Home of the Week: Farmside home harvests history with a side of modern kitchen
North Shore property has three bedrooms and 2.5 baths.
133 Old Ferry Road, Newburyport
$1,050,000
Style Colonial Farmhouse
Year built 1790
Square feet 2,214
Bedrooms 3
Baths 2 full, 1 half
Sewer/Water Private/Public
Taxes $9,107 (2022)
This 1790 Colonial Farmhouse was in such disrepair that the owner called it a “squirrel condo.” Given that real estate is all about location, location, location, then this property’s setting abutting historic Arrowhead Farm and near Maudslay State Park in Newburyport was a big win for the critters.
But no more. Prior owners spent years rebuilding the home and put on an addition (in 2010).
Once owned by the Moulton family, the proprietors of Arrowhead for generations, the home gets right down to business or pleasure from the get-go: The foyer offers access to a library/family room with built-ins on the right and the living room on the left. Rough-hewn beams cross the ceilings in both rooms and connect to the home’s original rough-hewn framing. The spaces also come with four windows and red-brick fireplaces: The fireplace in the library/family room has a black gas insert framed by a white wooden mantel, while the living room one houses a free-standing cast-iron gas stove.
A half bath, just off the living room, offers a modern touch: a wall-mounted white porcelain trough sink.
The flooring throughout the house on both levels is wide-planked pine but with an espresso tint.
The living room flows into an expansive side entry (136 square feet), which is one step down and houses the stairs to the second floor. The side entry connects to the formal dining room, as does the library/family room. The dining room has a drum shade light fixture at its center, a pantry, and three windows.
The final room on this floor combines the historic with the current. The kitchen has a tall, angled ceiling bisected by a rough-hewn beam that brings continuity with the rest of the home to the design. The cabinets are white, the countertops are black soapstone, the appliances are stainless steel, and the backsplash is white subway tiles. There is a white farmhouse sink, and in keeping with the aesthetic, some of the cabinets have wire-screen doors. An island with a wood top provides seating for two. Two globe pendant lights hang overhead.
There is more room to dine at the corner banquette, which sits under a bank of windows. The picture frame molding on the backrest adds a historic touch, while the red cushion offers a welcome pop of color.
The home’s three bedrooms and two baths are on the second floor. The owner bedroom is 213 square feet and features a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, four windows, and a walk-in closet with a window. The wood-burning fireplace with a white mantel adds to the comfort of the room.
The en-suite bathroom features a console sink; gray porcelain tile in a modern vertical stack; and a tub/shower combination behind a curtain. The flooring is ceramic tile.
The flooring in all of the bedrooms is a wide-planked pine.
The bedroom across the hall from the owner suite is a scant amount smaller (191 square feet) and has five windows, a fireplace with a white wooden mantel, and visually dramatic beams that cross a vaulted ceiling.
The final bedroom (122 square feet) has three windows but none of the dramatic beam work.
The main full bath offers a single vanity with a long, black quartz counter, a tub/shower combination behind a curtain, and a white hexagonal tile floor.
The house sits on a 0.47-acre lot.
Wendy Willis of the Willis & Smith Group at Keller Williams Realty Evolution is the listing agent.
Follow John R. Ellement on Twitter @JREbosglobe. Send listings to [email protected]. Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes and will not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter on Boston.com/realestate.
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