Inside the Heart of Crimson Catskills
Is the inspiration story of Founder, Rosie McCobb
mmm
“I wanted to create a business that was built around my lifelong passions and skills. It had to serve one, basic purpose: to help people feel good.”
The Lead Up to Crimson
Crimson founder, Rosie McCobb, spent the first 30 years of her professional life based in Boston, MA and NYC. Graduating college with a BFA in creative writing and fimmaking, she worked as a music journalist, marketing writer and editor, in hospitality working in nightclubs and restaurants, and on set in movie and photography production. By 2005, Rosie started her own photography business, and worked with some of the top fashion retailers, interior designers, art historians, antiques dealers, auction houses, and gallerists in NYC and beyond. She completed her NYC photo career as the Director of Photography for furniture, art, and design gallery, R & Company, in 2020.
As the great-niece of famed, midcentury modern designer, Paul McCobb, Rosie had an innate connection with furniture, textile, and spacial design, and a natural flair for interior decorating. In between photography jobs, she co-designed and project managed two home renovations in a brownstone in Brooklyn, NY.
In 2016, she became the co-owner of a vacation house in Phoenicia, NY that had been in the same family for 100 years. Rosie felt honored to be the next caretaker of this special property, as countless members of the Kelly Family had spent their summers submerging themselves in the creek, hiking up the mountain, and sitting in rocking chairs on the old, front porch dating back to 1905.
It was time to begin a “Second Act.”
The Crystalization of Crimson
Rosie spent many happy weekends in the Catskills, and slowly worked on fixing up and beautifying the Phoenicia property. Eventually, she started renting it out to other visitors to the area, and guests raved about how relaxing it felt staying in the cozy Catskills compound she’d created. During this time, Rosie started going to meditation, breath work, and sound healing classes in the area. Over time, she learned how entering the theta brain wave state allows people tap into their subconscious intuition: she started thinking about what a “Second Act” of her life and career could be like if she could make the Catskills her primary home base.
During COVID lockdown, circumstances seemed to provide a portal towards transformation: Rosie was laid off from her job in NYC. She left the city, and rented a small, beautiful cabin near the top of a long, mountain road in Phoenicia. She spent the Winter taking long walks, making nature-based art projects, and opened up the two houses she co-owned into full-time short-term rental properties. She and her partner at the time re-styled and managed both properties, and both became popular destinations and retreats.
Rosie had long loved working with design, styling, and lighting, and transforming spaces into beautiful environments. Her restaurant and nightclub days were infused with friendly customer relationships, and daily exposure to how some of the most visible and popular spots featured a creative, welcoming, and professional sense of hospitality. And, many of her short-term rental guests provided the missing link as to what the next phase of Rosie’s professional life would become: in their glowing reviews, many mentioned how soothing it felt staying in the cozy Catskills compound she’d created.
Rosie felt a deep sense of purpose in providing “design and lifestyle hospitality” to people during such a difficult time. She recognized that creating a good-feeling environment was more than just the aesthetics of the property; it was also the vibe of the house, the regular maintenance of the systems and grounds, and the personal touches she provided. She loved sharing tips where to find beautiful spots & hikes, good food, arts, and wellness events in the area.
How Crimson Flows
Rosie relocated to the Hudson Valley/Catskills area as a full-time resident in 2021, and took all of her combined experience and knowledge from the “First Act” of her adult life, and synthesized it into Crimson.
There is a holistic quality to Crimson that comes from Rosie’s desire to help make people feel as “good” as she did when she created her own sanctuary in the Catskills. She splits her time between managing unique vacation properties in the area, and curating and hosting art and wellness pop-up classes and events. Recently, Rosie has started performing sound healing music and techniques in a series she created called Summer SoundWaves.
Both of these areas of service comfortably co-exist as a means through which guests and clients can receive the benefit of Crimson hosted experiences and environments that provide relaxation, beauty, and a means through which different forms of “healing” can occur.
Crimson Catskills founder, Rosie McCobb, Joshua Tree National Park