Photograph and copyright by
manfredi bellati
Hudson River Valley: Kingston – RingTop Ranch -
Lifestyle. RingTop Ranch in Kingston
is a typical mid-century house designed by William Van Benschosten in 1958 in
an atypical setting. It is a “trailer in
the sky” a self-contained one-floor house and is the country home of Mark
Haldeman and James Aguiar. The house is decorated strictly
to the period it was built in and serves as a think tank laboratory for ideas on
style, decorating, recipes and entertaining for the creative and stylish
couple.
Photograph and copyright by
manfredi bellati
RingTop Ranch - Lifestyle: the hall
leading towards the living room. The
wood panels made by a local artist where adapted to form the fifteen-foot long
library which houses the Mark and James’s fashion book collection. On the lacquered grasscloth table a gardgoyle
lamp from Duane Antiques, who specializes in mid-century
modern furniture, in New York City. Cicero the friendly French Bulldog greets
guests when they arrive.
RingTop Ranch - entertaining. Fashion
Director of Manhattan Magazine James Aguiar and Mark Haldeman, regional manager
for Paul Smith USA share a bottle of Veuve Clicquot with guests. Cicero their French Bulldog, together with his
stylish "daddy", James, has been the most photographed dog in The New York Times and has
even appeared in T Magazine. On the left a painting by artist
Christopher Young who is also artistic director at Tiffany and Co.
RingTop Ranch – Lifestyle: a
Corner of the living room. Under a 1977 guache by Argentinian painter Ronaldo de Juan,
two Dunbar sofas, which are highly collectable mid-century pieces, fit
perfectly in the 1950’s “trailer in the sky”. The sculpture on the table is a piece of bent metal found at a flea market and mounted on a stand by the
stylish couple.
RingTop Ranch – Lifestyle: the dinning
room. The table is another collectable from Dunbar and the chairs are by Milo Baugman who was one of
the leading American modern furniture designers of the second-half of the 20th
century. The lamps came with the house and the photograph on the wall is by Kim
Rierson.
RingTop Ranch – Lifestyle:
the kitchen. The authentic 1950’s
kitchen complete with cactus wallpaper came with the house. The table, chairs
and plant stand are a ten Dollar find at a flea market.
RingTop Ranch – Lifestyle: the hall leading to the bedrooms. James found a huge roll of Jack Lenor
Larson’s 1977 carpet in a salvage shop.
RingTop Ranch – Lifestyle: the
master bedroom. On the woven rope bed Frette linens in graphic patterns. The chest of drawers was inherited with the
house and the bedside table and lamps come from Hudson Home. The interlocking
diamond pattern silk carpet is from the Rug Company.
RingTop Ranch – Lifestyle: the
garden. A line of White Pine trees fence in the property at the back. The outdoor living space was recreated from a
tiny existing patio by digging it out and rebuilding the entertaining space
using local bluestone. Fiberglass mid-century sun beds mix with new ones. The area is perfect for parties and for
houseguests to hang out in the summer months.
Photograph and copyright by
manfredi bellati
RingTop Ranch
- entertaining.
Cicero was
the guest of honor at the drinks party.
RingTop Ranch
- entertaining.
With drinks, pizza was served on a pretty
John Derian platter.
RingTop Ranch - entertaining. Strawberries were served in a silver bowl and
delicious Meltaways from Stowaway Sweets were served on a Georges Briard 1970s
bamboo gilded edge plate. The unique
chocolates made in New England since 1929 were much favored by England's
Queen Mary, Lady Astor, Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Franklin D. Roosevelt
and Katherine Hepburn.