43 Laurel Rd, Hamden, CT 06517

Best of all worlds - a gracious, welcoming home in a neighborhood that feels secluded but is close to everything! An easy stroll from Edgerton Park's summer Shakespeare & garden festivals, the Eli Whitney Museum, Whitney barn concerts, and East Rock's waterfall & hiking trails, 43 Laurel is also a 10 minute walk from Yale's Science Hill, steps from the blue/yellow shuttle routes, 10 minutes by bike from downtown New Haven/the central Yale campus, and a short drive from I91/95. But park in the 2-car garage, and this leafy oasis feels miles from highways and high-rises. Head in the double-Dutch front door, and gorgeous woodwork is everywhere. Left off the 2-story foyer is a light-filled dining room; right is a generous living room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, stone fireplace, bay window with views of the woods, and double French-doors onto a stone-faced side-porch. It's the perfect set-up for entertaining: room for a grand piano and plenty of friends and family around it. The big, bright kitchen could use updating but is fully functional. A laundry room/mudroom area and half-bath complete the first floor. Upstairs is arranged gallery-like around the foyer. The master BR suite has a walk-in closet and ensuite bath; a second main BR also has ensuite bath, and a third full bath is shared by bedrooms 3 and 4, as well as a small home office nook. And if 2400 sq ft is not enough, the walk-up attic and full height basement offer hobby areas, + room for expansion.

43 Laurel is a home people come to stay in - it has only had 4 owners since being built in 1924! One was a member of Yale's Class of '34, and a fan of Yale's sailing regatta. A doctor and amateur artist, he filled the house with murals (preserved by both owners since) celebrating all things Yale and sailing, including lovingly detailed images of the Thimble Islands and Short Beach, clearly created by someone used to seeing them from the water. The basement, although unfinished, is a hobbyist's dream, with a pro-quality workbench and work-room, triple-bay soapstone utility sinks with running water that have served for a darkroom, built-in wine racks in a store-room that doubles as wine cellar, and a sewing/crafting area where former owners have produced award-winning jewelry, dolls and artwork.