When not on a plane between continents, Tony and Emmy Award–winning director and choreographer Rob Ashford has long escaped on weekends and holidays to Putnam County in upstate New York with his husband, Kevin Ryan, senior managing director of AD100 firm Madison Cox Associates. But since the lockdown in March, the couple have spent more time in their charming getaway than ever before, with only occasional visits to the city.

Located in an enclave called the Sedgewood Club, the couple have been visiting the area for over 20 years and have owned their current home for 15. They were immediately drawn to the community, which was founded in 1928 and sits on 1,200 acres of secluded woodland in the lower Hudson Valley. There is golf, tennis, water sports, a clubhouse, and other activities year-round.

In the main bedroom, an antique farm bed with bedside tables are from ABC Home . Noguchi column lamp is from the Noguchi Museum Shop , and the faux bois metal chair from Vincent Mulford in Hudson, New York. The Alpine Cow photograph is by Clemens Kois, the Birdman photo by Italian photographer Paolo Ventura, and two portraits are by Gene Meyer. Curtain fabric is Lisa Corti , wicker swing arm lamps are Arteriors , and the red and white gingham duvet is Coyuchi .

“Our house was owned by a family but had been uninhabited for at least 10 years,” Ryan says, looking back. “It was like a time capsule!” Ashford adds of discovering the place. “Nothing had been modernized, which was actually great. We had to put in new electricity, a heater, all those things you don’t want to spend money on—AC. We added a bit more over the years; the kitchen, for example. These were really just weekend places and there was the clubhouse for dining and dancing. The kitchens were tiny, like a small New York apartment.”

Although they added a big screened-in porch and enlarged the kitchen space, Ashford explains, “We tried very hard to maintain the cabin integrity and the feel of the original house.” The pair kept the rooflines, for example, and added bay windows as a way to increase the interior space and add more light, and the fireplace was enlarged in its original place. (The majority of the neighboring houses are still cabin-like, even if upgraded.)

The antique dining table is from Thailand and the French school chairs are from Nicole Farhi Home in London. The antique French sideboard is from Nickey Kehoe in L.A. and the mirrored pendant lamps are from ABC Home . The white porcelain dolphin candlesticks are from Shreve, Crump & Low in Boston and the white ceramic tower lamp is from Positano.

Although the exterior of the house maintains its understated façade, surprises can be found inside. The couple are clearly no strangers to color, so their new screened porch is anything but muted. Ryan painted the floors in bold, bright stripes, working from a master plan provided to them by a dear friend, designer Gene Meyer. The couple provided him with about 50 paint colors to choose from, and he came up with the current scheme. Meyer labeled them all, put them in order, and then Ryan got out the brush and started painting. (The floor idea was inspired by something Ashford had seen in the house of hotelier Alan Faena in Uruguay.)

Although Ryan tries to put the brakes on their collecting, Ashford—who hopes to soon begin directing Sunset Boulevard , the musical, with Glenn Close, a project he is working on and developing with Paramount Pictures—loves to shop and acquire things here and there. They have a vacation home in Tangier, Morocco, although they haven’t been there since January. Indeed, the pair, who have a few friends nearby, are happy to remain in their country cabin and stay busy keeping deer out of the garden.