Italian Renaissance Home has Zen Serenity Room for $359K

Built in 1929, this 5-bed, 3.2-bath home has all the charming original details you want, with a few weird surprises thrown into the mix. The home's hardwood floors gleam. There are crown moldings, plaster ceiling medallions, and leaded glass windows. The home has three fireplaces, including one in the large master, which also has a luxurious attached bath (jetted soaking tub, stone-tiled shower). The kitchen is a bit dated—updates look like the best of the 1990s. The stock cabinets are honey oak, and there are a lot of them. The granite is black, and there's a ton of it. Still, the kitchen has a thoughtful layout, and is a large, welcoming space with many large windows.

From the street, this house is a grand, imposting structure. It has a red tile roof, and the simple, strong facade typical of Italian renaissance architecture. The limestone facing and stone pillars flanking the entry are especially nice. And then there's the flowerbed centered directly in from of the entry that uses plants to spell out the word "TRUST" in leafy green caps. We have no idea what this means. Another head-scratcher in this otherwise lovely 1929 Sherwood Forest gem is the "Zen Serenity room" described in the listing copy.

Inside a circular interior nook, there's a black fountain and waterfall, surrounded by large rocks and guarded by a zebra statue. The space takes advantage of a full wall of glass block and includes many small trees and large plants. A mix of cultures are sort of represented here. No idea if this is something a new homeowner would embrace, but you could always add koi, or maybe a dolphin with a frickin' laser on it for the ultimate conversation piece.

The house has a third floor mother-in-law suite and a full finished basement with its own fireplace. There's also the all-important garage. Given that the house last sold in 2008, we wouldn't really call it a flip, per se. But it did sell for just $72K then, so the ask price represents a substantial return on investment, even with extensive renovations. For $359K, it also offers zen serenity—a home feature beyond price, truly.

·19370 Stratford Road [Estately]
·Dolphins with Frikin' Lasers [YouTube]