House in Washington, CT

Available Month of August! Gracious Country Home in Washington, CT.

Available Month of August! Gracious Country Home in Washington, CT.

Photo gallery for Available Month of August! Gracious Country Home in Washington, CT.

Master Bedroom suite with gas fireplace
Front of house
Great Room with fireplace
Great Room
Great Room

Overview of Available Month of August! Gracious Country Home in Washington, CT.

10 out of 10 Exceptional
4 bedrooms3 bathroomsSleeps 6316 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Kitchen
  • Washer
  • Dryer
  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning
  • Outdoor space

Explore the area

Washington, CT
  • Popular LocationMount Tom State Park2 min drive
  • Popular LocationLake Waramaug7 min drive
  • Popular LocationBantam Lake8 min drive
  • AirportNew Haven, CT (HVN-Tweed - New Haven Regional)77 min drive

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 6)

Guest Bedroom 2

Guest Bedroom 4

Guest Bedroom (first floor)

Master Bedroom

3 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Toilet · Shower only

Guest Bedroom (first floor)

Toilet · Shower only

Master Bathroom

Bathtub or shower · Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Office
Outdoor play area
Garden
Dining Area

About this property

Available Month of August! Gracious Country Home in Washington, CT.

Just 90 minutes from NYC and Boston, Litchfield County is comprised of wonderful restaurants, unique shops, galleries, historic homes and gardens, horse farms, spas, fitness studios, farmers’ markets, hiking and more.

Once part of the Underground Railroad, this beautifully renovated and tastefully decorated 4 bedroom, 3 bath house set on 2 ½ acres with a barn has all the modern comforts and amenities. It is conveniently located near the charming villages and towns of New Preston, Washington, Warren, Kent, Litchfield as well as other nearby towns in Litchfield County. Steep Rock Preserve, Hidden Valley Preserve, Lake Waramaug, and the Shepaug River offer many activities, including hiking, biking, fly fishing, canoeing and kayaking. It is close to several private boarding schools including the Gunnery and Rumsey Hall; the famed Relaix & Chateau Mayflower Inn & Spa, Lake Waramaug, Winvian Restaurant and Spa, Arethusa Restaurant and Hopkins Vineyard.

Large, well-proportioned rooms on the first floor have 11-foot ceilings and 7-ft. tall 12- over-12 windows. There are four working fireplaces in the house — two wood-burning and two converted to gas. The house has a four-zone heating system and central AC throughout.

The fully-equipped kitchen has a professional 60” Wolf six-burner stove with double-oven, Bosch dishwasher, a large side by side refrigerator and plenty of counter space for cooking and a handpainted wood floor. The kitchen opens directly to the light-filled 15' x 25' post and beam great room with a 20-foot ceiling and wood-burning fireplace. Behind the kitchen is the mud room with an LG washer and dryer and 18th century Italian armoire for storage. The mudroom's side door opens to a large deck with a stainless steel DCS grill and teak table and chairs.

Immediately adjacent to the kitchen is the 15' x 25' formal dining room with an original keeping room wood-burning fireplace. The room features custom 18th-century pastoral scene wallpaper from France. The table comfortably seats 10-12.

Off the dining room is a guest suite with a queen-size bed and a 10-foot tall antique armoire. The adjoining bathroom has Waterworks fixtures and shower. The bedroom opens to the formal, light-filled living room/library with gas fireplace and custom designed rug (15' x 20').

An extra wide staircase in the dining room leads upstairs to the sun-filled master suite (15' x 30') with 3 exposures. The room has a vaulted ceiling and a gas fireplace. There is a large full bathroom and a separate dressing room with closet.

Across from the master suite are two additional bedrooms, one decorated with red toile wallpaper and twin beds and the other with a full-size antique iron bed. Between the two bedrooms is a sitting room/study with a large flat-screen TV. The two bedrooms share a bathroom with a Waterworks fixtures.

The bedrooms are furnished with down-filled comforters and pillows and antique furniture.

Recently added is a great wood-burning firepit and Adirondack chairs out by our pond. Perfect place to spend a cool evening around the fire.

The house is close to several private boarding schools — including the Gunnery and Rumsey Hall — and the famed Relaix & Chateau Mayflower Inn & Spa, Lake Waramaug, Winvian Restaurant and Spa, Arethusa Restaurant and the Hopkins Vineyard.

