House Crush of the Week: A Marvel of Minimalism in Columbia County, $835,000

Upstater Magazine Fall 2015 | By Kandy Harris

Don’t let my cluttered desk fool you; I am a Minimalist at heart. I long for empty countertops and floors free of clothes piles, but alas, such pursuits will have to wait until I retire or my teenager suddenly develops a penchant for tidying. Or both. So how does a (disorganized) closeted Minimalist soothe her longings for organization? By looking at houses like this one, of course. Behold its spotless glass, magically bereft of greasy fingerprints. No coffee stains on the kitchen counters? Count me in. And the floors. They’re so clutter-free, even the furniture is standing on its tippy-toes. Maybe if my second-floor apartment could be power-washed from floor to ceiling, resanded, repainted, carpeting ripped up to expose the wood floors, and every surface scrubbed lovingly with a fine sea salt exfoliant using a mohair brush, I could finally embrace my Minimalist longings. Meanwhile, I’ll have to entertain myself by furtively staring at this 2000 sq.ft. house of glass in Columbia County, designed by Levin/Betts…until I realize the manpower involved with keeping all that glass clean. Could radiant floors, a Malm wood stove, gleaming spa-like bathrooms, and 8 acres-worth of rolling land outside my wall of windows make up for the work to keep it clean? Um, YES. The answer is yes. 1716 County Route 7, Ancram NY3