.” Hannigan says, “What started as two hours of refinishing ended up being a three-month rebuild.”
Seen here is an in-process shot showing the boards Hannigan removed and cleaned with a Shop-Vac. “You can see the rot on the tops of the boards and how warped they are. I sat on a bucket for days with a drill, a hammer and nails” and rebuilt the wall, he says. “I reused whatever boards I could salvage.” To get the new wood to blend with the old, Hannigan spent six hours lightly scorching each board with a blowtorch. Once he was done with the torch, he applied a vinegar solution with steel wool. “It turns dark like tea and helps age the wood. Then I finally applied Brazilian rosewood oil to the whole wall to protect it.” Hannigan says, “What started as two hours of refinishing ended up being a three-month rebuild.”
AFTER: Seen behind the lounge area is the restored cypress siding, the result of Hannigan’s monthslong DIY labor.
“We struggled for years on what this part of the pool area would look like,” Syrek says. “I’m a huge fan of water hyacinth for outdoor furniture, but it just wasn’t right for the space. We also like the unexpected, and having furniture that is a buttoned-up, structured-framed beanbag adds to that surprise. The color palette is inspired by the surrounding natural environment.”
Outdoor rug: Overstock; umbrella, concrete side table, tabletop fire pit, LED egg, throw pillows: Gilt; lounge furniture: Ibiza collection, Restoration Hardware
“We struggled for years on what this part of the pool area would look like,” Syrek says. “I’m a huge fan of water hyacinth for outdoor furniture, but it just wasn’t right for the space. We also like the unexpected, and having furniture that is a buttoned-up, structured-framed beanbag adds to that surprise. The color palette is inspired by the surrounding natural environment.”
Outdoor rug: Overstock; umbrella, concrete side table, tabletop fire pit, LED egg, throw pillows: Gilt; lounge furniture: Ibiza collection, Restoration Hardware
“All of the vessels outside are repurposed interior candles. When I buy candles for the house, I always buy them in cool colors and designs, knowing that I will use them for outside or inside as small vases,” Syrek says. “I like to light these even when we are not outside, as just seeing those additional points of light, even as a sideways glance outside from the kitchen, has a calming effect.”
Candles: Gilt
Candles: Gilt
“There just wasn’t a place to hang that was comfy. We usually just sat at the teak table,” Syrek says. “It’s funny — there is a totally different vibe when you are sitting on the sofa as opposed to the dining table. I like that.”
The wire coffee table is from CB2 and was originally white, but Syrek spray-painted it to match the Sculptura set.
The wire coffee table is from CB2 and was originally white, but Syrek spray-painted it to match the Sculptura set.
Syrek bought these hanging solar lanterns from Allsop Home & Garden. “The LED lighting in them lasts forever, and the actual lanterns themselves hold up to the beating that this part of the property takes from the winds,” she says. “They also provide a Japanese nod to the accents in the house and my studio above the garage.”
In the front of the house, Syrek particularly likes the visual lines and transparency. “The offset nature of the front facade mirrors the same treatment in places inside, and the windows help blur the lines of interior and exterior space, as you can see all the way through to the other side of the living room and beyond.” The house was originally designed by Walter Sanders, who later was a professor of architecture at the University of Michigan. The house was commissioned by Bea Lamm in 1948. After Lamm lived there, there was one previous family that lived in this space before Hannigan and Syrek moved in.
The grasses flanking the top of the entrance stairs are species of maiden grass, most likely ‘Zebrinus’ and ‘Morning Light’.
The grasses flanking the top of the entrance stairs are species of maiden grass, most likely ‘Zebrinus’ and ‘Morning Light’.
Hannigan spent a few years restoring the original wood-clad exterior by hand. The couple wanted to stay true to the home’s origins. “We changed the look and feel so that when we fixed things, we put our own spin on them, but tried to stay as true to the house as possible because it was so well-thought-out when it was built,” Syrek says. “We like to throw in our own little ‘weird’ into the house, though, like purple accents, to redefine them.” The couple added the purple paint on the clerestory window trim above the door and a new purple doorknob from ModKnobs.
Seen through the window are colorful spools of green, blue and purple commercial embroidery thread that Syrek will use to make a quilt.
The planters at the door are filled with boxwood.
Seen through the window are colorful spools of green, blue and purple commercial embroidery thread that Syrek will use to make a quilt.
The planters at the door are filled with boxwood.
“The driveway was actually in pretty rough shape with a lot of ruts. The fields behind the house were really overgrown and full of dead trees,” Syrek says. They fixed the driveway and cleared the fields in 2016, even though they have been living here since 2010. The rock trim on the pathways was part of a renovation in 2001.
“We have an abundance of deer who enjoy snacking, so the prior owners kept that in mind. The edging plants in the front grass beds are catmint, and they keep tiny purple flowers throughout most of the spring and summer,” Syrek says. “Bumblebees love these plants, and during those two seasons, there is always a persistent hum of their pollination work in the front of the house, which adds to the calm white noise.”
“We have an abundance of deer who enjoy snacking, so the prior owners kept that in mind. The edging plants in the front grass beds are catmint, and they keep tiny purple flowers throughout most of the spring and summer,” Syrek says. “Bumblebees love these plants, and during those two seasons, there is always a persistent hum of their pollination work in the front of the house, which adds to the calm white noise.”
“Midway through our 11 years living in Southeast Asia, we realized that, while we were very good at embracing culture, we didn’t have many physical things representing these countries,” Syrek says. The couple found this teak bench in an antiques store in Bangkok. “This season it is destined to become another purple accent,” she adds.
White planter: New Pot (designed by Paolo Rizzatto for Serralunga), Design Within Reach
White planter: New Pot (designed by Paolo Rizzatto for Serralunga), Design Within Reach
The couple had to do a lot of work to this side of the exterior when they first moved in. “The white cinder-block walls that you see on the ground floor were pretty grubby, and there were quite a few bougainvillea that had gone rogue from neglect. Nothing that a power washer and hedge clippers couldn’t tackle,” Syrek says. Hannigan did a huge amount of work on the exterior, sanding and oiling the original cypress wood as well as repairing, replacing and repainting the white trim. “Azek was the savior here,” he says. Their home sits on roughly 13½ acres, and Syrek calls this part of their property “the meadow.”
Syrek loves being surrounded by all the nature on the property. “You forget you are in civilization when you have that meadow and the forest and all the animals. I don’t think there is a critter that doesn’t have some sort of hidy-hole on the property,” she says. “We have families that seem to have been here longer than us! And, of course, they all have names: the Chucklas, or woodchucks; the Thugs, or raccoons; and Crow Party — you get the idea. We see tons of hawks, which are mesmerizing to watch.”
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My Houzz: A Classic Midcentury Home Wrapped in Windows
Read other stories about inspiring gardens
See more photos of this garden
More
My Houzz: A Classic Midcentury Home Wrapped in Windows
Read other stories about inspiring gardens
Who lives here: Tom Hannigan Jr. and Carree Syrek with their five cats, Koji, Lulu, Glen, Alan and Cooper
Location: Croton-on-Hudson, New York
Size: 13½ acres, mostly Westchester County forest
The couple use their outdoor spaces as much as possible during warmer months. “We spend a huge amount of time around the pool. It’s a sanctuary within a sanctuary,” Syrek says. “During the summer months, it’s not unusual to see Tom, with his laptop when he is working from home, parked at the [patio] table.”
The patio is a collection of spaces that are ideal for entertaining. The wide end nearest the house is an eating and gathering area. It transitions to a lounge area with a sofa and a chaise. From there stretches a long chute of patio area between the flower bed and the pool. This becomes a place to put tables when the homeowners entertain large groups.
See the interior of this classic midcentury home wrapped in windows