{"id":2658,"date":"2024-02-26T15:49:21","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T07:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2024\/02\/26\/saving-and-splurging-with-style-hollywood-house-flippers-amanda-pays-and-corbin-bernsen-in-upstate-ny\/"},"modified":"2024-02-26T15:49:21","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T07:49:21","slug":"saving-and-splurging-with-style-hollywood-house-flippers-amanda-pays-and-corbin-bernsen-in-upstate-ny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/ms\/saving-and-splurging-with-style-hollywood-house-flippers-amanda-pays-and-corbin-bernsen-in-upstate-ny\/","title":{"rendered":"Menabung (dan Berbelanja Mewah) dengan Gaya: Penukar Rumah Hollywood Amanda Pays dan Corbin Bernsen di Upstate NY"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

It was time for Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen to move\u2014again. After years of living in LA, the multi-talented actors\u2014Amanda is now a full-time designer and Corbin has serious carpentry skills\u2014were newly settled in their upstate New York farmhouse (see Hollywood in the Hudson Valley) when they decided they liked the scenery but needed more space.<\/p>\n

In California, the couple lost count of their joint house productions at 20: they purchase, overhaul, stay a while, and then flip. The practice continues upstate, where, Amanda says, the cold climate calls for \u201cwallpaper, sexy colors, lots of layers,\u201d and others elements of her English upbringing.<\/p>\n

Their new 1880 property came on the market while the couple were at their Family House in the South of France, the only property they say they\u2019ll never sell. Two of their four sons did the touring and inspecting, and they bought the farm from afar. In addition to five bedrooms and a pool, this one had original details lurking under the carpeting and paint: \u201cIt was promising,\u201d says Amanda, \u201cbut very, very tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the eight months of construction, the couple assumed their roles: Corbin is the space planner, cabinet designer, and fence builder. She orchestrates the overhaul, selects the finishes and furnishings, and does the bargaining. Together they scour auctions, architectural reclamation yards, and appliance stores in Paramus, New Jersey: they\u2019re willing to drive hours for a find and are of the \u201cwalk away if the price is too high\u201d school of shopping. \u201cDon\u2019t madly fall in love with every piece,\u201d instructs Amanda, \u201ckeep looking and ask to try things at home.\u201d She invited us in for a tour, and was happy to share where they shelled out and where they saved.<\/p>\n

Photography by The Lillie K. Team (@buyingupstate), courtesy of Amanda Pays.<\/p>\n


Above: A few days after their offer was accepted, Amanda flew back from France on her own and headed straight t0 the house from the airport: \u201cFortunately, I fell in love.\u201d The structure came with its original 12-panel, wavy-glass windows and cladding, and a viable roof\u2014\u201da huge savings.\u201d Formerly pale yellow, it\u2019s now Farrow & Ball James White and Benjamin Moore Baked Terra Cotta\u2014colors that wind their way through the house to tie together the update.
\n

Above: The porch had a lot of rot\u2014\u201dpillars were dangling\u201d\u2014 and required rebuilding; the couple widened it and had it turn the corner to extend off the living room. As for the sky blue ceiling: Amanda says, \u201cIt was already there, I just made it more pronounced.\u201d <\/p>\n

The contractors on the project were Hudson Building and Restoration: \u201cI saw their sign in Germantown, called them, they came over and started work the next day. I\u2019m now on my second house with Mike and Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

,

Above: Amanda, Corbin, and family are now bicoastal.
\n

Above: Amanda painted the front door herself: \u201cI like to take on jobs where the end is in sight.\u201d The stair is original. The walls are Benjamin Moore Province Blue, which matches the couple\u2019s bench\u2014the rustic and refined freely mingle here. <\/p>\n

Corbin bought the burl walnut round table from Finch Hudson, a favorite shop of Amanda\u2019s on Hudson New York\u2019s Warren Street: \u201cOwners Andrew and Michael posted, \u2018Be in the alley at 9 am on Friday for our unload.\u2019 I went to the optometrist and sent Corbin. He texted a photo when only the base was visible. The price was in the three figures; it seemed reasonable and exactly what we needed for the front hall; we bought it before we\u2019d even seen the top\u2014with no regrets.\u201d The antique candle pendant light came from Luddite Antiques in nearby Germantown\u2014\u201dwe had to pay more than we\u2019d like for that.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: The living room has new French doors that open to the porch. The space calls to mind the couple\u2019s past living rooms courtesy of favorite paintings that have been moving with the family for years. The HG Buttercup Vermont Sofa came out of a house they staged in the Hollywood Hills\u2014it arrived as part of a bulk shipment of the family\u2019s things from LA. The walls here and throughout the house are painted Farrow & Ball\u2019s Wimborne White.,