Available by the week, month or season.
Please call for availability and discounted rates for longer stays.
Shorter stays of 4 days may occasionally be accommodated if check-in is on a Saturday.
917-613-8777















Keywords: Single Family Home

Property manager

Sheila Sullivan

Amenities

Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Free WiFi
Air conditioning
Outdoor space

House Rules

Check in after 3:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 30
Check out before 12:30 PM

Children

Children allowed: ages 3-17

Events

No events allowed

Pets

No pets allowed

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted
We are a "shoe-free" home which helps keep the house staying clean and helps protect our beautiful antique wood floors (which are very soft!)

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, and a smoke detector

We should mention

A car is required for transportation to and from this property

About the area

New Preston

Located in New Preston, this vacation home is in a rural area and on a river. White Memorial Conservation Center and Litchfield Historical Society Museum are cultural highlights, and some of the area's activities can be experienced at Hopkins Vineyard and Big Cathedral Trail. Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden and The Christmas Shop are also worth visiting. Enjoy the area's slopes with cross-country skiing and snowboarding, and don't miss out on the sledding and snowmobiling.

What's nearby

  • Mount Tom State Park - 2 min drive
  • Lake Waramaug - 7 min drive
  • Bantam Lake - 8 min drive
  • Hopkins Vineyard - 9 min drive
  • Litchfield Town Green - 11 min drive

Getting around

  • Appalachian Trail - 41 min drive
  • Oxford, CT (OXC-Waterbury - Oxford) - 36 min drive

Restaurants

  • Arethusa Farm Dairy - 6 min drive
  • Popey's Ice Cream Shoppe - 13 min drive
  • Dunkin' - 10 min drive
  • Bohemian Pizza and Taco - 10 min drive
  • GW Tavern - 9 min drive

Reviews

10

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 10 - Excellent. 7 out of 7 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 0 out of 7 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 7 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 7 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 7 reviews" "

10/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

10/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Matthew B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Connecticut country charm
My husband and I rented Sheila & Bill’s stunning home in August when Manhattan is too hot and humid to be enjoyable. Their property is what country house dreams are made of! They greeted us when we arrived telling us everything we needed to know about the house and then some, giving us recommendations on where to eat, shop, swim, hike, etc. Being a decorator myself I was so excited to stay in a home that has been so painstakingly restored. The home is stunning and while historical homes can sometimes feel stuffy and as if you are staying in a museum, Sheila & Bill’s home is comfortable, relaxing, and yet so gracious. They have done an amazing job organizing the house so that you can always find what you need. I have also never stayed in a house that has everything you may need - but this home does! It just makes for such a relaxing visit. In the end, the house was so fantastic that we spent more time at in than exploring the neighboring towns, but we did enjoy a dinner at Community Table, getting produce at the local farm stand and picking up summer fruit pies at Bantam Bread Co. Of course we had to pick up some Arethusa ice cream to go with the pies! We had family coming in and out to stay with us during the week and everyone thought the property was fantastic for warm summer days. We spent time reading in the hammock under the pear tree, lazed about on the lawn and sat around the fire pit at night. We also loved using the deck for cocktail hour and grilling. The kitchen was excellent for cooking those large family dinners where everyone helps and the dining room is an ideal backdrop for any meal shared with loved ones. The home exudes a warmth that is rare and it gave us everything we were hoping for and more for our week in the country. We didn’t want to leave and we can’t wait to go back!
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Lorna B., New York, NY USA

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Idyllic property, perfect hosts.
I spent Christmas 2021 at this luxurious, historically-significant and flawlessly decorated country house. It resides in one of the prettiest parts of Litchfield County, an elegant and charming retreat-like place. The home itself was immaculately updated, yet preserves all of its original magic. Sheila and Bill are the most thoughtful and generous hosts. It was a perfect place for the winter holidays -- we even got a picture-perfect coating of snow on Christmas Eve. I wish I could give more than 5 stars. Loved it.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2021
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Mary C.

