FEATURES

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A wooden swing set, now laced with mature wisteria, followed, as did nannies' rooms, porches, a bike shed, a tennis court and fully furnished tennis house (where the family stays during winter visits) and, finally, a pool surrounded by a meadow. Now that Susan and Charlie have become avid golfers, a putting green may not be far off.

No doubt they could find the space for it. The lush but simply planted grounds, created by renowned landscape designer Edwina von Gal (and beautifully maintained by Michael E. Tuths Plant & Property), contain expanses of cut grass seamlessly melded with masses of foliage—bayberries, mugho pines, plume grasses, goldenrod, cryptomarias, bamboo, Russian olives, evergreens and hawthornes. Most of the plantings, which look wild, lie low so the horizon line seems to stretch on forever, particularly when seen from the second and third floors of the house. The couple often walks along mowed paths that wind around the property.

The now-sprawling home, filled with an eclectic mix of mismatched chairs, old dolls, exotic rugs and country antiques, is all about family, friends and comfort. Seventeen can sleep here. Their three children, Rob, Mary and Sam, grew up here. Susan enjoys the house whether it's filled with guests or completely empty and quiet, with just the sounds of the wind blowing off the water. "We have had the same guests for years," she says. "I know where I shall find them sitting and what time they will be up in the morning. They know my favorite part of the day is my nap. Sometimes they kindly ask if I have had my nap yet, worrying that I may miss it." She has napped daily her entire life, and her favorite place to snooze is in the master bedroom, which overlooks Wainscott Pond.