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Travel is our Muse
From the earliest days of Arjé, travel has always been our muse. In every collection, we weave together the inspirations of the world- the destinations, cultures, people and artisans- that we are so drawn to. Every piece we create or curate for wardrobe and home evokes a place, an era, a scent, and emotion that brings us back to our journeys near and far.
Away With Arjé is our mantra for sharing our travels, and bringing the world along as we catch the sunshine. The last couple of years gave us the chance to explore creativity and global influence within the comforts of home, to seek inspiration by bringing the outer world indoors. But now we’re ready to wander once more in search of the next treasure: the diamond in the rough local shop, the out-of-the-way spot that’s worth the extra drive, even the perfect farmers market you might never have noticed on your own- maybe even if you live there.
Nothing makes us happier than sharing our finds and adventures with our friends and community. Away With Arjé means making visitors feel like locals, and locals feel the magic of visiting. On our first Away With Arjé newsletter we take you to a place only hours from our doorstep: The Catskills.
The Catskills
New York has been our home for over a decade, but most of our travels out of the city took us much farther away than a few hours’ drive. When we started expanding our horizons in the state about four years ago, we were forever grateful to all the possibility of upstate New York. It has given us so much peace, creativity, and a connection to many of our treasured makers and artisans. On our most recent trip on a snowy February weekend, we revisited long standing favorite spots and discovered new ones.
The landscape is everything.
We’ve been excited to visit Piaule Catskill since it opened last year and were thrilled to finally make it. Every inch of the property is an inspiration. We were captivated by the way the sun rises and sets, the modern architecture was designed to flow with its natural surroundings and each modular glass room looks out onto the spectacular view, completely protected inside the peaceful Japanese/Scandinavian aesthetic. On the snowy weekend we stayed, it felt like being in our own living igloo. (And we loved that the interiors looked custom made for our Arjé shearlings and color palette!) There’s a guest chef every weekend, and to our surprise, we had the luck of being there with the chefs from Wildair (and Contra), our favorite restaurant in NYC. It was an incredible meal, with backgammon and cocktails by the fire, and friends old and new. Dinner is only served on Saturday nights, and there’s currently no hot breakfast or lunch due to Covid staffing, but you’re only 20 minutes away from the town of Hudson, a never ending source of charming spots ready to be unearthed.
One of our first favorites.
Hudson is our ideal stop for a change of scenery and the perfect day trip or weekend. We never miss the chance for a little glamour and a seasonal cocktail at The Maker Hotel, or to traverse Warren Street in the search for inspiration. Antique spots Finch and Regan and Smith are endless resources, and The Warehouse requires more patience, but you can find a real treasure. We love going by Le Perche for lunch, then grabbing something homemade for the road from Breadfolks Bakery, and cheese and provisions from Talbott & Arding’s newly expanded market celebrating local makers.
A feast in every town.
Our favorite way to travel the area is to get lost on the drive- finding new, winding back roads, eating at every stop, and taking in the landscape as the seasons change from fall foliage, to spring thaw, to the magic of flowering summer. On this trip, we stopped for baked goods and brunch at Willa’s Bakery Cafe, lunch at Fellow Mountain Cafe (who also own Scribner’s Catskill Lodge in Hunter), Subversive Malting and Brewing in Catskill, and an evening enjoying the wood fired local menu at Silvia in Woodstock.
Explore along the way.
On our last trip back to the city, we stopped in ski country to visit Deer Mountain Inn in Tannersville. The charming mountain chalet is old school elegance in the best way possible. You can dine at the bar and restaurant, (we didn't - but would have had we known beforehand!) We loved spending an afternoon at Inness in Accord , the new brainchild of the founder of Freemans on the Lower East Side. The Mediterranean restaurant serves the most beautiful drinks by the huge fireplace, and Farm Shop, the property’s general store, is one of the best curations of lifestyle wares in the region. It’s worth a stop all on its own.
Culture by car.
We always try to make time for the area’s cultural outposts, the immersive art at both of these spots is so special to us- it’s like walking into another world. The curation at Dia Beacon, the contemporary art museum on the banks of the Hudson, is so powerful- we love the long term exhibits for Louise Bourgeois and Imi Knoebel. Storm King Art Center in New Windsor is one of the most special spots so close to NYC. The ambitious, larger than life sculptures and rolling green hills on a bright, clear day are breathtaking. We experience something uniquely different and new every time we go.
While there’s still so many places we have left to uncover, we were thrilled to make it to several places we’ve been eyeing to capture the combination of magic and calm that keeps us escaping the city again and again.
We navigated our list of must-sees stop by stop so you don’t miss a thing.
Images from our stay at Piaule
Vol. II, Pages are a little piece of the new Arjé World in your inbox each week.
For us, a favorite source of energy is stopping into our local coffee shop each morning. We never know what inspiration we’ll run into or news we’ll overhear- on fashion, culture, design, music, art, travel and restaurants. Consider our newsletter your coffee shop anywhere in the world, where we share our newest loves, our stories on makers and collections, our sounds and tastes and projects. Welcome to the conversation.