Inviting, Spotless and Beautifully Decorated
We were so happy to have discovered this beautiful gem in the CT countryside! The home is lovely -- both inside and out. If fact, the listing photos do not really do it justice. This is a gorgeous old house, lovingly restored and decorated with obvious care and talent. It is also a very comfortable house. From the moment you enter the mud room (the most gorgeous mud room I've ever seen) till you sink into the sumptuous down-filled pillows on the family room sofa, you will feel totally pampered. The bathrooms and bedrooms include quality linens and towels, and the kitchen is well-equipped and spacious enough for several cooks. And the dining room... well, the dining room is simply breathtaking! Homeowner Sheila took the time to greet us on our arrival and show us the entire house, answering all of our questions and providing tips about where to eat out and what to see. My husband and I loved hiking down the surrounding country roads and at nearby Bee Brook, and exploring beautiful Litchfield. We visited White Flower Farms, The Glebe, and the Bellamy-Ferriday House. We wandered the shore of Lake Waramaug at dusk -- a beautiful sight indeed. And we may have over-indulged on the ice cream at Arethusa Farm and Dairy. :) If you love the comfort and beauty, antiques and the outdoors, gardens and historic architecture, this is definitely the place for you!
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Christine M.

So pleased to have visited ......!!
Our group of five old friends (three from the West Coast of Canada and two from the UK) descended upon Forbes House and made this our base for relaxing and exploring Connecticut for a week after attending a wedding at nearby Washington. Despite staggered arrival times, our hostess Sheila was there to welcome all of us and thereafter was readily accessible by phone to answer any questions we had. Her beautiful character home was everything we had anticipated from reading about it on the VRBO website - and more. How difficult it is to describe the comfort and warmth of a home well-lived in through the ages that embraces its visitors. The clean spacious rooms, comfortable beds and linens, a well-stocked and equipped kitchen that begs to be the hub of group meal preparation amid laughter and conversation, thoughtful and pleasing decor with seating areas to spend quiet time, modern bathroom fixtures, and a barbeque equipment cupboard to excite and stimulate the outdoor eating senses - and we put the deck to good use in this way a great deal of the time. It was difficult to tear ourselves away from the house to carry out plans for visiting the nearby charming small towns and villages, exploring beautiful country lanes (the narrow and sometimes unpaved route from Kent through Bull Bridge to New Preston is a wonderful drive), and venturing further afield to Hartford and New Haven, both easily reachable within 90 minutes or so. We were unfortunately unable to secure a reservation for dinner at the highly rated Community Table restaurant, but delicious ice cream at nearby Bantam was easily obtained and oft repeated. A memorable week for all of us was made possible by Sheila's careful attention to detail in providing for her guests all the necessary comforts to create a welcoming and relaxing environment.
This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Bob M.

Marvelous home
I have rented this house for my clients the last two years, and they all love the place. The owners, who are incredibly hospitable and caring, have created a home that exudes a warm excellence. If you want an environment that is rich in antique and yet friendly and comfortable, you will not find a better place. Not only is it clean and well-maintained beyond expectation, it is impeccable. I assure you, you will not want to leave when your stay is over.

About the host

Hosted by Sheila Sullivan

Host profile image
We live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan during the week We have a very busy and wonderful life in New York but really look forward to our escape to CT on the weekends where we can truly relax. We especially love entertaining as the house is perfect for it.

Why they chose this property

We have always loved Litchfield County and dreamed of having an old house some day. We appreciated the unique history of this house being built by one of the areas largest iron masters and also the fact that it was part of the Underground Railroad. The house was not typical of it's time but rather was designed as a manor house with it's large, beautifully-proportioned rooms and high ceilings. Unlike a lot of old homes that we looked at, this house is full of light with it's 7' tall windows downstairs and it feels very open.

What makes this property unique

It was our dream to buy an old home and restore it. We fell in love with this house after seeing just a picture of it. It was a true labor of love. The house has a rich and interesting history which we sought to preserve. The interior is painted with historical colors and is filled with many period antiques while absolutely comfortable. All the rooms are spacious with extra high ceilings and doorways so you always have a feeling of openness. The extra large kitchen is a joy to cook in with all the space one would ever need to cook great gourmet meals. The great room has double height ceilings and lots of windows on 3 sides so it's always flooded with sun. It's truly a special and unique home. The location is great too, as it is close to Kent, Litchfield, New Preston, the center of Washington and just a few miles from Lake Waramaug.
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