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Nick Churton of Mayfair International Realty considers the joys and benifits of downsizing having visited an outstanding townhouse in New Canaan, CT.

Once upon a time – before the bankers and the financiers and the corporate investors spoilt it all – everyday well-off people enjoyed living in multiple vast houses in places like Palm Beach, the Hamptons, Aspen and New Canaan.

But then the banking crisis happened, followed by a change in thinking – and in spending. Now many everyday well-off people prefer multiple smaller homes in places like the Hamptons, Aspen and New Canaan.

And this is where 15 Old Stamford Road, New Cannan, CT comes in. In the US this property is called a condo. To the British mind this doesn’t mean much and if it does it usually means a waterfront apartment in Florida. We don’t have condos in the UK. So to me ‘condo’ doesn’t reflect what this house really is. But, ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’ as our Mr Shakespeare once wrote. This is a town house and a fine one. It is on the end of a short, attached row of similar attractive and manageable houses, just a short walk from the pretty New Canaan town centre, great schools and, most importantly, the railway station. You can be at Grand Central station in New York in about an hour. It is a great service: I know because I have done it.

The interior of this very comfortable, three-story, high ceilinged home is lovely. It has all the style, glamour and rooms of a much larger house but this is smaller, more economical to run, less ostentatious and more homely somehow. There is even a wonderful, temperature-controlled wine cellar. The house is great for entertaining, bringing up a family or having the grandchildren over to stay. And when it’s time to fly off to Palm Beach, the Hamptons or Aspen you can lock and leave without its gobbling up wasteful amounts of your hard-earned income in tax while you are absent.

In the UK we call this mouseholing. But instead of Palm Beach, the Hamptons, Aspen and New Canaan we choose mouseholes in Paris, St Tropez, Gstaad and Venice. Vive le différence! In respect of this charming town house and those who might live there – and with apologies to Sir Winston Churchill – some mouse! some hole!

This is a fragrant flower of a home. A rose.

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Nick Churton of Mayfair International Realty visits an old friend but a new house in New Canaan, CT.

It was good to be back inside the head of Max Abel. Last year I looked over another of his house creations. This one is a little smaller. But the thing about Max is that each house he builds is a little better than the last. He says he will never stop in his quest for perfection.

Of course Max’s view of perfection is more finely tuned than even the most demanding homebuyer. In most people’s eyes Max reached perfection in his houses some time ago. But he just keeps on improving them. He is not doing it for the owner-to-be. He does it because he thinks it is right.  Better, for Max, never stops.

So I tried to find fault with his latest house. It defeated me. You will have to visit to decide for yourself. The brochure can tell you about some of the detail but it won’t show you the hours of thought and the love that has gone into creating this house. Fourteen different shades of grey were painted onto the walls until Max found the one that worked best with the natural light in that particular location.

The living spaces seem huge and the open plan kitchen is dominated by an island unit with a vast marble top that was both quarried and fashioned underground in Vermont – before it ever saw the light of day after millions of years of waiting for Max.

Each bedroom has a closet and a full bathroom – all expertly finished. The roof space contains a massive area that you could well imagine could house a large gym and media room. That is, until you see the basement! Max didn’t fit a door to the basement. Instead he put in a wide elegant staircase that makes the basement another living floor and not just the basement. Simple really. But why don’t more developers do that?

Nor did Max stop with the house itself. Years ago, parcels of land hereabouts were marked out by their owners with walls made out of large, locally sourced rocks. One such wall inconveniently bisected the new rear garden of this property. So the large rocks were carefully scooped up and each split and re-used as the front boundary wall of the property. It is a work of art. Just like this house. I like the fact that Max’s houses are works of art. It means they are as rewarding to visit empty of furniture as they are fully furnished. And you can’t say that about many homes.

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Nick Churton of Mayfair International Realty communes with nature at a newly renovated and highly attractive house in New Canaan, CT.

Ask most people what feature they most desire in a house location and many will say water. The sea, a river, lake, pond or creek, they all have great attraction. I was reminded of this when I visited 64 Lake Wind Road in New Canaan recently.  The rear view is dominated by a small lake. But the great thing is the large fountain that has been installed. It is a stroke of genius. It has provided the house with a focal point and its backing track. It gives movement to the view and music to the location. But most of all it has transformed the eco-system. Once there were irritating insects and messy Canada geese – both attracted by still water. Now, in a splash, they are gone. In their place are now more welcome varieties of wildlife, including a large bullfrog that seems to boss the lake.

The same designer who installed the fountain has renovated this 1950s house and transformed it into a modern home of great charm and sophistication. From the outside you might swear this was a single storey home. But just wait until you get inside. Clever use of the roof-space and of the gently sloping site has made three legitimate floors of highly flexible accommodation. It is perfect for a growing family.

If you would like to be only about a mile from the centre of ever-so-smart New Canaan or only a short drive from up-and-coming Stamford I would definitely take a look.

A lot of bull is talked about property – but not this one. Ask the frog!

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Nick Churton of Mayfair International Realty reflects on a new home in New Canaan, CT with a real family focus.

Sometimes busy people with growing families just don’t have the time to look after older homes.  They have better things to do.  And the problem with older homes is that they do need upkeep. Over time bits wear out or fall off and need repair or replacement.  So the answer for many buyers is a new home – especially one that looks like an old one.  Its the perfect partner – all good looks and no bad habits.

An excellent example of this is 362 South Avenue, New Canaan, Connecticut. Architect Louise Brooks of Brooks & Falotico Associates, and interior designers Petra and Whitney Roberts of Boxwood Home & Interiors really get it.  Together they have produced a family house that is not just made of the right stuff, it is in the perfect place.

I have always thought the very best thing about New Canaan is that the community is geared to families, and to bringing up children in a way that kids will never forget nor ever wish too.

New Canaan is not just a place to live it is a place to grow.  From the pretty town centre to the amazing range of sports and cultural facilities, there is something for everyone in the family.

The local schools have just about more dollars spent on each child than almost any other public schools in the US, and accordingly Forbes magazine gauge New Canaan as close to the best city in the US to live and learn.

So I was impressed when I saw that 362 South Avenue is only four blocks away from New Canaan High School and Saxe Middle School. And it’s not much further for a parent or two to walk to New Canaan railway station either.  Manhattan is only forty-five minutes away down the line.

This is a lovely family house.  Have a look at the details and read this great account www.nehomemag.com/article/complementary-copy of the property.  These will tell you a great deal more.  This is a family house in a family location in a family city.  Parents usually think they know what’s best for their family.  Here is a chance to prove it.