Originally built as workmen’s lodging, this 1850s-era Hudson Valley cottage overlooking the Roeliff Jansen Kill was purchased by Workstead cofounders Stefanie Brechbuehler and Robert Highsmith in 2011 and fully renovated by the studio in 2018. While modernizing the house’s electrical, plumbing, and heating systems, we appended a 9-foot-square entry to the main elevation that now encloses a radiant-heated mudroom with stacked washer and dryer and integrated storage. A reconfigured kitchen supports simultaneous uses, and the adjacent living room includes a new masonry fireplace whose hand-laid tumbled Portland brick ties visually to the kitchen cabinetry and mudroom flooring. Modifications to the second floor similarly emphasize movement and informality while holding the historic fabric in high regard.