Gatherings OUTDOOR
STYLISH, OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING, IS A THREE-SEASON EVENT
When prospective buyers tour a home in person, they get a sense of a floor plan’s flow, how one interior space unfolds and leads you to the next. They take stock in the quality of the materials used to execute on the interior design. They imagine how the house might function for day-to-day life, and they often daydream a little about what it might be like to entertain friends and family and host special occasions there. They may think of winter holidays held in formal rooms, springtime picnics on the lawn, or summertime pool parties and barbecues. Not to be outdone, autumn proves an equally festive time of year to gather and celebrate.
How does one qualify a house “meant for entertaining?” Often, there’s a dazzling entry and gracious, accommodating formal rooms. You might find a true chef’s kitchen, equipped to handle affairs from sitdown to tray-passed. Butler’s pantries and wet bars are smart kitchen companions, and amenities like wine cellars, tasting rooms, and glamorous pool terraces check off entertaining-optimal boxes. Outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and fire pits extend the entertaining season into the fall.
At 32 Clapboard Hill Road in Westport, this luxury-market home checks off so many of these buyer wish-list boxes, and more. The elegant six-bedroom residence was built in 2002 and is sited on a 2-acre lovingly landscaped lot.
“This estate, in the heart of coveted Green’s Farms, has everything you are looking for, in terms of today’s lifestyle,” according to Michelle Genovesi, a broker with Michelle & Company at William Raveis Real Estate who is representing the property’s seller. The main entry to the home opens to a double-height foyer with a grayand-white marble floor and an art-piece chandelier glimmering overhead. It leads to generously proportioned interior rooms with timeless décor.
The kitchen is expansive, with hardwood flooring, white-on-white cabinetry and surfaces, a tiered island with a prep sink, and a built-in workstation for homework sessions, recipe consultation or home-management tasks. Plus, there’s both a butler’s pantry and a wet bar to complement the kitchen, formal dining room and terraces.
“The outdoor living spaces truly have it all. The upper terrace and built-in grill are perfect for outdoor entertaining, while the lower terrace centers on the gorgeous swimming pool and pergola,” Genovesi said.
The property is replete with amenities, including a gym, billiards room, media room, wine cellar and tasting room. “There’s even room for a tennis court,” the listing agent pointed out. 32 Clapboard Hill Road is currently listed for $4.5 million.
You’ll find a special property in Fairfield’s Sasco Hill. It spans 4.42 acres, with a grand, 10,363-square-foot main house, garaging for six, a guesthouse, a private home office, a fitness center, tennis courts, a pool, and vegetable, herb and flower gardens. Located at 421 Sasco Hill Road, Fairfield, this is a one-of-a-kind compound.
“What truly makes this property a remarkable outdoor oasis is this magnificent [home] boasts all of today’s most sought-after amenities,” according to Tara Hawley, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty in Fairfield. Hawley and her colleague Doris J. Rowe have co-listed the property — the asking price set at $7.795 million.
“The guesthouse is complete with a kitchen, living room, en-suite bedroom, fitness center and home office,” she added. “The greenhouse can easily be transformed into a whimsical dining or wine-tasting area conveniently adjacent to the custom-built, stained-white oak wine room. Open the pool house’s sliding doors to an outdoor oasis with both indoor and outdoor kitchens, which are ideal for entertaining. The gunite pool and spa is the perfect spot to relax and unwind. The thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces include a perfect gentleman’s farm, six-bay detached garage, tennis and bocce courts. The spectacular grounds are complete with your own cutting gardens.”