Upstate, this stand-alone abode wouldn’t look at all out of place, but on its low-lying Bedford-Stuyvesant block it stands out — and even more so upon entry.
This Brooklyn townhouse with a pastel wonderland of an interior and private outdoor space galore has hit the market at 551 Lexington Ave. for $1.3 million.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom, “life-sized dollhouse,” as its listing describes, features a second-floor balcony, a covered front porch and sumptuous “tropical backyard oasis” a with chicken coop — something quite uncommon within city limits — a deck and more.
Its seller, the France-born bartender Julian Vigouroux, purchased the 125-year-old two-story dwelling for less than $600,000 in 2011, overtaken by its “oversize, tiny charm.”
He then spent the last decade-plus transforming the 1,200-square-foot residence (which includes an additional 550 square feet in the basement) into a bright retreat from its particularly treeless, gray block.
“I do carpentry. Everything that has been done in the house has been done by me,” said Vigouroux, who was careful to maintain the structure’s remaining 19th-century details, including its cornice.
That includes transforming the dining room partially into a stage; creating a fenced-in, jewel tone eating nook in the front corner; exposing the building’s once-covered brick walls; building a bar around a set of “remarkable vintage windows” he found in a dumpster and constructing a coop for his chickens in the lush backyard, where there’s also a two-story deck.
(“I love building habitats for animals,” he said.)
Now he’s moving to New Orleans, where he and his flock plan to live a “happy, good, chicken life,” following “a very unpleasant ride” in an RV down south together.
(If someone really wants to keep a few of the birds, he’s open to at least discussing the possibility.)
In addition to the custom aesthetic, the home also has a new boiler, plumbing, electrical systems, gas lines and the basement was recently renovated.
Nicole Beauchamp of Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing, which has been on and off the market since 2020, according to StreetEasy.