Just a few steps lead up to the covered front porch at 318 Taugwonk Road in Stonington. The main entrance opens to a 3,945-square-foot five-bedroom home that was originally built in the mid-1980s but was completely renovated by the current owner.

The house is what listing broker Karen Hanson — the broker-owner of Stonington Realty — describes as a “contemporary farmhouse.” The recently renovated interior finishes are perfectly suited to that architectural style. There are herringbone hardwood floors, shiplap-covered walls and wood beams found throughout the interiors.

Welcome Home spoke with the seller about the renovation work. She recounted taking rooms down to the studs, removing walls and opening up the floor plan. She succeeded in her aim to create interiors that were classic rather than trendy, and cozy and lived-in without sacrificing character. In other words, she wanted to create a beautiful home, but one in which her children felt comfortable being kids.

The kitchen bridges “beauty and brawn.” It’s visually inviting but it’s also seriously equipped and laid out for cooking and entertaining. The counters are crafted in granite, with appliances in stainless finishes. A cooktop has been incorporated into the island, which also affords seating for four. There’s plenty of cabinet space, and a clever built-in bench carves out a spot for a breakfast table.

“One of my favorite features of the house is right in the kitchen,” the seller said. “There’s a wood-burning stove. When we have friends or family come over in the colder months, it has been so nice to entertain there, with a fire going. You can see it through the glass, and it’s just so cozy.”

The kitchen also opens to a more formal dining space, with a vaulted ceiling and skylights to welcome in natural light.

Over the years, the seller’s family have hosted many memorable gatherings, including birthday parties with more than 40 guests.

Extending the seasonal living and dining space, there’s a screened porch that looks out to the backyard. The children could play with friends in the backyard, while their parents kept watch from the comfort of the screened porch.

There’s a second wood-burning fireplace in the home’s primary bedroom suite — one of five bedrooms in total. It’s a serene space, with a high, vaulted ceiling, two closets and private bath.

All of the bedrooms are on the home’s second level.

In addition to the family and guest bedrooms, this home has an entire apartment above the two-car garage, with a kitchenette and full bath. It might enable multigenerational living, be a private spot for guests, accommodations for an au pair, or even leveraged as a private office space.

This “House of the Week” is sited on 3.90 acres, with level land — landscaped, manicured and embraced by a border of mature trees.

The seller said that the landscaping is easy to maintain and that during the season, the hydrangeas at the front of the house put on a colorful show. Buyers with children may appreciate the swing set in the backyard, which will convey with the property. A quaint storage shed provides shelter for lawn and gardening tools and equipment, but even that structure has some potential for other uses — like a “she shed,” the seller suggested.

Among the most recent improvements made by the seller are a repaved walkway and a freshly painted exterior, completed in 2019.

This property is close to some of the region’s largest employers, to several golf courses and country clubs, the Anguilla-Grand Preserve and Stonington Vineyards — one of the wineries on the Connecticut Wine Trail. The seller said they’ve appreciated being close to I-95, to Stonington Borough, and to Mystic. “As a Stonington resident, we also have access to duBois Beach, and our local elementary school is Deans Mill School, which is a definite draw for many families,” the seller concluded.

Property: 318 Taugwonk Rd., Stonington

Bedrooms: 5

Baths: 4

Square Footage: 3,945

Acreage: 3.90

Asking Price: $1.195 million

Seller’s Agent: Karen Hanson, Stonington Realty, LLC; Mobile: (860) 961-4937; khanson@stoningtonrealty.com