One of our favorite things about traveling is the people we meet on the road. We met Shannon Greer at a magazine job, where we traveled from Maine to Puerto Rico doing elaborate wedding photo shoots. You really get to know someone when you work that closely with someone (5 am call times, hectic scouting days), and we fell in love with Shannon’s laid-back demeanor, sense of humor and great style.
So when he said he and his artist partner Charlotta Janssen (who also runs the restaurant Chez Oskar in Brooklyn) were restoring a historic building in NY’s Hudson Valley and thinking of opening it a guesthouse, we knew it would be something special.
In the 19th century, The Hudson Milliner was a hat shop. Shannon and Charlotta restored the building, sourcing much of the decor themselves. Original details were left intact wherever possible: think pre-tin plaster moldings, pocket doors, and mahogany woodwork. Design accents include restored vintage appliances, clawfoot tubs and great artwork, of course.
Rooms are named after different kinds of hats, each unique and cool. The Bowler is a spacious suite with kitchen and a vintage stove, ideally for cooking up what you find in Hudson Valley farmer’s markets.
There are two smaller rooms, Cloche and Fedora. But my favorite is Top Hat, a two-bedroom suite overlooking Hudson’s main drag, Warren Street, with loads of exposed brick, a loft alcove and an antique roll-top writing desk.
Shannon says they get lots of destination wedding couples who wed at nearby Basilica Hudson, a 19th century factory turned performance space. It’s a snap to bring in a planner and crew from NYC to totally transform the spare industrial interior, which has 5 event spaces you can use separately or join for one huge bash.
They also get honeymooners from NYC and Boston, lured by Hudson’s natural beauty and fantastic food scene.
Speaking of fabulous, I’d be remiss by not mentioning how talented Shannon is a photographer. Check out these photos of his neighbors; I’m obsessed with the pigs!
