Connecticut native John Frederick Kensett celebrated the Darien landscape in his beautiful nineteenth-century paintings. Now Kensett, a new 16-acre community of luxury homes, strives to celebrate that same natural beauty. Here, four acres of land will be dedicated to walking trails framed by towering trees so residents can stroll in nature and just take it all in.
Kensett is an exciting development in town as it’s the first significantly sized new neighborhood to take root in a generation. Its mission, according to the developers, is to combine traditional New England architecture with a contemporary spirit. In addition, the community was designed to appeal to homebuyers who no longer want to maintain a large house and property. “We listened carefully to the desires of those who are considering downsizing.
High on their wish lists are private outdoor spaces, contemporary floor plans for entertaining, generous storage spaces, garage parking and the ability to customize,” says Bob Dale of Buckingham Partners, who conceived and developed Kensett with his partner, Bill McGuiness. “We know there’s an underserved market for this type of housing and we try to meet our buyers’ demands without compromise.”
Plans at Kensett call for sixty-two homes ranging from 3,200 to more than 4,400 square feet. Each will employ state-of-the-art, energy-efficient construction. A handful of the homes will be freestanding, but most will be built in groups of twos, allowing for windows on three sides and plenty of light in the free-flowing spaces. As the model homes on the property show, residences feature gourmet kitchens, formal dining areas and lower-level spaces that can be converted into living and entertaining areas. Each home has a two-car garage and flagstone patio landscaped for privacy.
There’s a nice social component to Kensett, too. The Meeting House, for instance, is a hub for the community. Located on a private road just off Hoyt Street, Kensett is just five minutes from the railroad station and downtown Darien. From $1.3 million. kensettdarien.com