Connecticut
This Artistic Connecticut Airbnb With A Pool And Zen Vibes Was Once Home To Mount Rushmore’s Creator – Islands
The charm of an Airbnb lies in its promise of a one-of-a-kind stay. From treehouses in Texas to isolated cottages in Iceland, Airbnb has built its reputation on offering distinctive, self-catering accommodations. Among these unique stays is a striking property in the heart of Stamford, Connecticut, known as the ZenHouse.
Beyond its mid-century aesthetic, this artistic Airbnb was once home to the creator of Mount Rushmore. American sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who lived here while creating some of his most celebrated works, famously carved the giant faces of four U.S. presidents along the stunning South Dakota road trip route. Today, the ZenHouse is a retreat for guests, with a sparkling pool, zen vibes, and an impressive 4.95-star rating from over 250 reviews.
The host is an Airbnb Superhost; in other words, a trusted, top-tier host with a solid track record. As of October 2025, the host holds a perfect five-point rating for both communication and check-in, and guest reviews echo this sentiment. One reviewer, Mourad, wrote: “Olga is an amazing host — thoughtful, kind, and generous. From offering an early check-out to avoid traffic to bringing us pastries and tea, she truly went above and beyond.” Another guest from fall 2025 added that she ‘has so much love and knowledge of this property and its history’.
The host has clearly gone above and beyond to make every detail count. Upon arrival, guests are invited to join a guided meditation walk, a Japanese tradition to help acquaint you with the space. Inside, thoughtful touches like board games, books, exercise equipment, a zen garden, and complimentary tea all contribute to the home’s lived-in charm.
A mid-century guest cottage with a monumental garden
The house itself is modest and unassuming, especially considering the colossal national artistic achievement of its former owner. It’s technically a guest cottage on a 3.5-acre estate shared with the current owners. The home was built around 1955 in classic mid-century modern style. The single-story, open-concept layout has one bedroom and two bathrooms, ideal for two guests.
Interiors embrace neutral tones, wooden touches, and expansive glasswork characteristic of mid 20th-century architecture. There is even a subtle Japanese aesthetic, complemented by artwork created by the owners themselves. Guests are encouraged to channel their own creativity, too, with an easel, fresh canvas, and paint provided for each new arrival.
The garden, on the other hand, is anything but small. Set in a wooded landscape that borders the Rippowam River and a small pond home to a resident swan named Gatsby, the grounds are easy to get lost in. The guesthouse sits next to the heated swimming pool, available for an additional fee of $100 per day during summer months.
The private, fenced-in gardens offer guests access to a fire pit, outdoor dining area with a BBQ, and pool loungers. On-site parking is free, and a private entrance allows you to come and go as you please. It’s also worth mentioning that gardeners tend to the property on Tuesday mornings, while pool cleaning happens every Wednesday.
What makes this property stand out is its versatility. While the cottage comfortably sleeps two, the kitchen is equipped for a larger group. Although guests need to get permission to invite visitors onto the property, the images suggest that you can host intimate dinners, provided the atmosphere stays relaxed and respectful. The hosts are also happy to elevate the experience with private chef dining and flower arrangements.
Everything you need to know about location of ZenHouse
ZenHouse is set in a quiet corner of Stamford, a picturesque, yet lively New England city that was once considered a residential suburb of New York City, just 40 miles from The Big Apple.Stamford is now a major business hub, home to financial headquarters and publishing firms.
Despite its proximity to Manhattan, this Airbnb feels worlds away. It’s tucked away in a leafy suburb of North Stamford, practically surrounded by towering trees and gardens. Adding to the seclusion, the pool sits between two massive stone walls, remnants of Borglum’s former outdoor studio. He designed the space to be almost completely surrounded by the river, creating a private and inspiring setting for his work. At the time, you had to cross a drawbridge to get to his studio.
The neighborhood in general is a hotspot for golf and tennis, which means plenty of open green spaces and fresh air. Location-wise, it’s conveniently within 3 miles of the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens, and Sterling Farms Golf Course. For travelers, the closest international airport is LaGuardia, which is just 36 miles from the property.
John F. Kennedy is also pretty close — about an hour away. Both JFK and LaGuardia airports connect with just about every major U.S. city as well as plenty of international destinations. The house comes fully equipped with all the usual necessities, but doesn’t include a washer. That said, there is a laundromat nearby, as well as a center with a Trader Joe’s and CVS just across the Merritt Parkway.
