Grand to intimate entertaining

Wet bars help make special occasions, parties ‘a splash’

Having a bar in one’s home need not be the stuff of fantasy, nor a lofty DIY project. In fact, home buyers searching through the Greenwich MLS — who envision future parties that range from the grand to intimate — may take note of a sometimes overlooked but nonetheless great feature that is the wet bar. This week’s showcase of Greenwich homes focuses in on a several properties — in a range of price ranges — that have wet bars built into their designs.

Take, for example, the modestly priced and undeniably charming 130 N. Water Street, listed by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s Barbara Zaccagnini for $739,000. At this threebedroom shinglestyle ranch — with a beautifully updated kitchen — the lower level has been fashioned for family/mediaroom use and appended with a builtin bar that’s sure to be the most popular spot in the home during rousing sporting events or movie nights. An added perk is the location of this property; the 0.3acre lot sits waterfront (with a private dock) on the Byram River. Luxurylevel entertaining

Ellen Mosher, a Realtor with Houlihan Lawrence, is representing the seller of 7 Topping Road — a sixbedroom, more than 10,000squarefoot Georgian on 4.6 acres, lakefront on Topping Lake. Listed for $9.95 million, this luxury estate has entertaining flow built right into the floor plan and a host of amenities to make special occasions even more memorable — for example, an inhome theater, a heated gunite pool and a dock right on the lake.

Many of the mainlevel interior rooms enjoy a water view of the lake and have exterior access to the outdoor living spaces. It is easy to imagine elegant and casual affairs here, with guests mingling and moving through formal living and dining rooms, a sleek and spacious eatin kitchen with glassfronted cabinets for stemware, and into the great room. Here, the ceiling soars — trussed and illuminated by a series of French doors and transom windows. A limestone fireplace sits at its center point, and a wet bar has been cleverly, stealthily incorporated into the design.

“The custom bar is tucked in a high corner overlooking the grand great room of this lakefront estate,” Mosher pointed out. “It’s one of the many chic gathering spaces of 7 Topping Road, which blend together for entertaining — all with views of the pool, verandah and dock.”

There are several wet bars at 28 Turner Drive — two on the main level and a third among the lower level of the newly constructed sixbedroom transitionalstyle Georgian colonial designed by architect Joseph Cugno.

Through email, the seller pointed out some noteworthy details about the two mainlevel wet bars — the first, strategically placed among the entertaining spaces. “The best part of the wet bar is its ideal location within the open floor plan family room, for easy access for entertaining, as well as right next to the library, situated next to a twostory stackedstone fireplace to provide ambiance. … It has a custom Calacatta Vagli marble top and backsplash with brown veining to complement the custom molasses cherry stain color of the cabinets that continues through to the cabinetry in the library. …

“The second wet bar, located in the butler’s pantry between the kitchen and dining room, contains Calacatta gold marble, with a SubZero undercabinet wine fridge located within easy access, and having an unusual rounded Kohler Brinx sink with highend Kohler faucets and custom stained cabinetry,” the seller explained.

28 Turner Drive is listed for $6.78 million by Sotheby’s International Realty; a public open house is planned for Sunday, July 14, 13 pm.

Sotheby’s International Realty At 28 Turner Drive, an intown newly construction Georgian colonial designed by architect Joseph Cugno, there are three wet bars to support special occasions to come. There is one amidst the home’s lower level, and two on the main level of the 11,717 square foot home.

Houlihan Lawrence Above: One of many ‘chic gathering spaces’ at 7 Topping Road, according to the listing broker, this great room has a wet bar built into its design, which includes a trussed ceiling, limestone fireplace and a bounty of oversized windows. The Topping Lake estate is currently listed for $9.95 million by Houlihan Lawrence. Below: Listed for $739,000 by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, the threebedroom rand at 130 N. Water Street in Greenwich has a lower level family room that’s accessed by spiral staircase and appended with a wet bar.