Above: The mantel\u2014also painted by Amanda (it\u2019s the same Baked Terra Cotta as the front door)\u2014came out of the adjoining family room, which had a blocked-off fireplace but \u201ca much sweeter design than the one that was in here.\u201d Corbin bought the red abstract painting while he was in Vancouver filming the tv series Psych. The Lars leather sling chair was purchased at Room & Board 15 years ago. <\/p>\n

Note the wall-to-wall woven carpeting: this was the only room that lacked its original wooden floor due to a long ago fire, so as an affordable remedy, Amanda went to a local carpet store and requested \u201cthe basic, original seagrass\u2014it\u2019s the cheapest; it\u2019s what we had in England in the seventies and is great for layering.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: The family room\u2019s Artichoke pattern from Langelid\/von Bromssen of Sweden is the first of several wallpapers Amanda added\u2014\u201dall were expensive but felt so worth it.\u201d Another pricey detail: re-creating the crown plaster molding where the chimney breast was removed. The wood-burning stove from Northeastern Chimney replaced the defunct fireplace.,<\/p>\n


Above: The kitchen cabinetry was built to Corbin\u2019s design by local carpenter Ross Brown of <\/span>Romberworks. It\u2019s painted Behr\u2019s <\/span>Black Bamboo and the backsplash <\/span>zellige are from Zia Tile. The appliances are all KitchenAid and were bought as a bulk package from P.C. Richard: Amanda advises \u201cdo your research and see if they can match another deal you\u2019ve found. And buy appliances as a package\u2013it saves a ton.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The mod stools are from West Elm, \u201cthey were originally bought for the flip house we did in LA during Covid.\u201d The woven bull head is a souvenir from their place in France.<\/p>\n


Above: The counters and sink with built in drainboard are Caesarstone from Caliber Granite in Kingston, NY\u2014hard-wearing and more affordable-than-marble (read the Pros and Cons). Amanda splashed out on the bridge faucet and companion pot filler: both are from deVol: see The Perfectly Aged Brass Kitchen Faucet. She found the English brass cabinet pulls and knobs from Yester Home on Etsy: \u201cgreat quality and well priced.\u201d <\/p>\n

Decorative vent holes\u2014\u201da very British thing\u201d\u2014front the drawers that hold root vegetables and bread. \u201cI had to teach our guy what they are and how to make them.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: The dining table came from the couple\u2019s first visit to the Brimfield Flea Market: it moved with them from their last house\u2014Corbin built a new, larger top for it to fit the space, and finished the sideboard with leftover Caesarstone. The wide floorboards throughout were found in mostly good condition under carpeting. In places that needed work, they \u201cstole from the attic: it, too, had a wood floor.\u201d,

Above: The Caesarstone-topped sideboard was built to Corbin\u2019s design. Amanda says the Windsor chairs, purchased as a set of eight at auction, \u201cadd a pub vibe.\u201d
\n

Above: Mythical Land, a wallpaper from Andrew Martin\u2019s Kit Kemp Collection, gives the powder room a frescoed appearance. The vintage sink came from Zaborski Emporium, a reclamation yard in Kingston, NY, and \u201cprobably cost $100.\u201d
\n

Above: The Red Room has Medlar wallpaper from GP & J Baker, Les Indienne\u2019s checked pillowcases, and cloth lampshade from Alice Palmer & Co.\u2014\u201dall splurges.\u201d
\n

Above: The wallpaper is reminiscent of vintage endpaper. The orange-painted chair is from a \u201csort of Scandinavian\u201d set of six from Furlong Home.,

Above: The corner cupboard was the first piece purchased for the house before construction began. It came from a Hudson, NY, antiques warehouse, and was installed as is in Amanda and Corbin\u2019s bathroom with a view.
\n

Above: Amanda frequents George Cole Auctions in Redhook, NY, where she placed the winning $100 bid on this painted four poster. It matches the wallpaper she\u2019d already chosen: Zoffany\u2019s Eleonora. The bedside table is an antique Masonic plinth.
\n

Above: As was once traditional, each of the bedrooms has a writing desk. The bird wallpaper is modeled after a design in Stockholm\u2019s Drottningholm Palace.
\n

Above: The barn garage is a new addition: it was ordered from Brad\u2019s Barns of Kingston, NY, which offers Amish-built backyard structures that can be custom tailored.
\n

Above: Corbin put up the required fence around the pool that came with the property.
Above: Corbin and Amanda\u2019s get-around car is a 1974 Ford pickup. <\/p>\n

Previous designs and remodeling tips from the couple:<\/p>\n