We first came upon the work of New York-based design studio when we profiled , Peggy Wang. At the time, Wang was decamping to Queens in search of more space; several years later, it’s much the same reason that led the husband and wife team behind White Arrow, Keren and Thomas Richter, to embark on a renovation for their own young family: an 1850s farmhouse in Pound Ridge, Westchester County.

At first the farmhouse was only meant to be a second home, a place to escape from Brooklyn when the Richters needed a break from the city. Then the pandemic struck, and, like so many, the family found themselves leaving the city for full-time country life.

Fortunately, Thomas and Keren had rehabbed the place just in time, transforming it from falling-down “estate condition” (with all the linoleum tiles and badly outdated cloth wiring that implies) to character-filled and preserved, with much-needed modern updates and nods to English country houses.

Let’s take a tour:

Photography by Thomas Richter, courtesy of White Arrow.

Above: The farmhouse, redone. The couple wanted to act as “stewards” of the house and return it to its original character. Throughout the gut renovation, they excised modern additions, altered room proportions and returned the farmhouse to its original layout, shifted walls and windows to create symmetry, and introduced reclaimed wavy-glass windows. The generous wrap-around porch is another element that the duo reinstated.
Above: In the kitchen, the couple designed the Shaker cabinetry themselves and trimmed the walls in beadboard. The millwork is painted in a deep blue by , and the counters are Arabescato marble.
Above: The couple sourced a secondhand white Aga as the centerpiece of the cookspace.
Above: The dark and moody dining room, with a 19th-century Shaker cupboard and black-painted dining chairs from the 1900s.
Above: The family’s snug living area features a sofa (a custom White Arrow design) in blue linen from and a hallmark of the house: a . (This one is done in a vintage French-printed cotton toile.)
Above: The mudroom has doses of dove grey, with a painted Shaker peg rail and an antique shoe bench fitted with a custom linen mattress. The couple repurposed the house’s original flooring wherever possible when rearranging rooms and sourced reclaimed boards for the rest.
Above: The efficient laundry room features a hanging Sheila Maid. (Read more about the history of this English workhorse in .)
Above: In the main bedroom, a black-painted spool bed from is flanked by reading lamps with toile-patterned shades.
Above: An antique iron bed made up in mix-and-match patterns stands ready to welcome overnight guests.
Above: Among the couple’s traditional-meets-modern-amenities interventions is the sumptuous main bathroom, with a luxe but classic bath, fittings, and a spot to keep a cup of tea within easy reach.
Above: Also in the bath: a charming and unusual footed shower basin.
Above: In another guest bedroom, more evidence that quilts are having a moment.
Above: A green-tiled guest bath has plenty of old-fashioned appeal, with a vintage pedestal sink and faucet and a sconce from .
Above: For the children’s room, Thomas and Keren opted for twin white beds from .
Above: The room is done in a sweet William Morris wallpaper, another nod to English style.
Above: As of press time, the Richters are working from home in their bright, white-painted studio with a freestanding project table and plenty of natural light.

For more redone farmhouses, take a look at: