Brice and Helen Marden, one of the longstanding royal couples of the New York art world, divide their time between their city studios and an estate in rural Tivoli, in upstate New York. They also dabble in real estate–they have a house in Hydra, Greece, and own the lush Golden Rock Inn in Nevis. And so, when Tivoli’s beloved old hotel and restaurant, the Madalin, went dark, they stepped up and bought it, transforming its Victorian B&B interior into a light, bright, art-filled clubhouse for locals and creatives. The Wall Street Journal likened the project to Martin Scorsese deciding to run a diner.

The Madalin’s transformation into the Hotel Tivoli was a family affair–the Mardens’ photographer daughter, Mirabelle, joined brainstorming meetings (she’s the one who suggested tinting the Douglas fir floors purple). And she paired her parents with her high school friend Laura Flam, an interior designer, who, with her colleagues at Reunion Goods & Services, orchestrated the overhaul. “The place is an extension of the Mardens’ lives,” says Flam, “They’re into color and surprisingly open to risk.”

Photography by Ingalls Photography, except where noted.