This Sharply Angled Home Serves Up a Kitchen That’s a Work of Art

The exterior of this Connecticut house is decidedly unique, but it’s the kitchen that’s truly one of a kind.

On the market for $629,000, the four-bedroom home with an angular profile and distinctive rooflines in Hamden was built in 1969 and has had only one owner.

“It’s a contemporary house, and one of the requests of the owner was to have a house with living spaces that don’t blend into one another, meaning there is privacy, but it still feels open,” explains listing agent Wojtek Borowski, with H. Pearce Real Estate. “You have distinct spaces, but it’s all in a very unusual shell.”

Architect David Sellers with the Yale School of Architecture designed the home, which sits on 4 acres. He’s known for his focus on building structures that blend with nature.

“It’s pretty much surrounded by a state park, so you have incredible privacy and a beautiful setting. The house sort of flows with the land, with the terrain,” Borowski says.

Most of the ceilings are vaulted in the 2,912-square-foot house, creating a loft feel in some rooms as well as openness. However, the open nature of the design won’t appeal to everyone.

“Some people may find it uncomfortable to live in a loft-like setting. It’s great when you live there by yourself or with another person, but when you have kids or visitors, it becomes a place where you have no place to hide,” Borowski explains. This house “has four distinct bedrooms on the second floor, and those bedrooms have vaulted ceilings and unusually placed windows.”

The home’s two main rooflines slope away from each other and interlock above the bedrooms. Outdoor decks meld seamlessly with the angular design.

A buyer might want to budget in a few updates.

Many of the fixtures in the home’s 2.5 bathrooms are original, and there’s no central air. However, most of the mechanicals and the cedar shake roof have been updated.

New flooring might actually top the list of desired fixes.

“The whole house is carpeted, and the red carpet is actually originally from 1969, believe it or not,” says Borowski.

In the standout kitchen, a new owner will have to grapple with form and function.

The space was designed by Yale architect Tom Luckey, who also created abstract playgrounds called Luckey Climbers. the kitchen offers up a bit of a climbing theme of its own.

“The kitchen has grab handles to be able to climb on them. Each drawer in the kitchen has a different design and handle. The sink was carved out of a single piece of teak and so are the handles on the faucets to turn the water on and off,” Borowski says.

It’s the only kitchen that Luckey designed that’s still in existence.

“I think he designed two, but unfortunately one of them is gone. This kitchen is one of a kind,” he says. “This is pretty much a sculpture that happens to be a kitchen. You’re using something that is functioning as a kitchen, but its look is not.”

The agent says most people who’ve looked at the house want to keep the kitchen because it is so unusual. Other potential buyers have mentioned the possibility of removing it.

“If that is the case, the architect of the house would want to take the kitchen and put it in a museum,” he says. “The aesthetic of it is incredible. It’s like a time capsule and something you do not find anymore.”

Borowski acknowledges this house is not for everyone, but it is an architectural delight that hasn’t had any regrettable updates.

“There are not that many of them that actually survive or exist that are still in its original and intact state,” he says. “Ideally, the buyer of this house would like to preserve it and sort of bring it to modern usage, but without altering the appeal and character of the house.”

By Tiffani Sherman

Jul 22, 2022