Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/361673
sweet retreat "Real Housewife" HeatHer tHomson sHows HeR eaRtHy side at HeR BeRksHiRes getaway. by marni elyse katz photography by andy ryan continued on page 126... Originally planned as a pool house, Heather Thomson's home—with its farm- inspired silhouette and luxe detailing—gained a new purpose as her family grew. Crashing a wedding can be risky. When a friend of interior architect Ritch Holben, who works out of the Berkshires and Florida's South Beach, "invited" him to crash what was sure to be a raucous wedding up the road at Gedney Farm, he figured, Why not? He had a fantastic time, whooping it up with Tommy Hilfiger and the like. Two weeks later, Holben showed up for a meeting with a new client, only to be confronted by none other than the bride and groom. The newlyweds were fashion designer Heather Thomson, founder and CCO of the Yummie shapewear line and star of Bravo's reality series the Real Housewives of new York city, and her husband, Jonathan Schindler, a principal in a real estate firm. Holben fessed up, and the trio had a good laugh. "It immediately set the tone for an easygoing relationship," he says. That was more than 10 years ago. Today Holben is still the designer-on- call for the couple as they continue to develop ideas for their 26 -acre Berkshires property, which straddles the New York and Massachusetts state lines. The idea was to create a getaway that Thomson envisioned as "a modern New England farm situation"—a large main house along with a barn/studio and a pool house/guest house, all overlooking the Catamount Ski Area in the Taconic Mountains. They built the pool house first, sensing that the 1,500-square-foot structure with a loft would be the perfect size for getaways together or with friends. "The loft was going to be the f lophouse, where friends could crash for the night," says Thomson. But when she got "knocked up" (her words) during construction, Holben revised the design, transforming the would-be pool house into a comfort- able family weekend home. Eight years in, and up another child, the couple loves its intimacy. "It's all we need right now," bostoncommon-magazine.com 125 haute property