New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Warm and inviting Madison home
This colonial was home to artist Bradshaw Crandell
This colonial is the perfect juxtaposition of old and new for a warm and inviting home loaded with character.
Kyle Hinding, listing agent for Coldwell Banker Global Luxury, said while it has older charm, the house has a contemporary feel.
“[The seller’s] done all the lighting over, all the baths have been redone, so it has kind of a modern vibe to it,” she said. “There’s lots of space in the house and yard and you’ve got views from everywhere.”
Home to artist Bradshaw Crandell in the 1950s, the house was built in 1910. Crandell, an illustrator known for his sketches of starlets, such as Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo, had his studio in what is now the dining room, with a wall of windows and a cathedral ceiling with exposed beams, said seller Alison Crisco, who purchased the home in 2013 and did extensive renovations.
The spacious room fits a long table where Crisco holds dinner and holiday parties for up to 40 people. Guests can flow from one room to the next or out to the patio or yard through two sets of French doors.
The large living room has a gas fireplace and a dining area in front of a water facing picture window. It opens to the glassenclosed sunporch via French doors with the original mullion glass panels.
Formerly a screenedin sleeping porch, the sunporch has a beautiful unobstructed view of the water.
The large renovated kitchen offers new appliances and plenty of counter space for family and guests to stand and chat around while the host or hostess prepares refreshments. A large bay window in front of the sink look brings in lots of light.
“This house has an incredible amount of windows, so in that respect, there’s a lot of light,”
Crisco said. “There’s just an abundance of light that comes into the house.”
The reconfigured second floor master suite has a walkin closet and an expanded bath with a marble shower, teak vanity and radiant heat flooring.
“So it’s very spa like,” Cisco said. “There are large windows that look right onto the glistening water, the boats, Tuxis Island. I look out there and I can’t even believe how beautiful it is. It really glistens and the little island, it looks like a painting.”
The second level of the enclosed porch is surrounded by windows and serves as a bedroom with sunrise views from one side and sunsets from the other.
“It’s all glass,” Cisco said. “You see the view of the water from all angles.”
The third floor has a bedroom and a renovated bath with the original claw foot tub and sink.
In the private back yard is a twobedroom cottage that brings in $35,000 of rental income per year, according to Cisco.
With the water right there, a boat mooring in front of the house, the neighbors all friendly folk who look out for one another and the Madison Beach Club three doors down, the location is amazing, Cisco said.
It’s also a great entertaining house.
When the family held a 90th birthday party for her father one summer, folks enjoyed barbequed fare and drinks from coolers on the patio or sampled from a buffet laid out on the dining room table, she said. Kids played volleyball or soaked in the hot tub in the backyard while others swam or went rowing in the kayak.
“So everybody was everywhere. That was a great party. It was a lot of fun,” she said. “You can do water events, hang out in the large yard or stay inside in the air conditioning.