AJ, Heather Kerr, Derek Curl, and Luke van Unan on the night of the HBO Max ‘In With the Old’ dinner and screening
Luke van Unan, Heather Kerr, and Derek Curl group hug at the conclusion of a long night of spending time celebrating the Andes Hotel
Friends and colleagues of Derek Curl in front of the epic Anti-Rent painting by Zachary Lank
By Robert Brune
ANDES — Over the past week of wintery conditions, the morning leading up to the screening of ‘In With the Old’ by Magnolia Network an HBO Max renovation series at the Andes Hotel, forecasters had predicted up to four inches of snow beginning Thursday afternoon through Friday morning. Fortunately, the snow paused for the event on Thursday evening enabling people to feel safe to come together to celebrate the accomplishments of Derek Curl and his marvelous team of renovation specialists, Heather Kerr (designer) and Luke van Unan (Builder), including all the staff that keep the hotel going and the wider community volunteers. It was a packed house in both of the dining room sections of the hotel with friends and guests eating dinner. By the time the screening was to begin, it was standing room only because it wasn’t possible to fit enough seats in the large, newly remodeled Green Room to accommodate all the viewers.
Derek Curl introduced the screening of the show by saying that “this town of Andes means more to me than any other place in my life.” Curl’s voice was full of emotion at being able to share this event with neighbors who have joined him for three years of holidays at the hotel, and the bond he created is undeniable. Curl continues, “Being the gatekeeper of the Andes Hotel for this period of time has been a great honor.” Curl went on to thank everyone that made the renovation possible. In describing Curl’s experience of living in Andes and owning a business, “The community of Andes lifts all of us up. This building was built to house us, and for us to be here tonight watching this show, I think it’s kinda cool. I want to thank you because it’s an honor and privilege to be a servant of Andes.”
The docu-series renovation episode did a fantastic job of highlighting the very human elements of each person participating in the renovation of the hotel. Curl, who had made 15 films in upstate New York as a producer, is an extraordinarily charming person with a playful sense of humor. With his original roots being from Atlanta, he’s a natural at morphing the southern hospitality persona in with the country living of Andes and surrounding areas. One of the most telling moments of how well Curl, Kerr, and van Unan worked together during the episode is the discussion about the fireplace mantel. The three are sizing up a beam with jagged branch knots. Curl suggested the options of a hearth shelf or flat to show the jagged portions. Kerr who is obviously the more sensible with interior design, nixed the artsy option, “It becomes less of a mantel and more of, like, a piece of art on the wall.” The builder van Unan, a focused craftsman who moved to the area from Australia twenty-five years ago, bows out of the debate when asked for his input, “I’m here for the income, not the outcome.”. Kerr won this round of a creative tug and pull with the more practical option over the fireplace. This scene brought laughter to the viewers in the full Green Room. The show depicts Curl searching for ‘the perfect accent piece’ for the new dining room, Curl ends his search in a shop in Walton where he brings back what appears to be a white-haired beaver, van Unan admitted to playing a role in the beaver search, as well. In the spirit of ‘It takes a village’, van Unan insisted that great credit and appreciation should be given to the local lumber miller, Dick Little, who provided a tremendous contribution with his skills. Derek Curl also insisted that the renovation wouldn’t have been possible without the big hearts and great contributions of local farmers, Jason Mondore and Darview Farms, pitching in with their farming equipment for free to help with the landscaping of the newly renovated courtyard between the main building and the guest rooms. The landscape layout is designed with a cross path of knee-high rock walls, a big hero tree, and flower beds in four sections coordinated by David Hansen Landscaping. The landscaping and courtyard had been timed perfectly as it happened just a few weeks leading up to Andes Day, which was big day for the community to experience the renovation for the first time.
The end result of the two dining room renovations can be described as nothing less that elegant. The transformation of the Blue Room with walls of a dark primary blue creates greater depth to a medium size dining area. Designer Kerr explains the intention of the choice in color, “We picked a deep blue because the “signature color” of the hotel is the dark green and we thought it would be a nice compliment to that. We also loved the way the black and white (Historic) photos looked against that inky blue color.” As for the Green Room, the recent fundraiser event for the Bovina Montessori School was a perfect example of how a group of people took advantage of the large space with just the right lighting combined with a fireplace, candles, and soft well planned out ceiling lighting.
After the event Curl, Kerr, and van Unan agreed to do a tour of the redesigned guestrooms. The three of them hopped into one of the king size beds and Curl began to explain the magical chemistry between the three of them, “With these two (as Curl turns to acknowledge each of them) they have the design sensibilities that I don’t have. What it is that there’s a trust that happens when three people get together and they already know what the other one is going to say, they already know what the other one needs. There’s a sense of responsibility for the other person’s vision to come true. Not one singular vision, this is not Heather’s vision, this is not Luke’s vision, this is three people dreaming a dream and getting something done that all of us have dreamed for a long time.”
Rather than this reporter trying to sell the idea of what a wonderful person Curl is, and how much he means to members of the Andes community, let’s hear directly from the people who share time with the man almost every holiday at the hotel;
Debbie Marmaro, “I can’t even put it into words how he has changed the dynamic of this town. He (Derek Curl) is overwhelming. He never ceases to amaze. There’s always something fun to do. And I’ve never met someone so giving in my life. It just exudes from him, and it makes him so happy to do that. I don’t know anyone else who does that. I wanna cry because that’s how generous he is and how sweet he is and how kind he is to everyone.
Luanne Marie, “We are so grateful to Derek for all he does to give back to the community from Easter baskets and Christmas presents for the kids to epic Halloween and New Year's Eve Parties. Having the Andes Hotel as a mainstay gives us all a warm and welcoming place to gather with friends.”
Dede Shelton, “Derek Curl is the meaning of: ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give!’ His never-ending generosity and support that he pours into our Andes community is apparent in everything he does, and we are all grateful!”
Joanne Kosuda-Warner of the Andes Society for History and Culture, “I am thrilled to witness Derek Curl’s re-imagining of the 1850’s Andes Hotel. The history of Andes is showcased in his renovations.” For anyone that missed this screening and gathering of the community, Kosuda-Warner says the Hunting Tavern is hoping to do another screening of this episode of ‘In With the Old’ this coming summer.
For more information on events and reservations for the Andes Hotel, See: www.theandeshotel.com
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