If you’ve ever cuddled up with an Alicia Adams Alpaca throw or scarf, then you know that the designer puts as much emphasis on comfort as she does on style. Alicia and her husband, Daniel, also took the same approach to their family farm in New York’s Hudson Valley. Set on 80 acres, the farm is home to 40 of the company’s 200 alpacas, as well as chickens and a rescue cat and dog named Sugar and Canela, respectively. The couple moved to the farm nearly 11 years ago from Munich and fell instantly in love with the area and the landscape. “The countryside is just amazing,” Alicia says. “It reminds me a lot of where we lived in Bavaria.” They built a hilltop barn for the alpacas and set to work making the 1780s farmhouse fit for family living.
Alicia and Daniel wanted the home to be comfortable for their four kids—Alana, 14; Emilio, 12; Tassilo, 11; and Alegra, 2 and a half—and filled with pieces that reflect their backgrounds and tastes. “We didn’t really have a vision of what it had to look like,” Alicia admits. “The only thing we wanted was for it to be cozy and not overstuffed.” Family heirlooms and art collected on their travels played a major role in the design. Pieces from Alicia’s upbringing in Mexico City, Switzerland, and Germany mix with German finds from Daniel’s side of the family. “We have a lot of pieces that have been passed down that are very significant,” Alicia says. “It’s a great combination. They’re not all from the same time, and that’s what I love.”
Alicia with one of the alpacas on her family’s 80-acre farm. “Life on an alpaca farm is pretty much like life on every farm.” she says.
The couple blended styles as well as pedigree. Rustic elements such as the reclaimed-wood dining table and the mudroom’s barn door are paired with soft materials and clean-lined pieces. “We like modern, but we also like things to be very cozy.” And of course, her signature pillows and throws are placed throughout the home, adding ever-changing bursts of color to the otherwise subdued palette. “We both like neutrals,” Alicia says. “And then we add a few accents—our throws are really helpful with that.”
While her business, which includes a shop, keep her busy, Alicia finds time to enjoy the farm’s serene surroundings. “We go for a lot of walks,” she says. “My very favorite place is a boulder in the fields because I can see the big pond and the Catskill Mountains. I love to sit there and look at the barn and our alpacas. It’s very peaceful there.” Even with four kids and a menagerie of animals, there are moments of peace and beauty everywhere you turn on the Adams farm—both inside and out.
“With four kids you just have to be flexible and well organized, so we created this knowing that they’re going to all come in with muddy boots,” Alicia says of the mudroom, which is outfitted with a closet concealed by a custom-made barn door and bins for each member of the family. “Is it always tidy? No, not always, but we try.”
Alicia, Alana, and Alegra get comfy with Canela, the family rescue dog, in the seating area beside the kitchen. “I like to sit there mostly because I can see everything that’s going on in the house and the kitchen,” Alicia says.
A custom reclaimed-wood console holds baskets of fruits and vegetables in the breakfast area. “We use all local products,” Alicia says. “We have such amazing farms up here. We definitely know where our food is coming from.”
The children collect eggs from the farm’s chickens and sell them nearby. “They’re little entrepreneurs,” says the proud mom.
We love to see our friends and just spoil them. In the summer we’ll do more outside entertaining with families and children and barbecues. Then when the weather gets cooler, we prefer adult dinner parties in the house.
The living room, which is used for entertaining and relaxing on the weekends, contains a mix of comfy seating, vintage pieces, and family heirlooms. “The desk in the corner is an heirloom from Daniel’s family,” Alicia explains. “The white sofas worked well for that space They’re not too deep, so they’re not overwhelming.”
“We use the living room more in the fall and winter,” Alicia says. “We’ll all sit on the floor by the fireplace and play a game.” One of her colorful throws is draped across a bench from One Kings Lane.
Daniel designed the dining room table out of reclaimed barn beams and slate tile. “That table is not moving,” laughs Alicia. “It had to be built in there.” For dinner parties, Alicia uses chalk to write the names of guests on the slate in lieu of place cards. They paired the rustic table with modern plexiglass chairs to bring balance to the space.
A sideboard—also made of reclaimed barn wood—displays serving pieces and lamps that Alicia found on One Kings Lane. While weekday meals are served in the kitchen, the family moves into the dining room on the weekends. “We’ll lay out a nice breakfast for the kids and just hang out there.”
The master bedroom is part of the addition that the couple built onto the farmhouse. Soothing shades of gray and lush textiles make the space a nightly retreat from their busy lives. “It’s really just for sleeping, because we’re on the go all the time,” Alicia says. “It’s not like we have time to lounge with four kids!”
Alicia and Daniel carved a kids’ room out of the attic space, installing built-in beds and a desk. “The kids like that room a lot,” she says. “We had some fabric from India, and I combined it with some of our classic throws and pillows.”
Forty of Alicia and Daniel’s 200 alpacas live on their farm. The rest board at partner farms nearby.
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