On the Market: A Connecticut Cottage Inspired by a Castle
The one-time pottery now boasts four bedrooms, a gorgeous kitchen, and a private waterfall.
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
299 Great Hollow Road, Cornwall, CT
Price: $1,395,000
Size: 2,599 square feet
Bedrooms: 4
Baths: 3.5
If you get castle vibes from this Connecticut home, you’re on the right track. A portion of the stone cottage once served as the pottery for nearby Cornwall Castle, an extravagant country estate built for a New York socialite in the 1920s. It wasn’t until the ’50s that the then-owners converted it into a distinct dwelling. Then, in the late ’90s, architect Nick Rondinone—who happened to be the son of the property’s original potter—bought the cottage and expanded on it, inspired by the larger Cornwall fortress that still stands down the street. He used stones gathered from the castle to build 18-inch-thick walls and converted the bungalow into the enchanting four-bedroom house it is today.
He didn’t just throw down some floors and slap on some paint. Rondinone made the storybook-style home even more intricate by bringing in accents such as vintage doors and carved wooden panels sourced from an old New York theater. When he passed the torch to the current owners, they—to the benefit of the next buyers—continued to embellish the interior. The kitchen is one example: What used to be a clay drying room now boasts soapstone counters, built-in bench seating, and Israeli limestone tiling outfitted with radiant heating. Not to mention top-of-the-line appliances like a Sub-Zero double fridge, Viking six-burner stove with double ovens, and two Fisher & Paykel drawer dishwashers.
Outside, the grounds don’t disappoint. Leafy ivy clings to some sections of the fieldstone exterior and two patios stretch out from the entrance area and primary bedroom. Further into the five acres, a pond with a stone dam forms a bubbling waterfall—the final flourish on a fairytale property.
For information, contact Patti Guarantano, William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, williampitt.com.
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
Photo by Michael Bowman Photography
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