394 Brushy Ridge Rd, New Canaan, CT 06840

Easily mistaken at first glance for the set of a Nancy Meyer film, this carefully-curated country home is the loving creation of its simultaneous-interior designer and current owner. A polo barn in its first life, the original 1926 construction has been vastly expanded and modernized to accommodate the needs of a 21st-century family. Set on a lushly biodiverse 3.3-acre spread, the property is simply romantic-groves of birches and small ponds outside, beamed ceilings and stone fireplaces within. Just a 3-minute drive from downtown New Canaan and 5-minutes from the train station, the home is in a prime location. And yet, despite this proximity, once through the gated entrance there is a true sense of retreat. A gravel driveway winds through the open lawn to the main house, a tranquil welcome only to be continued. The transition between inside and out is easy, made from screened-in porches to patios spotted with pergolas and a fire pit. Although polo is no longer played on the property, the sweeping lawn has plenty of other purposes to serve. An inner Martha Stewart, her own Bedford farm compound only a 20-minute drive away, may be embraced whilst tending the chicken coop. Many elements of the former stables are echoed and elaborated on in the exquisite details-an Old World kitchen with a French Lacanche stove, a custom deep copper tub in the master bathroom.