Introducing RI's Design Diary, A Creative Collaboration In More Ways Than One

Sherry Jo Williams is a curator, designer and writer who lives in Hudson. The founder and creative director of Culture+Commerce Project, which discovers and promotes regional, emerging designers, she is well positioned to introduce Rural Intelligence readers to the design projects and stories that offer inspiration, admiration and, sometimes, perhaps a bit of house envy. This is the first of a new series that will take you behind the scenes to explore a flourishing design movement in the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires, and the creatives who are driving it.

No doubt you’re already keenly aware of the evolving retail renaissance in Hudson, New York, where landmark architecture houses unique showrooms, urbane shops, and exceptional art galleries. In this first Diary entry, the spotlight is on the talented duo who are The Gilded Owl, a Hudson art and furniture gallery-cum interior design firm, with a peek into one partner’s private residence. The co-founders, interior designer Andy Goldsborough and art dealer Elizabeth Moore, both have exquisite taste, and also are the best of friends. Their business partnership grew organically from a mutual love of shopping (this is what originally drew them to Hudson 25 years ago, when they were seeking unusual antiques), as well as an unabashed passion for elegant minimalism and homes with good bones.

Moore had studied art history in western Massachusetts, developing a lasting interest in artists Agnes Martin, Louise Bourgeois, and The Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. Goldsborough was teaching at Parsons School of Design, but desiring a broader audience to share his knowledge and love of design he naturally started a blog… and the original Gilded Owl was born. In 2014, after years of flirting with the idea of relocating to Hudson, Elizabeth and her husband finally rented a handsome 1785 Federal residence. They loved upstate New York, had found the perfect house, and through a stroke of luck, were able to purchase their dream home.

The purchase allowed the two friends to collaborate on the renovation and redesign of Moore’s new/old home, reveling in the minimalism of the Federalist details — wide floorboards, extra-wide entryway and spectacular light. “Our goal was to reveal the original wide-plank pine floors throughout, and preserve but modernize the original period details and structure of the house,” Moore said. As an additional bonus, they discovered that the property was sited within a commercial zone, explaining the presence of the numerous “parlor room” galleries on their block.

As the previous tenant’s well-intentioned “restoration” was slowly stripped away, the old house began to suggest an opportunity for Goldsborough’s successful blog, dedicated to craftsmanship and beauty, to morph from virtual to reality. “We aimed to inspire those interested in design and the way creative forces influence the way we live,” he said. The transition from blog to gallery was an outstanding success and The Gilded Owl thrived in Hudson as a brick-and-mortar destination.

After three successful years of working out of Moore’s private residence, it was time for The Gilded Owl to spread its wings and expand. The designing duo began to look for a much larger location, and when a 3,000-square-foot gallery space only blocks away became available, they immediately took it. The move to this spacious storefront provided the perfect opportunity to add more treasures, rare jewelry and design objects, and art photography, plus an exclusive collection of Italian hand-crafted Chiavari chairs, to their already superb assortment. These spectacular chairs, the jewel in the gallery’s crown, are available for the first time in the U.S. from the family-owned factory in Liguria.

The Gilded Owl is a must see when in Hudson, the true manifestation of the commitment and enthusiasm to architecture, fine art and great design which these two talented friends share.