If you’re in the fashion and beauty world, odds are you recognize the name Alexi Lubomirski.
The British photographer has shot Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, and Zendaya for Lancome campaigns and many more celebs and models for editorial spreads in publications like Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and GQ. However, he is most famous worldwide for being the photographer to shoot Harry and Meghan’s iconic engagement and wedding portraits.
Though Lubomirski usually has people as his photography subjects, the recent listing of Half Moon Farm in Mahopac, New York provided the opportunity for him to capture the interiors, views, and architecture of a place very dear to him. He and his wife, Giada, purchased the estate in 2011 and renovated it carefully, picturing it as a their family’s “forever home” to use for weekends away and holidays.
Centered by a 19th-century, three-bedroom Colonial, the property’s allure is evident at first sight, but the sellers also put much work into it. Lubomirski shares, “A lot of the house had not been updated since the 90’s and so we began to lovingly focus on each area, whilst maintaining as much of the original charm as possible. The saltwater swimming pool was constructed in 2012, in the old sheep paddock at the bottom of the garden, nestled under the old growth maples, some of which were 200 to 300 years old, which provided dreamy dappled sunlight on the pool area, as the sun went down.”
Giada also gave exuberant new life to the three-acre grounds, reviving the gardens with great intention. She created an organic medicinal aromatherapy herb garden on the porch near the kitchen, restored the potting shed and original stone walls, and planted honeysuckles for the hummingbirds to enjoy as well as timeless rose bushes.
After seven years of nurturing the estate and revitalizing its soil, they happily noticed rabbits, owls, and turkeys starting to frequent their flourishing land.
During the COVID pandemic, and the three years that followed, the couple and their children ditched hectic New York City to make this Putnam County home their primary residence. Looking ahead, they now have another big change in mind.
“With my wife being Italian, and with most of my extended family in Europe, after twenty plus years in America, we have come to the decision to move the family to Italy,” says the photographer. “We always believed that we would pass on Half Moon Farm to our children, as they had created so many magical memories there, but felt that the distance would make it impossible to maintain.”
To nab their well-cherished New York home as they head abroad, Alissa Kronovet of Houlihan Lawrence holds the listing.
