CAPE ELIZABETH – Here is a home that is an inspired work of art, created by the sellers over the course of 32 years.
A five-minute walk from oceanfront Fort Williams Park, enveloped by lush gardens and preserved woodland abutting the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust’s Robinson Woods, the freshly cedar-shingled house has been re-invented as a classic English-style cottage. Home and gardens provide a sanctuary to be enjoyed “by ourselves, family, friends, and colleagues,” in the words of the sellers.
The 0.36-acre lot’s enchanting gardens, elegant hardscaping, and extensive cedar fencing evolved steadily over three decades-plus. The several thousand plants, trees, and shrubs include “just about every perennial flower and shrub that grows in southern Maine.”
Among the captivating spaces are the Asian garden and bubbling pond; the hidden garden, its flowerings all white; and the bluestone patio garden, which is ornamented by dappled willows and a hazelnut tree, and connects to the fairy and gnome path.
The first-created garden room – a fenced, circular brick patio – introduces a front door wreathed in an arch of bittersweet, reflecting the gardens’ many arbors. The 10-room, four-bedroom, fourth-bath home was expanded in 2005 to its present 3,869 square feet, plus basement finished space including an office and a library with wood stove. The principal design influence is the Arts and Crafts movement, both U.S. and U.K. The effect, thanks in part to gorgeous, cherry-and-walnut woodwork, is warm and welcoming.
Highlights, too numerous to detail here, included a magnificent conservatory, with porch and summer kitchen; a master suite with a gorgeous, Roman-style bath; 10 hallway niches for artwork; and fossil-“patterned” Irish limestone counters in the updated kitchen.
The property is ideal for someone looking to consult, practice or work from home. A fifth bedroom served, with town permission, as a personal practice with a waiting room, bathroom and private entrance.
The home at 35 Littlejohn Road, Cape Elizabeth, is listed by Deborah Meek at the Tru Brit Realty Group of Saxby, Meek & Coward at Keller Williams Realty. It will first be available for viewing at an Open House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 15. For price and more information, please contact Deborah at 207-553-2662 or at trubrit2@trubritrealty.com.
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