Nestled in the Catskill Mountains in New York’s Hudson Valley, Piaule is a "landscape hotel” that lets nature shine. Co-founders Nolan McHugh and Trevor Briggs opened the modern enclave in 2021, and now they’re launching the Oak House: a private three-bedroom retreat that, alongside existing cabins and communal spaces, is outfitted in furniture from DWR that reflects its sylvan surroundings.
Tour the hotel
Main House
“The butterfly roof of the Main House is designed to be reflective of the landscape and embrace that big open view,” says McHugh.
Oak House
The new Oak House is imbued with “its own sense of serenity and calmness” – from the warmth of pine in Vaarnii’s pendants to the sculptural molded wood of the Series 7 Chair.
Double Cabins
Double cabins are home to solid oak Tabouret Méribel Stools – inspired by the three-legged milking stools used by shepherds in the Alps – a fitting reference to the mountainous surroundings.
Spa
The PK24 Wicker Lounge Chair furnishes one of Briggs’ favorite spots: A room in the spa dedicated to the scenic view. “It’s kind of like the point of the whole hotel – to do nothing and just be there.”
Nature’s own
Set on 50 acres, Piaule “puts the landscape at the center of the experience,” says McHugh. “You can’t go from parking to reception, from dinner to your cabin, or from your cabin to the spa without being outside.”
Clad in untreated cedar, the property’s Main House, spa, cabins, and new Oak House are designed to patina into the surrounding forest. Inside, floor-to-ceiling windows frame scenic views, while locally milled white oak lines the walls, and bluestone flooring pays homage to the site’s heritage as a former quarry.
Furniture nods to the outdoors, too. “Natural materials give the interiors a sensuousness that synthetic materials cannot,” says McHugh. Since the hotel’s opening, the duo has brought organic forms, traditional craftsmanship, and modern comfort into focus. Now, every space is outfitted with designs from DWR that echo the landscape.
From the solid wood frame of Herman Miller’s Pawson Drift Sofa to the rich, woven texture of the CH25 Easy Chair, each piece is carefully chosen to enrich – not distract from – the ultimate luxury: communing with nature.
