Hot Property: 1939 Williams Creek cottage holds charm

Suzi Phillippe wasn't in the market for a home when she saw the open house sign on North College Avenue, but she couldn't resist taking a peek.

For years, she had driven past the property, admiring the landscaping but never getting a good look at the 1939 French chateau-style home behind the brick wall.

This was her chance.

"I fell in love with it," she said. "The gardens, the charm, the coziness."

But now, she and her husband, Tom, are stretched too thin with other homes in Colorado and Texas, so the two-bedroom, two-bath cottage at 7986 N. College Ave. is on the market for $674,900.

Known in the neighborhood as the "hydrangea house" for its meticulous gardens, the home has "personality galore," said Realtor Mark Kosene with Kosene & Kosene Residential.

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At 2,300 square feet plus a waterproofed basement, the home is "petite" by some standards, but "lives larger," Phillippe said. The couple actually had plans drawn up to expand the home, adding a master bedroom on the main floor, but opted to maintain its cozy feel.

The rustic exterior with its red brick walkway, window boxes and landscaped grounds gives way to an elegant living space.

Original and refinished hardwoods run through much of the home. What used to be the second bedroom on the main level is being used as an office, with access to a screened-in porch overlooking a courtyard with a reflecting pond, bubbling fountain, blue stone patio and pergola.

The updated formal living room, decorated in shades of white, features built-in bookshelves, exposed beams overhead, a gas fireplace and cushioned window seats.

A step down leads to the formal dining room, where the walls have been painted with a hydrangea mural commissioned by the Phillippes to mimic the flowers soon to bloom outside. Its gardens are listed in the Smithsonian Gardens' Archives of American Gardens.

Pass through the dining room to the family room/den with its soaring cathedral ceiling. The couple remodeled the galley kitchen to open into the family room, creating a convenient entertaining space. A glass door at one end of the polished kitchen opens to the back garden, giving the space an openness lacking in many galley kitchens.

The main level of the home also includes a laundry room and an updated half bath.

Up the curved wooden stairs is the master bedroom retreat, with a full bath, walk-in closet and a cedar closet. Dormer windows add character to the space.

As spring unfolds, hundreds of tulips and daffodils, hydrangeas and wisteria will soon bring a riot of color to the grounds, billed as a gardener's paradise.

Phillippe is conflicted about giving up the home. "I loved it from the minute I saw it. Now it needs someone to love it full time."

Call IndyStar reporter Maureen Gilmer at (317) 444-6879. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About the home

• Location: 7986 N College Ave.

• Details: 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, fireplace, unfinished basement, landscaped gardens, screened-in porch, covered patio, 2,300 square feet (with room for expansion) on just under half an acre.

• Asking price: $674,900.

• BLC: 21471119.

• Contact: Mark Kosene, Kosene & Kosene Residential, (317) 753-3486, koseneresidential.com.