Lasting Joy Brewery injects design sophistication to Hudson Valley farmland
Lasting Joy Brewery by Auver Architecture brings contemporary energy and sophistication to the growing Hudson Valley craft beer scene

The hedonistically named Lasting Joy Brewery, located in Tivoli, just a two-hour drive from the Big Apple, is the eye-catching newest addition to the Hudson Valley’s craft beer movement in New York. Founded by Alex and Emily Wenner, a husband and wife duo with a shared passion for beer, Lasting Joy brings a sophisticated energy to its 31 acres of open farmland that sit on a rural country road.
The making of Lasting Joy
‘Alex and I have been to hundreds of breweries, usually with our kids, and consistently found a disconnect between the craft and the atmosphere,’ says Emily. ‘We wanted to feel more warmth, to discover places where we could bring friends and family who don’t love beer but appreciate good hospitality. We created what was missing.’
Alex adds: ‘We love beer and wanted to turn that passion into a business that brings joy to our family and to others. And in doing so we felt compelled to elevate the craft beer experience, to make the culture more inviting and inclusive. Our intention from day one has been to spark genuine, lasting joy – and so we strive every day to live up to our mission. We make a concerted effort to run an organisation that is a good community member and employer.’
When the Wenners first purchased the property, the only structure standing was the black barn that now houses the brewery’s production facility and offices. Working with the locally based architect Aron Himmelfarb of Auver Architecture, the couple sought to create a new structure that exuded design expertise.
‘The design of the physical spaces [at most successful breweries] was often unconsidered,’ reflects Himmelfarb, whose familiarity with the region comes from living in nearby Germantown part time. ‘We felt the architecture of Lasting Joy should reflect the care and pride of the beer production, and also the sophistication of beer drinkers. Much in the way that destination wineries express their ethos through design, we saw an opportunity to create an architectural equivalent for beer.’
Himmelfarb designed a new tasting room that makes the most of its surrounding landscape. Orientated to the west with views of the Catskills and stunning sunsets, the new pavilion-like structure is an entirely glass building with an exterior steel cladding. Himmelfarb says: ‘The interior has the character of a room made of wood as the glulam trusses are very tightly spaced, and the roof deck is composed of exposed structural cross-laminated timber panels. The inversely raised roof floods the space with natural light.’
He adds: ’The bar is designed to float in the centre of the space in order to keep the exterior glass walls unobstructed and provide a more social way for guests to interact and taste the beers on tap. From inside the tasting room, the views are solely of the open property.’
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Japanese designer Shinichiro Ogata's latest venture is a modern riff on the traditions of his home country
As he launches Saboe, a series of new tearooms and shops across Japan, we delve into Shinichiro Ogata's creative vision, mirrored throughout the spaces and objects, rituals and moments of his projects
-
These are Dover Street Market’s jewellery designers to watch, exhibiting at the London store all summer
In a special exhibition, Dover Street Market London is highlighting 36 emerging jewellery designers to know – shop our pick of their pieces
-
A street-like Pune clubhouse celebrates the ‘joy of shared, unhurried experiences’
A brick clubhouse in Pune by Studio VDGA reflects the fluidity and openness of the Indian way of life with a series of welcoming plazas, courtyards and lanes
-
A 432 Park Avenue apartment is an art-filled family home among the clouds
At 432 Park Avenue, inside and outside compete for starring roles; welcome to a skyscraping, art-filled apartment in Midtown Manhattan
-
Discover this sleek-but-warm sanctuary in the heart of the Wyoming wilds
This glorious wood-and-stone residence never misses a chance to show off the stirring landscape it calls home
-
Inside a Montana house, putting the American West's landscape at its heart
A holiday house in the Montana mountains, designed by Walker Warner Architects and Gachot Studios, scales new heights to create a fresh perspective on communing with the natural landscape
-
Peel back this Michigan lakeside house’s cool slate exterior to reveal a warm wooden home
In Detroit, Michigan, this lakeside house, a Y-shaped home by Disbrow Iannuzzi Architects, creates a soft balance between darkness and light through its minimalist materiality
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
A Rancho Mirage home is in tune with its location and its architect-owners’ passions
Architect Steven Harris and his collaborator and husband, designer Lucien Rees Roberts, have built a home in Rancho Mirage, surrounded by some of America’s most iconic midcentury modern works; they invited us on a tour
-
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House – a project built with accessibility at its heart
The dwelling, which you can visit in Illinois, is a classic example of Wright’s Usonian architecture, and was also built for a client with a disability long before accessibility was widely considered
-
Tour this fire-resilient minimalist weekend retreat in California
A minimalist weekend retreat was designed as a counterpoint to a San Francisco pied-à-terre; Edmonds + Lee Architects’ Amnesia House in Napa Valley is a place for making memories