A Reimagined Farmhouse by Corbin Bernsen and Amanda Pays Lists for $4.6 Million
Tucked into the rolling hills of New York’s Hudson Valley, a beautifully reimagined 19th-century farmhouse known as Barnswood has come to market for $4.6 million. At the helm of its transformation are actor Corbin Bernsen and his wife, actor-turned-designer Amanda Pays.
Together, the couple has renovated over 30 homes during their 37-year marriage. After spending decades in Los Angeles and raising four boys, they decided it was time for a change of pace. Once their youngest headed off to college, they packed up and moved east, setting their sights on the Hudson Valley. In 2023, they purchased the 8-acre property for $725,000 and undertook the ambitious task of revitalizing it.
The farmhouse itself had suffered decades of ill-conceived additions, prompting Bernsen and Pays to strip it back to its bones. What emerged is a timeless residence that honors its heritage while embracing the comforts of modern living. They infused the structure with early 19th-century architectural elements, using reclaimed materials that tell a story of their own.
Each exposed beam was hand-selected by the couple in Portland, Maine, and assembled like a puzzle to create the home’s structural and aesthetic backbone. The floors were salvaged from a factory ceiling in Nova Scotia, painstakingly restored to their original luster.
Even the home’s towering English pine doors carry centuries of history. They were originally crafted in Alexandria, Egypt, for colonial-era homes and later rediscovered in a salvage house in Alabama.
The result of Corbin and Amanda’s restoration work is a warm, layered, and lived-in space that feels timeless. Think: limewashed walls, original fireplaces, handcrafted cabinetry, and spacious rooms that blend rustic charm with modern functionality.
The living room retains its original fireplace which has been lovingly restored.
The media/library room is a cozy retreat lined with bookshelves and painted in a moody gray hue paired with a colorful rug.
The kitchen, which opens up to the dining area and bar, is the true heart of the home, with locally made terracotta-colored cabinets and a secret passageway to a cozy media room lined with bookshelves.
Upstairs, you’ll find peaceful bedrooms that feel like treehouses, with views of the property’s meadows and ancient trees. It’s the kind of home where every window feels like a framed landscape painting.
The primary suite boasts a large soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a custom-built dressing room.
Outside, a spacious stone patio is perfect for long summer dinners, but the real showstopper is the barn.
What originally drew Corbin and Amanda to the property is the barn, which has been transformed into a stunning A-frame entertainment space with soaring ceilings, reclaimed wood accents, a massive hearth, and even a loft area that can double as a guest room or studio.
There’s also a full kitchen, a bath, office space, and a workshop—plenty of room for work, play, or whatever your country-living dreams look like.
Corbin and Amanda have shared their renovation journey in their book Open House: Reinventing Space for Simple Living, and they’re already onto their next Hudson Valley project. This restored project is now listed with The Lillie K. Team at Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty.
