Garden Visit: The Red Chair Hudson, NY

The Red Chair in Hudson, New York is an antique shop that transports shoppers to another time and place. The place? A melting pot of Southern France and Scandinavia. The time? A mélange of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The goods? A highly edited palette of white and soft brown furnishings, lighting, and linens. Owner Jocie Sinauer’s combination of romance with an eye for good design mean there’s nothing cloying about this store. The shop was recently featured in stylist Hilary Robertson’s The Stuff of Life, photographed by Anna Williams and published by Ryland and Peters. 

No surprise, it’s the tiny courtyard garden that caught our eye. Sinauer has a thing for the Medieval courtyards of Southern France and fortunately for her (and for us), her shop spills out the back into a charming outdoor space where a revolving collection of objects are for sale. Pieces gathered on buying trips to Europe range from architectural salvage to antique urns and cloches, to seating and tables. Her most recent haul will be available to shoppers in late May. Shoppers: be on the look out for Sinauer’s exciting score of large 19th century handblown glass cloches from France, or the perfect specimens of large handkerchief planters that she found lightly covered in moss and lichens. Also not to be missed: stone troughs, iron urns, and a collection of English conservatory planters. 

Sinauer

 explains the European influence of her courtyard design: “It’s the way they utilize their spaces in Europe, no matter how small–layering plants on walls like climbing roses, nestling in seating for alfresco dining,” says Sinauer. Topiary and a shifting palette of greens with interesting textures are her go-to plants.

Photography by Anna Williams.

Above: Cafe-style tables and chairs are a staple at The Red Chair. Romantic hits of architectural salvage, like the statue shown here, getting paired with more modern stone spheres is very much what The Red Chair and Jocie Sinauer are known for.

Above: Topiary is a favorite of Sinauer’s and adds charm to the courtyard.

Above: Large oyster shells, unique terra cotta pieces, and a mix of plants fill the tiny garden space.

Above: The walls of the courtyard were left in their natural patina and give the garden that European vibe, transporting shoppers to another time and place. Stone troughs, concrete containers, and ladders for displaying small potted plants are all part of the mix at The Red Chair.

Above:  Jocie Sinauer is always on the hunt for interesting terra cotta pots, which she displays beautifully on old wooden step ladders.

Above: Curious to see more? Visit the shop for yourself at 606 Warren Street, Hudson NY, 12534 or read more about it in Required Reading: The Stuff of Life on Remodelista. For more from Hilary Roberston, see Marrying Pots and Plants at Mrs. Robertson in Fort Greene.