Two Designers Create a Home With Vintage Curiosities in an Old Stone House Upstate

Kenyan Paris Lewis was a potential seeker — an enthusiast of a particular kind. An old tube radio became a DJ booth. A stack of vintage suitcases befit a night stand. A 35-foot royal spartanette trailer became an indoor movie theater.

“I just love everything old,” Kenyan said. “I’m attracted to broken things that just need repairing, or are in need of tender loving care.”

Kenyan met Meghan Auld years ago and their relationship, born from friendship, grew into a mutually beneficial partnership: she helped him build a website for his full-service design business, ByKenyan, and he showed her the art of prop and antique sourcing.

“Kenyan has an ability to walk into an empty room and just see,” Meghan said. “He doesn’t plan things out, he doesn’t draw them out, unless he has to. But, he can walk into a room and completely transform a space.”

The Manor was their home together. An impressive stone structure located in Stone Ridge, N.Y., it was once a refuge for patriot politicians and served as the New York State Capitol building for 30 days during the Revolutionary War.

Today, it is a museum of things once loved, a strongbox of curiosities. Eleven rooms, each with a distinct character.

Kenyan first visited the house in the fall of 2013 after a friend tipped him off to its Craigslist posting. The owner, the artist and business consultant Cynthia MacVay, saw him pull up with his assistant Frank.

“I’m so glad you came,” she said. “I want you to have this house…I Googled you…”

What Cynthia didn’t know was that he’d seen it before. He’d driven by its majestic frame every day for three years on the way from his home in Accord to his studio in downtown Kingston.

“Every time I passed by, I would see the barn and think, ‘I’m going to live in that house one day,’” he said. “So, this was destined. It all just worked out.”

Written by Alyssa D. Benjamin; photos by Emma Tuccillo for And North

Kenyan Lewis: “I have been a collector my whole life. Through my travels and various jobs, I have found objects that I love, and The Manor has been a perfect place for them to live. I am constantly decorating and redecorating as I buy new things and let others go.”

Kenyan Lewis: “When we moved in, each of the seven bedrooms had its own unique qualities. We wanted to accentuate rather than change them, maintaining the integrity of the house while adding details that make it our home.”

Kenyan Lewis: “Our friends retreat to The Manor to escape the chaos of the city. On the weekends, the house is bustling with cooks, artists and fellow builders who partake in big dinner parties and campfires. Our friends – new and old – are what really make this place special. We love to host!”

Kenyan Lewis: “This is the entrance to our home, The Manor, a stone house built by Dr. James Oliver in 1745. In 1777, the house was expanded to fit senators and their families when The Manor became the New York State Capitol for a month during the time the British invaded Kingston.”

Kenyan Lewis: “The big kitchen is an addition to the original house. We loved its high ceilings and exposed stone wall that was once the original exterior back wall of The Manor. This is where we spend a lot of time cooking and hanging out.”

Kenyan Lewis: “This is us outside of the main barn. When we first pulled up to The Manor, this faded red door was one of the first things that we fell in love with.” “I found this portrait at a collector’s home in Berlin in 2006. On another trip, I won dozens of these scrolls that are of various maps and medical charts.”

A version of this post first appeared on And North in July 2014. Kenyan passed away in January 2015, with his home remaining a testament to the creative legacy he left behind for everyone to enjoy.