Unique Properties
THE ‘WOW’ FACTOR
Dramatic, breathtaking views give an edge to a recently sold California home.
First impressions are crucial ones, and a recent sale in Carpinteria, Calif., has proven it is no exception to the rule. The oceanfront property, nestled on one of the area’s most preferred beaches, recently sold for $17.5 million.
What made the home truly desirable was just beyond the front entrance. Upon opening the doors of the 5-bedroom, 5.5-bath home, it was hard not to be completely blown away, says Kathleen
Winter, director of the estates division of Prudential California Realty. Prospective buyers were greeted with a 30-foot span of floor-to-ceiling glass porch doors that revealed a jaw-dropping view of the ocean.
“Almost everyone who viewed it took about 10 steps into the house and stopped in their tracks,” Winter says. “They were incredibly impressed. It gives off an open feeling and people were incredibly attracted to that.”
But it was more than just the commanding view that sold the home. Built in 2008, the 7,311-square-foot residence combines modern amenities — in-floor radiant heat, a security system with lasers and cameras and integrated lighting and sound systems — with a classic, Cape Cod-inspired design.
“That was very appealing to the buyer. It had all the amenities, but its style was timeless,” says Winter.
Inside, an open and airy family room leads to a gourmet kitchen with both garden and ocean views. Each level also has a master suite facing the ocean. It helps, too, that the home sits on one of the area’s most private beaches, which, according to Winter, rarely erodes as the seasons change.
“Padaro Lane is one of the most private beaches. There’s really no public access and it’s also the sandiest beach every year, year-round,” she says.
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CLASSIC STONE MANOR
Gothic 1920s architecture on display in New England country home.
From its stone walls and stained-glass to hand-painted murals, the Stoneleigh home in New Canaan, Conn., is the quintessential English manor. It’s one of the last of its kind in the area, according to Carol Hollyday of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.
Built in 1929 by New York architect Ernest Green, the home was renovated to more than 10,000 square feet, painstakingly designed to match the original home, Hollyday says. “It was a stone house, and the owner found a church in New Jersey that matched this stone,” she says. “He took the Old World 1920s farm, made it into an estate and it’s seamless.”
The addition includes a wine cellar and state-of-the-art theater, but the manor’s Gothic influences remain. “Gothic fireplaces continue in the new wings, and pointed tops throughout the whole house,” she says. “The ’20s were such an important period in architecture. So many people just go to the new house and are missing out on the Old World charm.”
Stoneleigh is on the market for $10.3 million.
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