Magical moments made here

Private association and 2.29 acres is the setting for this beloved family home

Part of the private Deer Park Association, the grand pre-war home at 26 Deer Park Drive is listed for sale, with an asking price of $6.45 million. Sotheby’s International Realty’s Alice Duff is representing the sellers as the listing agent.

Before they acquired the property in 1997, the current owners lived nearby on Lake Avenue and knew the Deer Park property well from walks through the neighborhood.

“A friend told us that she thought 26 Deer Park Drive might be available,” the homeowner recalled. “Each of us went through once, and we fell in love. We both felt that it was the perfect family house for us. We made an offer, and the rest is history.”

With 8,586 square feet of living space, the floor plan affords a balance of expansive formal rooms and more intimate spaces. Throughout the interiors, there are high ceilings – some beamed or coffered – paneled walls, clever built-ins and cozy fireplaces.

The homeowners have made a number of improvements to the property, both inside and out. They reconfigured the bedrooms and added en suite baths. They redesigned the primary suite to be a “great retreat,” with a fireplace, two closets and two baths.

On the main level, they added a reading nook midway up the lighted staircase.

“We renovated the light-filled room off the living room, with beamed ceilings, a stone wall, windows on three sides and a wonderful view out over the garden. It was our billiards room for

15 years, a playroom for five more years, and more recently, it has become an office,” she said. The sellers have also invested in the energy efficiency of the home. They’ve replaced windows and installed a new gas furnace.

The formal dining room is an example of how the 1930s-era style has been lovingly preserved.

“I think the Gracie wallpaper in the dining room is original to the house,” the seller said. “I love it. The dining room has a fireplace and a bay window with a view out over the patio and out to the east garden. It will be the hardest room in the house to say

goodbye to.”

The home has been the venue for memorable occasions, including Christmas parties with the Greenwich Academy Madrigals filling the rooms with song. “It was magical,” the owner said. She recounted fond memories of Thanksgivings, Easter egg hunts, business dinners, birthdays and book clubs.

“This is an amazing house for entertaining. … There have been some epic toasts and celebrations here,” she recalled.

Outside – with the help of landscape architect John Conte – the owners added a patio, outdoor

fireplace, built-in grill and a yearround oversized hot tub with a waterfall.

“We turned an outbuilding into a large executive office, with exposed beams, a fireplace, a porch and lots of light,” the seller said. “There is space for an assistant downstairs. We created two more offices on the third floor of the main house.”

In its current layout, there are six bedrooms. “The five main family bedrooms share an upstairs landing, so our family felt connected,” the seller explained. “There is a guest room and potential nanny room or office at the end of the hall – close, but not too close.”

In addition to the office space on the third floor, there’s also an open bonus room – a perfect play space for children, the seller suggested.

The lot spans 2.29 acres, with professional landscaping by Gro Pro Landscaping and perennial gardens designed by landscaping architect Blythe Yost. “It has all the benefits of a large property, which are more typically found in backcountry – quiet, privacy and views – and yet, we walk into town, to schools, to the library, and to tennis. One of my favorite walks is down to Indian Harbor and back,” the seller said.

Listing agent:

Sotheby’s International Realty / Contributed photos Landscaping architects Conte & Conte helped bring the homeowner’s vision for an outdoor living and entertaining space to life, with flagstone terracing, an oversized spa – that can accommodate up to 12 people – and an inviting outdoor fireplace.

One of the many improvements the sellers have made to the home was adding this charming reading nook to the wide staircase landing. The homeowners fondly referred to it as “the command center,” for it’s both a quiet, intimate space and a perch from which to observe what’s happening in other areas of the home.

The formal dining roomenjoys an abundance of natural light, invited in through the large bay window and French doors that lead out to the patio. Hardwood flooring, a fireplace, built-ins, and Gracie wallpaper – believed to be original to the 1930s house – make for a romantic, elegant and accommodating setting for dinner parties.

Teak countertops provide a pop of color and an abundance of task space in the large, bright kitchen.