Erica Keberle
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erica@anatolehouse.com
/
The best country houses don't ask you to choose between good design and a good weekend. They understand that the two belong together. The third new construction collaboration from Beyond the Black Box - a partnership between Major Jacks and Wishbone - continues to explore a distinct approach to modern country living. Timber Lake embraces the rituals of time away while balancing warmth with restraint and personality with timelessness. Inspired by the relaxed optimism of midcentury lake houses, Timber Lake draws from natural materials, playful moments of color, and a carefully edited mix of contemporary and vintage influences. From the sunken conversation pit to the handcrafted millwork, every element contributes to a newly built residence that feels collected over time rather than assembled all at once. Serious architecture. Casual weekends.
Arriving beneath a generous roofline, the house reveals itself gradually. A warm entry gives way to soaring ceilings and an open great room anchored by a sunken living room - a subtle nod to classic midcentury design and an invitation to slow down.
The kitchen was designed to gather around rather than simply cook within. Customized cabinetry, sculptural lighting, stone, and a generous island create a space equally suited to leisurely breakfasts, late-night conversations, or friends drifting in from the lake with sandy feet and little regard for time. Throughout the residence, color is used with confidence but never in excess. Olive, rust, blush, walnut, and natural oak lend warmth and individuality while remaining deeply connected to the surrounding forest.
The primary suite - quietly removed from the home's shared spaces - offers a retreat with a thoughtfully detailed bath, walk-in closet, and attached den. Additional bedrooms, two guest baths, and a second den provide flexibility for hosting, remote work, or simply spreading out over a long weekend. Downstairs, the walk-out ground level continues the home's relaxed rhythm - a place for rainy afternoons, old movies, puzzles left spread across the table, extra guests, or simply disappearing with a good book.
Design details reveal themselves slowly: custom millwork, vintage lighting, handcrafted details, and a layered mix of textures that make the residence feel established from day one rather than newly constructed. Beautifully considered. Comfortably lived.
Some Catskills homes ask you to choose between the woods and the water. Here, the rhythm is both. The designers returned to the property repeatedly before deciding where the house should sit, allowing the architecture to settle naturally into the landscape, largely hidden from the road. A swooping driveway arrives at a private clearing enveloped by mature woods and carpets of native ferns. The rear deck extends the living space outdoors, while a fire pit creates a casual post-sunset gathering place.
Life at Timber Lake is reminiscent of a classic summer camp: relaxed, quietly connected, and refreshingly low-key. Timber Lake Estates is intentionally designed to preserve both privacy and the surrounding landscape, with mature forest buffers providing remarkable separation between residences. At its heart is Timber Lake, a private, spring-fed lake with a beach, dock, and swimming area reserved exclusively for residents. Kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, fishing, evening walks, morning runs, bike rides, and winter skating become part of daily life.
An outdoor shower waits for post-lake rinses, and a private woodland trail connects the property to Timber Lake itself, a leisurely three-minute walk through the forest that makes the lake feel like an extension of the backyard rather than a nearby amenity. The floor plan ends. The lake begins.
Beyond the lake, Timber Lake sits at the center of a quietly emerging pocket of the Catskills where artists, designers, chefs, and makers are reshaping the region without losing what made people fall in love with it in the first place. A Saturday might begin with bumping into neighbors at the beloved Barryville Farmers Market before seeing where the day leads. Maybe it's a hike, a tubing trip down the Delaware River rapids, a stop at Cottage Wines for a bottle of natural Frizzante and a little shop talk, browsing curated vintage and art at Sullivan Public, Bad Goods, and Surface & Shape, or dinner at Tokyo Drift 555 - a little taste of Japan tucked into the Catskills. Just twenty minutes away, Narrowsburg offers another layer, where destination restaurants, galleries, and independent boutiques have quietly earned the charming river town an outsized reputation among the design crowd. The Upper Delaware Scenic Byway ties it all together, winding through river towns, wooded backroads, trailheads, and scenic overlooks that reward taking the long way home. Approximately two hours from New York City, with NJ Transit service from nearby Port Jervis, Timber Lake offers an easy escape without ever feeling remote.
Summer camp, all grown up. Come in. Drop your towel. Pour a drink. Dinner's in twenty.
Erica Keberle
/
erica@anatolehouse.com
/
The best country houses don't ask you to choose between good design and a good weekend. They understand that the two belong together. The third new construction collaboration from Beyond the Black Box - a partnership between Major Jacks and Wishbone - continues to explore a distinct approach to modern country living. Timber Lake embraces the rituals of time away while balancing warmth with restraint and personality with timelessness. Inspired by the relaxed optimism of midcentury lake houses, Timber Lake draws from natural materials, playful moments of color, and a carefully edited mix of contemporary and vintage influences. From the sunken conversation pit to the handcrafted millwork, every element contributes to a newly built residence that feels collected over time rather than assembled all at once. Serious architecture. Casual weekends.
Some Catskills homes ask you to choose between the woods and the water. Here, the rhythm is both. The designers returned to the property repeatedly before deciding where the house should sit, allowing the architecture to settle naturally into the landscape, largely hidden from the road. A swooping driveway arrives at a private clearing enveloped by mature woods and carpets of native ferns. The rear deck extends the living space outdoors, while a fire pit creates a casual post-sunset gathering place.
Life at Timber Lake is reminiscent of a classic summer camp: relaxed, quietly connected, and refreshingly low-key. Timber Lake Estates is intentionally designed to preserve both privacy and the surrounding landscape, with mature forest buffers providing remarkable separation between residences. At its heart is Timber Lake, a private, spring-fed lake with a beach, dock, and swimming area reserved exclusively for residents. Kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, fishing, evening walks, morning runs, bike rides, and winter skating become part of daily life.
An outdoor shower waits for post-lake rinses, and a private woodland trail connects the property to Timber Lake itself, a leisurely three-minute walk through the forest that makes the lake feel like an extension of the backyard rather than a nearby amenity. The floor plan ends. The lake begins.
Beyond the lake, Timber Lake sits at the center of a quietly emerging pocket of the Catskills where artists, designers, chefs, and makers are reshaping the region without losing what made people fall in love with it in the first place. A Saturday might begin with bumping into neighbors at the beloved Barryville Farmers Market before seeing where the day leads. Maybe it's a hike, a tubing trip down the Delaware River rapids, a stop at Cottage Wines for a bottle of natural Frizzante and a little shop talk, browsing curated vintage and art at Sullivan Public, Bad Goods, and Surface & Shape, or dinner at Tokyo Drift 555 - a little taste of Japan tucked into the Catskills. Just twenty minutes away, Narrowsburg offers another layer, where destination restaurants, galleries, and independent boutiques have quietly earned the charming river town an outsized reputation among the design crowd. The Upper Delaware Scenic Byway ties it all together, winding through river towns, wooded backroads, trailheads, and scenic overlooks that reward taking the long way home. Approximately two hours from New York City, with NJ Transit service from nearby Port Jervis, Timber Lake offers an easy escape without ever feeling remote.
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