Chronogram: May 2023, A More Perfect Union
Written by: Mary Angeles Armstrong, Photography by: Shelter Upstate
Maggie Mitchell and Venetia Boucher enjoy Boucher’s woodsy back patio while their children play. The two women met when their oldest kids were toddlers and became good friends. When Mitchell decided to buy the home across the street from her own house and become a landlord—a role she doesn’t take lightly—she thought of Boucher and her family.
When Maggie Mitchell and her family decided to buy a historic 1961 ranch style home at 16 Bellows Lane in Woodstock, they saw the opportunity to continue a rich, local tradition. "This neighborhood has an incredible history," explains Mitchell of her Byrdcliffe area cul-de-sac. "The artists Charles Rosen, George Bellows, and Eugene Speicher all lived on the lane in the 1920s when they built and founded the art gallery that is now WAAM [Woodstock Artists Association and Museum]."
In 2016 Mitchell, her husband, children, and parents had taken up residence in a pair of charming, side-by-side, hand-built Cape Cod style homes at 17 and 23 Bellows Lane, sharing a fenced-in garden and yard, and soaking up the neighborhood's history and laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere.
Before she moved in, Boucher took time update the home’s vaulted living room with fresh wall paint and a coat of white to brighten the brick fireplace. “My decorating style is all about reusing and repurposing items,” says Boucher. “My home has lots of vintage furniture, hand-me-downs, family heirlooms, and a few Ikea pieces thrown in. I’m not precious about anything, furniture is there to be used and inevitably stains. Wear and tear happens.”
In the summer of 2020, when number 16 was set to go on the market, the family realized that it probably meant the home, once the site of Rosen's art studio, would be scooped up by the short-term rental boom. "We were concerned about the possibility of living next to a short-term rental as well as the traffic on the lane and the loss of privacy," says Mitchell.
But it was much more than the prospect of a changing neighborhood that motivated the family. Since moving to the area, and opening the restaurant Pearl Moon on Mill Hill Road, they'd all seen firsthand how the lack of affordable housing was negatively impacting the community. Employees were in traffic accidents while commuting to work, and workers spent more than a few nights crashing on various family sofas after late night shifts. "We saw long-term rents skyrocketing," says Mitchell. She knew it wasn't a tenable situation. "Tourism depends on workers," she explains. "But if those people can't live here, then this is not a real town, it's a fantasy of a town."
A view of Boucher’s den from the kitchen and dining area. The space is decorated with a variety of handmade textiles, her children’s art, and pieces collected from yard sales and on Facebook marketplace. “To me, how a home feels is just as important as how it looks. It’s about the intangible as much as the tangible. It should reflect the occupants and support them to go out in the world,” says Boucher. “My home is a collaborative effort. It’s about what works for the kids, dogs, everyone. In my work as a stylist I love to create picture perfect moments, but in real life I don’t mind a little mess. It shows a home is being enjoyed and lived in.”
Mitchell and her husband agonized about what to do. "I have pretty strong notions about landlords and rents and the housing crisis, it all feels a bit icky," she explains. "But then I realized that's probably how it should feel, because housing is a human right and owning someone else's home isn't a career path." Mitchell and her husband thought purchasing the home next door wasn't just about preserving history, it was also a proactive way to invest in the future of their community. That's when they reached out to a local friend and fellow parent, Venetia Boucher, who they thought might make a great neighbor.
Upstairs at the Library
During her time living upstate, many of the housing trends affecting the Hudson Valley have also affected Mitchell's life in smaller and more personal ways—but most especially the lack of affordable housing. Mitchell, who hails from a small town in Michigan, came to the area with her Irish-born husband after living in New York City. The couple wanted a quieter life and saw an opportunity to make that happen when Mitchell's parents retired and decided to move to the East Coast.
Boucher and her two daughters on her handmade bed. “I have a passion for anything handmade,” explains Boucher. “I enjoy making things myself and support other makers. Handmade items have such a different feel and energy from factory-manufactured items.”