Connecticut
A Character-Rich Family Home in Connecticut That Bridges Past and Present
When a house has been loved for generations, its walls tend to hold stories. In the case of one family residence in Darien, Connecticut, that sentiment was taken quite literally. On the casement between the living room and kitchen are ticks that denote decades of growth, a quiet record of childhoods unfolding in real time. Several of those measurements belong to the home’s newest steward—the original owners’ daughter—who was ready to put her own mark on the property.
Eager to see what she could make of the 1930s structure, she and her husband tapped British-born designer Becca Casey of Connecticut-based Becca Interiors to breathe new life—and old soul—into the interior. For Casey, being entrusted with that kind of emotional patina was a privilege she didn’t take lightly. “The greatest challenge was ensuring that the new extension had synergy with the original house while bringing together the couple’s different tastes and honoring the home’s history,” Casey says of the 2,400-square-foot space.
That delicate balance shows up everywhere, from tailored silhouettes and clean lines for him to pattern and color for her. Nowhere is that nuance more evident than in the property’s oldest room, a long, beam-lined living space that once sat largely unused. Casey swathed it in an atmospheric mural, transforming it into a multi-zone haven centered on the fireplace, with moments of repose throughout where the family can gather to play a game or enjoy a book.
Around the home, Casey’s eye for nuance is unmistakable. She wields color, pattern, and shape with equal aplomb, expertly marrying form with function in a way that’s both timeless and fresh. A hidden television disappears behind drapery-lined cabinetry, the inner skeleton of an armchair is displayed like a work of art, a vintage dining table reveals a plaque from the husband’s hometown (a serendipitous discovery that made the piece instantly meaningful). In the end, reviving the dwelling wasn’t about reinvention for Casey—it was about the possibility that a new chapter can bring. The result is a space that, according to Casey, feels “quietly refined and effortlessly lived-in”—an elegant meeting point between memory and modern family life.
FAST FACTS:
Designer: Becca Casey, Becca Interiors
Location: Darien, Connecticut
The Space: A 1930s colonial with six bedrooms, across 2,400 square feet.
LIVING ROOM
Bare windows and a transportive wallpaper nod to the pastoral landscape.
The living room is the oldest space in the house, so Casey wanted to honor its bones while streamlining the layout for modern functionality. Custom Dmitriy & Co. sofas—linen on the top, patterned French mattress tufting at the base—typify the union between “his” and “her” tastes.
A traditional English roll armchair was tucked into a corner at the request of the husband, whose wish list included a spot to read. Aiming for a “layered floor plan,” with distinct areas for the family’s many needs, Casey added a game table as a visual anchor with a direct sight line to the main entryway of the home.
DEN
An original stone fireplace anchors the family-ready space.
Drenched in French Gray paint by Farrow & Ball and grounded by the original stone fireplace, the den is carefully choreographed to support togetherness, with a custom sectional and hidden TV.
DINING ROOM
The sun-drenched space looks out to the backyard pond.
Part of the new addition, the serene dining room is flooded with light, thanks to expansive floor to (almost) ceiling windows. Layered textiles keep the antique table—a happy find, originally made in the husband’s hometown—geared toward casual meals.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Salvaged beams mimic the look of the originals in the living room.
Inspired by Belgian interiors, the elevated placement of the fireplace isn’t just a design flex—it’s an experiential choice that puts the flames right at eye level when lounging in bed. Beside it, two vintage English armchairs stun with their exposed interior, a Becca Interiors signature touch.
PRIMARY BATH
Natural materials were chosen for their ability to patina over time.
In the primary bathroom, wellness comes through atmosphere rather than gadgets. A Drummonds soaking tub is positioned for prime pond views, with a gray-green base (Drop Cloth, Farrow & Ball) that reinforces the room’s soothing palette.
WORKSTATION
Smart features make family management a cinch.
To make the most of a hall nook, Casey crafted a compact desk where the wife, a teacher, can grade papers. Labeled drawers store art supplies, while a floor-to-ceiling cabinet (at side) acts as a hub for deliveries.
About the Designer
Becca Casey is the Principal Director and founder of Becca Interiors. Raised in the countryside of Southwest England, her earliest influences were rooted in history, nature, and the quiet beauty of rural life. These foundations continue to shape her design philosophy today, one that blends heritage with modern sensibility while honoring craftsmanship and the beauty of daily life at home.
