Art & Home | Living History

The latest volume of Art & Home is here! This month, Iyna Bort Caruso takes us through homes steeped in history from around the world.

When considering exquisite luxury goods—paintings, sculpture, even fabrics, furniture and wine—we think of personal, highly curated items that make our living spaces distinctive and enhance the ambient experience of a particular home. In some cases, however, the home itself is the oeuvre d’art.

1 760 000 $ CAD | Victoria, British Columbia | Sotheby’s International Realty Canada

In the art world, older isn’t always better, but revered older works do carry additional prominence, specifically the prestige of age and history that newer art hopes to acquire with time. Similarly, as beautiful homes and estates begin to acquire the patina that only decades or even centuries can bring, they take on an unmatched nobility and grandeur.

$2,500,000 USD | Round Rock, Texas | Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty

There’s a certain class of buyer and homeowner—patrons, if you will—that places a premium on properties graced by time. To them, living in a historic residence is akin to living within a famous piece of art.

At the cross streets of Luxury Real Estate and Fine Art, discover more in previous editions of Art & Home

“The discerning, affluent buyers in our marketplace want a sense of history, or a certain provenance in a historic home that doesn’t exist in a new house,” says Michael Rankin, Managing Partner at TTR Sotheby’s International Realty in Washington D.C.

$6,250,000 USD | Washington, DC | TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

In addition to a notable pedigree, what buyers are looking for in older homes is character, and in particular preserved character. These individuals are typically knowledgeable about architectural periods and have a refined sense for authenticity. They demand the grand scale and proportion associated with previous eras—high ceilings, formal living rooms with entrance halls, double parlors with fireplaces—but also original features like restored trim work and molding; staircases with handcrafted balusters and banisters; and original hardware and wide-plank flooring. Kitchens and bathrooms may be updated, but otherwise the home should showcase the year and environment in which it was built.

2.750.000 € | Finland | Snellman Sotheby’s International Realty

“The people that buy an historic estate do so because they truly want to be the next steward of an architectural masterpiece,” Rankin explains. “They embrace the history and cherish the responsibility of being the caretaker of the home. In fact, they consider that undertaking a privilege.”

True, restoring and preserving an historic property can be a major endeavor, but for the right person it’s much more than labor—it’s a labor of love.

Continue reading this edition of Art & Home