In 2013 the two generations bought a multi-generational family unit in Zena together. "About a month later we learned that Zena Elementary school was closing due to low enrollment," says Mitchell. With an infant son, Mitchell knew the lack of a nearby public elementary school would eventually be an issue. When the family happened on the Bellows Lane enclave, they couldn't believe their luck. "The prices seemed to reflect the homes' small sizes and dated charm," says Mitchell. They all relocated to the lane where they could walk to town and the local elementary school. Mitchell's parents bought and began renovating the restaurant that would eventually become Pearl Moon.
Boucher and Mitchell met at the Woodstock Library, while taking their older children to story hour. Originally from London, Boucher moved to New York City after college, then relocated to the Hudson Valley to cofound Woodstock Healing Arts. "I moved to the area when I was pregnant with my now nine-year-old," says Boucher. "I didn't know many people, but made some very good friends upstairs at the library. Maggie was one of the people I met and became friends with. Living locally and with kids of similar ages, we would find ourselves showing up at the same events and a friendship happened over time."
At the heart of the 1,900-square-foot home is an open-concept kitchen and dining area. Boucher’s background as a yoga teacher and health coach has informed her design philosophy. “It led me to study feng shui, which got me thinking about the connection between health, home, and community,” she says.
Soon, both Mitchell and Boucher had two children each of similar ages. The kids were enrolled in the same pre-school and then attended the local elementary school together. While Mitchell and Boucher have very different personalities, they found their temperaments and skill sets complemented each other. Mitchell, who worked for a while at the library, had an alteration business in Kingston and has tailored everything from wedding gowns to Roman blinds.
Boucher was pulled into the design world after designing Woodstock Healing Arts. "I really enjoyed how creative and crafty Maggie is," says Boucher, who now works as both a prop stylist and designer. "She has her own way of doing things, which I really admire." The two also realized they share a passion for community building and, as parents, appreciate the vital importance of keeping that community alive and accessible to a wide variety of people.
Boucher’s workspace sits in a corner of the family den overlooking the patio and woods. “Woodstock was founded by artists and creatives. It’s what makes our town so unique, but we can’t be creative and contribute to community when we’re stressed about housing,” says Boucher. “I couldn’t have asked for a better living situation than this. Our landlords genuinely care about us and there is trust and respect on both sides. The adults are friends, our kids are friends, our dogs are friends. We have a lovely little community here on Bellows Lane.”
When Boucher heard Mitchell's plan to rent out 16 Bellows Lane she was curious to take a look. "I'm one of those people who find it fascinating to poke around other people's houses," Boucher explains. At the time, she was living in West Saugerties with her two children. She hadn't really planned on moving, but she soon saw the benefits of stepping into the neighborhood and having Mitchell as a neighbor. "It was in the right school district, a good size for two kids, and it was walkable to town," she says. "I just kept envisioning us there. All signs pointed to yes, so we packed up and moved, and I'm so glad we did."
Neighborhood Math
Together, the two families have turned the three homes into a four-acre compound full of children and dogs. "I value the community that we are building together, sharing childcare and spices and homegrown vegetables, art supplies, and community knowledge," says Mitchell. "I'm a homebody and Venetia is very active, she always knows what's going on with the school board and the Friends of the Library, and we both love stepping in to help with each other's kids when life inevitably happens."
Before moving in, Boucher took some time to fix up number 16 themselves. "We painted all the bedrooms and the living room, as well as the red brick fireplace, a bright white that made a huge difference brightening up the space," explains Boucher. "We also added new light fixtures to the kitchen and bedrooms, and fenced in the yard for the dogs. Boucher also took the opportunity of proximity to begin volunteering at the library.
"What Venetia and I are doing is a unicorn," admits Mitchell of the two families' arrangement. "And it only works because we care about each other." Still, Mitchell can appreciate all the practical benefits of having Boucher closeby. "Our families are the beneficiaries not just of their rent checks but also of the fact that they are caring for the property on a daily basis, loving it, cleaning it, sweeping out the spider webs—that's what makes it their home, not ours," says Mitchell. "We are also the beneficiaries of their friendship and their contributions to the community, which feels immeasurable and priceless. "
"The artists who came and built these houses in the 1920s, they built a gallery, they built a library, they played on the baseball team, they volunteered their time at the library fair," explains Mitchell. "That's the type of village life I moved here for—that's ultimately what we're invested in."