Connecticut
Hartford community grieves men killed in police shootings
The Hartford community is grappling with two police shootings that happened within eight days of each other. Both started off as mental health calls about someone in distress.
People came together to remember one of the men killed at a vigil on Wednesday evening.
With hands joined, a prayer for peace and comfort was spoken for the family of Everard Walker. He was having a mental health crisis when a family member called 211 on Feb.19.
Two mental health professionals from the state-operated Capitol Regional Mental Health Center requested Hartford police come with them to Walker’s apartment on Capitol Avenue.
A scuffle ensued, and police said it looked like Walker was going to stab an officer. The brief fight ended with an officer shooting and killing Walker.
The family is planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.
“All I will have now is a tombstone and the voicemails he left on my phone that I listen over and over again at night just so I can fall asleep,” Menan Walker, one of Walker’s daughters, said.
City councilman Josh Michtom (WF) is asking whether police could have acted differently.
“To me, the really concerning thing is why the police were there at all, why they went into that apartment in the way that they did, in the numbers that they did,” he said.
The president of Hartford’s police union, James Rutkauski, asked the community to hold their judgment and wait for a full investigation by the Inspector General’s office to be completed.
A different tone was taken in a statement released about another police shooting on Blue Hills Avenue on Feb. 27.
Rutkauski said the union fully supports the officer who fired at 55-year-old Steven Jones, who was holding a knife during a mental health crisis.
In part, the union’s statement says that Jones “deliberately advanced on the officer in a manner that created an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury. This was a 100% justified use of deadly force.”
The Inspector General’s office will determine if the officer was justified following an investigation.
The officer who shot Jones was the fourth to arrive on the scene. Three others tried to get him to drop the knife, even using a taser, before the shooting.
“It just feels like beyond the conduct of any one officer, we have this problem, which is that we send cops for every problem,” Michtom said. “I don’t know how you can de-escalate at the point of a gun.”
Jones died from his injuries on Tuesday.
The union’s statement went on to say that officers should not be society’s default for mental health professionals. The statement said in part, “We ask for renewed commitment from our legislators to remove police from being the vanguard of what should be a mental health professional response.”
The officers involved in both shootings are on administrative leave.
Connecticut
Connecticut Launches New Era for Community Hospital Care – UConn Today
Marked by a ceremonial ribbon cutting and attended by Governor Ned Lamont, state legislators, Waterbury officials, and community leaders, UConn Health celebrated the acquisition of Waterbury Hospital which as of today is now the UConn Health Waterbury Hospital.
“This is a defining moment for healthcare in Connecticut,” said Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, CEO of UConn Health Community Network. “We now have the opportunity to take the award -winning academic quality and service of UConn Health and share it with the wonderful employees, doctors and community of Waterbury.”
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont described the initiative as a forward-looking investment in the future of healthcare access across Connecticut.
“Connecticut is leading with innovation,” said Connecticut Governor Lamont. “The UConn Health Community Network reflects a proactive approach to strengthening community-based care by connecting it directly to the capabilities of our state’s public academic medical center. What begins in Waterbury today, represents a new model designed to expand opportunity, access, and excellence for communities statewide.”
In addition to UConn Health Waterbury Hospital, the Network includes UConn Health Community Network Medical Group and UConn Health Waterbury Health at Home. The model preserves each member’s local identity and will grow thoughtfully over time to improve quality, expand access, and reduce the total cost of care.
“This reflects a bold step forward in how we think about healthcare in Connecticut,” said John Driscoll, Chair of the UConn Health Board of Directors. “Today we celebrate the beginning of a new approach to community-based care. We move forward with clarity of purpose and shared commitment to serve our communities better together.”
Comptroller Sean Scanlon highlighted the significance of the model for the long-term evolution of healthcare delivery in Connecticut.
“This partnership represents thoughtful leadership at a pivotal time for healthcare,” said Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlon. “By aligning community hospitals with academic medicine, Connecticut is building a modern framework that positions our healthcare system to meet the needs of patients today and into the future.”
“Hosting this celebration on our campus is deeply meaningful for our staff, physicians and the families we serve,” said Deborah Weymouth, President of UConn Health Waterbury Hospital. “Waterbury’s legacy of care continues, and we are tremendously proud to have a strong partner who is deeply committed to our community and help lead this next chapter for healthcare.”
Welcome UConn Health Waterbury Hospital!
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