By Joseph Montebello

While Covid has wreaked havoc for so many, for interior designer Darren Henault it prompted a major decision—to move out of New York City and into his glorious Millbrook home with his husband Michael Bassett and their 14-year-old twin daughters Bunny and Lulu.

“I love New York,” says Henault. “My girls are going off to boarding school and we spent 16 months during Covid living in our country house. I loved it. Michael was home gardening all day. I became a much more mellow person, we rode our horses, and we got to use our house fully for the first time.”

The unprepossessing white Colonial farmhouse he is referring to was built in 1800 and its property was originally a 53-acre Christmas tree farm. There was much work to do, both inside and out, to make it into a dream home. Henault set in immediately to work his magic. First there were the trees.

“We had to do a major landscaping overhaul,” he explains, “including removing 3000 trees. But we wound up creating the perfect place for us. We have a fire pit, we have chickens, we have beehives, we have hammocks, we have horses, we have a glorious pool. There are so many locations where you can get away and still be at home.”

And while the house has grown to be larger than Henault anticipated, it has the warmth and welcoming aspects of a comfortable farmhouse—carefully orchestrated and defined by his impeccable taste and style. Henault created additions for the back and far side of the house so that it retains the appearance of a modest farmhouse.

“I wanted this to be a really comfortable house that we would enjoy actually living in. Friends can bring their babies, their pets. Plop down anywhere. Dogs are absolutely welcome. We have pieces of furniture that our dogs use all the time. It’s their house as well and there’s no point in reupholstering their favorite chairs. There are cozy corners in every room where one can curl up. I always believe that a room should have several different areas where one can be comfortable. Having a variety of places makes the room more adaptable and usable and gracious.”

One of the unique and more dramatic changes Henault made entailed building a bedroom for Bunny and Lulu above a large family room. By digging deeper below ground he created a room with more volume and unusually high ceilings. With its abundance of windows the room evokes the feeling of sitting outdoors year-round. The room is composed of reclaimed oak floors and contains a discreet cabinet for the television as well as a variety of comfortable places to curl up and relax. Take your shoes off—or not.

While the kitchen is Bassett’s domain, Henault put his stamp on it. Part of the room is the original 19th century kitchen, flowing into the 21st century addition. Henault cleverly employed three different shades of white on the cabinet doors to avoid monotony. But the room was still too bland for him, so he had artist Matt Austin recreate an abstract pattern on the floor that Henault had remembered from years ago. The result is both practical yet eye-catching, creating a feeling of movement and adding texture to the room.

“I wanted to create a home that looked as if it had grown organically over decades and centuries,” says Henault. “That gives you wide latitude in the kinds of things that can feel comfortable here.”

An understatement to be sure. He has created that and so much more.