Centre Stage

Y ou have decided that you want a house in town. A house that has all the elegance and charm of a traditional Nantucket residence. One that is a great family residence, but also will allow you to entertain in comfort and style. One that is close enough to Main Street for you to walk to everything. A house that has off-street parking so you do not have to worry about finding a place for your car when you come back from the beach or golf.

When you walk around the corner from Broad Street, 43 Centre Street, the first house you will come to on the right hand side, meets those criteria and many more. Carefully rebuilt in 2007, this home combines the ambiance of an older house with the features you expect in the 21st century.

Entering the foyer, you first turn right into the living room. With its handsome fireplace, beamed ceiling and wide board floors, it is the centerpiece of the house - both cheerful and inviting. (A cabinet above the fireplace could hide a television, adding to the room's appeal.) To the rear, a separate seating area with its own fireplace tempts you for cozy conversation or curling up with a book.

For summer entertaining, French doors lead to a large, private, bluestone patio at the back of the house.

From the sitting area you continue on to the dining room and kitchen. The dining room leads back to another sitting area which is to the left of the front door. The kitchen, with its white cabinets, one of which is glass-fronted for displaying china, its black granite counters and under-cabinet lighting, is as attractive as it is functional. The center island, topped with oak, doubles as a breakfast bar and also houses the wine refrigerator and microwave. Clever cabinets hide the small appliances. All the major appliances are top-of-theline.

A hallway off the living room leads to a bedroom with a handsome white marble bath. At the rear, you find the powder room and the back door.

From the foyer, taking the striking, open stairway to the second floor, you find yourself on a large landing which affords another sitting space. To the right of the stairs, there is the perfect place to have your desk. Cabinets built into the wall enable you to hide your printer and store your supplies.

Off the landing, the master bedroom has a fireplace (also with the television cabinet above it) and a large walk-in closet. The bathroom features double sinks with unusual, granite-topped vanities, a soaking tub and separate shower.

At the rear of the house are two more bedrooms, each with en suite bathrooms with full tubs/showers and double closets. Off the back hallway is the upstairs laundry, a great convenience

Continuing to the third floor, you find yourself in a common room which separates the two bedrooms. These bedrooms share a full bath.

Returning to the first floor, stairs from the dining area take you down to the basement where you find yourself in a grand family room. With the house's fourth fireplace and a built-in frame for a large, flat screen television, this is where you and your family will spend lots of time. To one side is another powder room and also the house's main laundry with its commercial-grade washer and dryer. At the rear is the last bedroom, again with its own full bath. The large mechanical room also has plenty of space for storage.

It almost goes without saying that this house has all the amenities, including central air conditioning, an outdoor irrigation system (including the window boxes!) and off-street parking for two cars. It is clear, however, that a great deal of thought went into the rebuilding of the house to maximize space utilization and to incorporate all the closets, cabinets and built-ins that help make this house so livable. The successful rental history enhances its appeal.

This completely renovated, but very

traditional seven bedroom, six fulland

two half-bath house, that is literally steps from downtown, is offered for $5,200,000. I