Inside Piaule’s Design-Driven Catskills Escape With Design Within Reach

Across fifty acres of forest in upstate New York, Piaule sits as a small constellation of modernist structures connected by footpaths neatly tucked into a west-facing rise, which overlooks the Catskill Mountains. The landscape hotel first debuted in 2021 with two dozen cedar-clad guest cabins on stilts, alongside a communal space, a restaurant focused on locally sourced fare, a spa and wellness facility a short walk away, and a braided network of trails threading the site.

For founders Nolan McHugh and Trevor Briggs, who conceived Piaule after establishing a homeware line of the same name, design decisions have been guided by modern precedents and deference to the natural surroundings. This focus now carries into a new collaboration with Design Within Reach (DWR), marked by refreshed furnishings across shared spaces, cabins, and the newly completed Oak House. From dining tables set with Arne Jacobsen’s Series 7 chairs to fireplaces framed by John Pawson’s low-slung Drift sofa, canonical works of modern design appear alongside new classics and Piaule original furnishings, shaping the interiors and their relationship to the landscape beyond.

The collaboration builds on shared references established over time. From the earliest stages of Piaule, McHugh, and Briggs had been drawing from DWR’s portfolio, incorporating pieces that resonated with the property’s architectural restraint and material sensibility. “We have a shared belief in the role of modern design as both educational and experiential,” says Debbie Propst, President of Global Retail at MillerKnoll.

“Piaule’s vision for how architecture, interiors, and nature intersect strongly aligns with DWR’s long-standing commitment to inspiring people through well-designed spaces.” As DWR’s assortment expanded to encompass a broader spectrum of works, the collaboration evolved in step. Selections emerged through sustained dialogue, with close attention to material and proportion.

Set apart from Piaule’s main cluster of cabins, the Oak House occupies a twenty-acre parcel uphill from the Main House. Configured as a three-bedroom residence, it is oriented to the landscape on all sides, allowing light, weather, and sound to register continuously inside. Views shift from room to room, opening onto meadow and mountain outlooks, pine groves, and stands of mature oak and hickory. Each vantage registers differently within the interior space.

The furnishings follow suit, with most crafted in solid wood and positioned in direct relation to the landscape. “Placing these pieces in this context lends them an even greater beauty and gravity and gives the guest a greater appreciation for the craft of each piece,” says McHugh. “The source material, decades-old and standing 60-plus feet tall, is visible in all its glory just outside.” Seating from Herman Miller and Fritz Hansen is joined by tables and storage from USM and Cassina, alongside furnishings developed in-house by Piaule.

Lighting by Vaarnii brings a soft, diffuse presence to the interiors and continues onto the outdoor deck, where dining and seating frame the fire pit and views beyond. “Each room has its own door to the deck so that everyone can control their own interactions between indoor and outdoor—leaving the door open to let in the breeze, wandering out to one of the chairs with a cup of coffee, or gazing out at the stars while lying comfortably in bed,” McHugh adds.

Piaule’s Double Cabins and 3,200-square-foot Main House exhibit the same modernist sensibility. For the hotel’s signature two-bedroom accommodations, which are linked by a shared living room, furnishings were selected from DWR’s assortment with an emphasis on design that heightens the spaces without asserting itself against the site. “Taking inspiration from our surroundings, there is an entire palette of materials that ensure a luxurious experience for guests but does not distract from the landscape outside,” says Briggs.

Updates to the main house build on references already present across the property. Oak Tabouret stools designed by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina echo the three-legged form of traditional Alpine milking stools, a vernacular object Piaule has long incorporated throughout the hotel. “When we are so closely linked to both the source material and the finished product, a deeper gratitude for those earthly gifts arises,” says McHugh.

The collaboration between Piaule and DWR is underpinned by modern precedents and material sources grounded in the conditions of the site itself. Furnishings are placed in direct relation to their surroundings, allowing the landscape to remain a constant presence that evolves with the interiors over time.