Main Street Business

“Our whole philosophy centers around home and helping people find the resources that guide them toward where they want to live. Whether that’s through buying, designing, merging the two, or simply finding a beautiful pillow that brings them joy when they walk through the door,” explains Delyse Berry, co-founder of Upstate Down. 

Upstate Down, based in Rhinebeck, NY, is a design-forward real estate company that encompasses a boutique brokerage, interior design studio, and home goods shop. Upstate Down’s mission is simple – to help people feel more deeply connected to where they live. 

“Homes, to us, are not transactions. They’re places of feeling that provide a sense of being, fulfillment, and love,” Delyse explains. “We want our services to meet people where they are and help them arrive at that sense of home. In that way, we really see ourselves as a lifestyle company rather than just a brokerage or design firm.” 

Founded by husband and wife duo Delyse and Jon Berry, Upstate Down was launched in 2021 with a focus on real estate brokerage, before evolving into the three-pillar, vertically-integrated business that it is today. 

Delyse’s background was originally in real estate, but as the daughter of an interior designer, she always had a strong interest in the creative side of homes. “I dreamt of having a company that did more than just sell real estate – a company that could meet clients where they were on their home journey and offer a more creative process in building and shaping home values,” she said.

When Jon decided to leave his career as a financial advisor, the couple began thinking seriously about how to bring the vision of Upstate Down to life. He got his real estate license and began selling homes as a team under another company while the couple crystallized their long-term vision for their own business. 

After launching in 2021, they came across a storefront available in the village of Rhinebeck. While they would have loved to be in a storefront, they recognized that having an office on the main floor in the village wasn’t ideal for visitors, so they decided to incorporate a small, gallery-style store to help bridge the connection with the community. Shortly after opening, they recognized that their newly launched interior design studio and storefront had the opportunity to grow into something more. 

At home in Rhinebeck

The couple have deep ties to Rhinebeck, and being located there was important for them not only on a business level, but on a personal level, too. 

Delyse’s brother attended Bard College in the 1990s, and her mother moved to Rhinebeck full-time in the early 2000s. She fondly recalls visiting her mother with Jon during their early days of dating, and in 2008, they got married on her property. 

At that time, Delyse and Jon had been living in Brooklyn in a tiny one-bedroom apartment that was rapidly becoming too small as they began having kids. “We would visit my mom on weekends with our two little babies and found ourselves not wanting to go back to the city,” she recalls. “Eventually, we realized we were craving that connection to nature and community, so we made the leap and moved to Rhinebeck full-time.” 

In their first year upstate, they managed to buy a small starter home – “a total fixer-upper” – which was all they could afford at the time. They lived there for ten years, spending time improving it and making it suitable for their family, and their third child was even born there. 

“Over time, this town truly became home. My mother lived here, and now two of my three siblings also live in Rhinebeck. Our roots have grown deep – getting married, raising our family, and being surrounded by loved ones here,” she says. “It felt only natural that the gateway for our business would also be rooted in Rhinebeck.”

Involved in every aspect of home-owning

Upstate Down’s services include a full-service real estate brokerage, interior design studio, and a home-furnishing store. They have a group of expert agents who handle all of the traditional needs of a brokerage, including helping clients buy, sell, stage, market, prepare, and negotiate from beginning to end of the sales process. 

“They’re exceptional at what they do and deeply knowledgeable in their respective categories,” Delyse shares. 

In addition to the brokerage, Upstate Down has a design team that focuses on full-service interior design – everything from elevations and floor plans to lighting design, additions, kitchen and bathroom design, all the way to color and furnishings. 

Upstate Down’s home and furnishing store carries everything from home decor, tabletop items, and kitchenware to custom upholstery, rugs, lighting, and other curated vintage items. They frequently feature products from local makers alongside vintage pieces and other specialty sourced items. The focus is to bridge areas of affordability, while also offering access to truly unique and special pieces. 

“We also believe deeply in understanding where things are made and who’s making them,” Delyse emphasizes. “Anytime we can feature minority communities or artists with meaningful backgrounds, it feels like such a win-win. That kind of cross-collaboration is a blessing and an honor, and we don’t take it lightly.” 

In some cases, Upstate Down has also been able to sponsor student artists, which always feels especially meaningful for Delyse and Jon. 

“Each of our three services is designed to stand independently and excel in its category. With that said, each one offers value to the other departments, creating a lot of synergy,” she explains. “Ultimately, Upstate Down was built around that idea: to offer more to our clients and our community. We don’t just want to facilitate a transaction, we want to offer a full-service perspective on what it truly means to create a home.”

Making design approachable

Upstate Down’s design service launched as a way to help people approach interior design in a more thoughtful, complete way. Many of the homes they were selling needed a lot of work, so helping with design became a natural extension of their business. 

Their design process follows a phased model. They start off by understanding what clients are trying to achieve in their home, then they translate that into a full scope of work. From there, they are able to create detailed design concepts and building documents, source materials and finishes, and provide everything needed for execution. In many cases, they also manage the project and spend time on-site to oversee the details and finishing touches.

“A space is a beautiful marriage between the architectural integrity of a home, its connection to its surroundings, and the people who live within it. We always want to encapsulate what’s important to the homeowner, how they live, how things function, and how a space should feel overall,” Delyse explains. “We think deeply about how those three layers – people, architecture, and nature – interact to create harmony.” 

Upstate Down also believes strongly in using natural materials and elements that age with the home, giving it “depth and soul.” The Hudson Valley is a constant source of inspiration for Delyse and Jon, who are drawn to materials that feel grounded and timeless, paired with clean lines that bring balance and modernity. 

“Ultimately, we think of a home as a storybook. Each room should feel connected to the next, yet evoke a slightly different emotion. Through color, shadow, and texture, each space becomes its own page in a cohesive story that feels deeply personal and meaningful.”

On the horizon for Upstate Down

Although Delyse didn’t anticipate Upstate Down growing nearly as quickly as it has, after the first year in their small space, she began to see bigger potential than she originally imagined. As a result, she began focusing on how to make these branches become more meaningful, refined, and interconnected. 

“I think I was – and still am – just a girl with a big dream. In many ways, I still feel that same sense of possibility and fantasy that started this in the beginning,” she shares. 

Delyse notes that creating Upstate Down has been incredibly rewarding and not something that she and Jon could have attained on their own. She credits their community of people for aiding them with the vision that has become Upstate Down. “When that combination of hustle, honesty, and passion comes together, it’s truly magical.” 

In the future, Delyse notes that she wants Upstate Down’s services to remain “crisp, clean, and beautiful in how they’re presented,” while also ensuring that their process operates at the highest level of expertise for their clients. They are currently expanding their team, their e-commerce business is getting a full makeover, and their e-design work, which creates more accessibility, is becoming more widely available. 

Delyse jokes that she cannot exist in a space that isn’t drawn toward growth, so she of course foresees more expansion, evolution, and growth on the horizon for Upstate Down. 

“We’ve never approached this as just a business. It’s always been personal. Every home, every client, every project carries a story, and we treat it that way. The blend of real estate, design, and shop all grew from a desire to create a full-circle experience around what ‘home’ really means,” she says. “We care deeply about how people feel in their spaces, not just how they look. There’s an honesty and a soulfulness in that approach that I think people can sense when they walk into our shop or work with us. It’s less about perfection and more about connection.” •

To learn more about Upstate Down, visit their website upstatedown.com, drop by the shop at 13 E Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY, or view their Instagram @upstate_down.