By Megan Montemarano
With the official start of the holiday season comes the official start of home entertaining. In addition to delicious food and drink, atmosphere is a key component to a successfully hosted gathering. From glamorous dining rooms to coastal views, amenity-filled spaces and rooms with rustic charm, these beautiful and versatile residences each exude an inherent ambiance that is sure to make all hosts of this year’s Thanksgiving Day festivities eternally grateful.
Elegance and Glamour
Enjoy an extravagant feast surrounded by sophistication and style at 36 Hemlock Hill Road, a gracious Colonial masterpiece in New Canaan, Conn. Built by internationally acclaimed architect Richard Moison, the estate welcomes more than just a regular day of refined country living. The extremely private, 2.14-acre property encompasses its entirely own lifestyle ideal for entertaining and everyday living. Highlights include a double staircase grand foyer and spacious dining room complete with a sparkling chandelier and grand piano down the hall. A similar glamorous atmosphere can be found at 30 Newberry Place in Rye, N.Y. This recently built five-bedroom Colonial contains an open floor plan with sun-filled rooms and cutting edge design. In addition to a brand new kitchen with top-notch appliances for cooking that long anticipated turkey, the home also has a particularly striking dining room perfect for a formal dinner at home.
For more information on 36 Hemlock Hill Road: Rita Kirby, 203.984.7665, Rkirby@williampitt.com; 30 Newberry Place: Julie Bieber, 917.734.2941, Julie.Bieber@juliabfee.com
Coastal Cure
Let any stress drift away while visiting 2 Surf Road, a yachtsman’s paradise on the Saugatuck Shores of Westport, Conn. This 7,243 square-foot home offers direct water frontage with a 40-foot deep water dock and boat ramp, as well as breathtaking views from nearly every room, including its particularly impressive great room. Holiday guests are likely to gravitate towards this alluring space due to its panoramic coastal vistas, wet bar and fireplace—three vital components of a successful Thanksgiving fete. Out on Connecticut’s shoreline village of Essex, Conn., a restored antique Colonial located at 39 Main Street also boasts an exceptional great room, comprised of an open kitchen, dining area and family room. Hosts can cook, socialize and even watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade all at the same time! To top it off, the property additionally enjoys water views, savoring the easy, breezy lifestyle so often associated with the beach well into the winter.
For more information on 2 Surf Road: Laura Sydney, 203.610.3949, Lsydney@williampitt.com; 39 Main Street: Colette Harron, 860.304.2391, Charron@williampitt.com
Fun for Everyone
With a large group of people at the house, it’s important to keep everyone having fun. For wine connoisseurs, 20 Pleasant Ridge Road in Harrison, N.Y., has a 3,000-bottle, temperature-controlled wine room. Visitors who are really feeling adventurous can head on over to the neighboring cabana suite, which offers a changing room and sauna. Talk about a luxury Thanksgiving!
New Canaan, Conn.’s 137 Oenoke Ridge has a great lower level for the kids, complete with a space to watch TV, play games and even get a breath of fresh air on the room’s adjacent walk-out patio. Those who love contemporary style will especially enjoy the recreation area of 105 Colonial Avenue in Larchmont, N.Y., which can be accessed down a floating glass-railed staircase leading to the home’s lowest level. A family entertainment room, as well as a top-of-the-line kitchen in an open, airy environment only adds to the ease of home entertaining. This one-of-a-kind residence encapsulates amenities associated with modern city living in the heart of a beautiful Westchester County town.
For more information on 20 Pleasant Ridge Road: Wendy Alper, 914.806.6868, Wendy.Alper@juliabfee.com; 137 Oenoke Ridge: Susan Blabey, 203.979.7774, Sbabley@williampitt.com; 105 Colonial Avenue: Jane Murray, 914.263.4210, Jane.Murray@juliabfee.com
Rustic Charm
What’s Thanksgiving without some good, old-fashioned rustic charm? 279 North Avenue in Westport, Conn., takes advantage of its peaceful and exceptionally rare 13-acre riverfront setting, capturing the very essence of New England in the fall in every way. Inspired by a chestnut barn that was relocated from Weston, Conn., modernized and expanded to create this architectural masterpiece, the six-bedroom, amenity-filled home exudes a welcoming warmth that makes you want to curl up by the fire, relax and simply take it all in. A similarly cozy feeling is found out in the Berkshires at 92 North Road in Chesterfield, Mass.—a 103-acre horse farm with impressive equestrian amenities and a main house featuring scenic views, oversized windows, attractive wood flooring and a huge country-style kitchen, where having “too many chefs in the kitchen” is utterly impossible.
For more information on 279 North Ave: Todd Gibbons, 203.858.8585, Tgibbons@williampitt.com; 92 North Road: George Cain, 917.861.3855, Gcain@williampitt.com
