The notion of the country house started more than a century ago. Wealthy families who could afford to have property outside the city escaped to the country for respite, recovery and rejuvenation. Today, autumn in particular gives us the same urge for escape. With the start of fall, we all look towards these two cozy country estates on the market well suited for gathering, taking in the season’s breathtaking scenery, and channeling your inner Thoreau.
Address: 57 Indian Trail Rd., New Milford, CT
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 3 full, 1 half
Square feet: 6,236
Price: $4,850,000
Set on 72 acres across two lots in its own bucolic valley, this country estate has myriad opportunities for autumnal vistas. “You’ll never make any money selling lemonade,” jokes real estate agent Elyse Harney Morris of Elyse Harney Real Estate in Salisbury, CT, emphasizing the home’s privacy. Drink morning coffee on the private balcony off the primary suite, roast marshmallows by the outdoor fire pit, walk the grounds to the stables that now house llamas, a Shetland pony, goats and chickens, spend evenings reading in the library or host wine tastings in the authentically designed Italian stone wine cellar.
The current homeowners completely renovated and expanded the antique circa-1755 home, reimagining it for modern comfort, with an addition that includes a two-floor great room with soaring stone fireplace and rustic chandelier, updated chef’s kitchen and a heated in-ground pool. “The house gets incredible light,” says Morris, noting that the great room and kitchen is one of her favorite features of the home. “It was well-designed.” So too, is the dining room with French doors out to the stone patio and a hand-painted wall mural—both blurring the lines between indoors and outdoors. “It’s an absolutely magical dining room with all of this light looking out at the land,” she says. A pool house has an additional bedroom for guests and the grounds are complete with fruit orchards and a pond that freezes over for skating in the winter. “This is such a four-seasons property,” she adds.
CONTACT: Elyse Harney Morris
Principal Broker, Elyse Harney Morris Real Estate
Salisbury, CT
860-318-5126; elyse@harneyre.com
New Milford Photography Credit: Sonja Zinke
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3585 Route 82, Millbrook, NY
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 6
Square feet: 6,244
Price: $5,500,000
Millbrook Inn founder Yvette Fromer knew what made a historic house special when she bought this property and decided to rebuild it from the ground up. She built the Millbrook Inn into an award-winning luxury destination with vision and craftsmanship. “At the inn, she took a building over 100 years old and made it feel current without stripping out its soul. Here, she did the reverse. She took a new house and gave it a hundred years of soul,” says Jordan Vaccaro, listing agent for the property with Serhant. Real Estate. Fromer brought in Halton Construction a few miles up the road on Route 82 to do the work. The construction company specializes in historic restoration and understands what makes an old house feel the way it does. “You can feel it the second you walk in the door,” adds Vaccaro. The home has two primary suites, each with its own walk-in closet, making it ideal for homeowners who want to spend the weekend with extended family. Bespoke finishes, from the spacious chef’s kitchen to the light-filled family room and dining room, give each inch of this house a feeling like it is one with the land it sits on. “Nothing competes with the living room,” says Vaccaro. “You watch the sun set behind the Catskills from it.”
The walk-out basement has a wine cellar, in-law suite, media room and fitness space that feel very much connected to the rest of the house and the grounds outside. Take in fall foliage from the spacious deck or sit under the gazebo by the pond. “This property is the reason people come up to the Hudson Valley in the fall. Millbrook is farmers markets, wineries, apple orchards, and there is no better way to be part of that season than from a farmhouse on ten acres with the leaves turning in every direction and two ponds on the property,” he adds.
Millbrook, NY, has a small village, shops, vineyards, and local arts community that draw visitors year-round, particularly in warmer months. It’s just off the Taconic Parkway, about two hours north of Manhattan. “You get the whole ritual of fall up here and then you come home to a house that asks nothing of you,” says Vaccaro. “That’s the part people underestimate. A country escape stops being an escape the minute it turns into a project, and this one never will.”
CONTACT:
Jordan Vaccaro
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
Westchester & Hudson Valley
SERHANT.
845-489-2030; jordanvaccarorealestate.com
Millbook Photography Credit: Franco Vogt
