Centre Island house for sale furnished, has 'bubble lounge,' owners say

Green carpeting, rose-covered wallpaper and thick curtains were unappealing to Christopher Galleta on his first visit to a Centre Island rental property in 2019.

Galletta and his husband, Gregg Rusczyk, rented the house, renovated and made the purchase. Now, the resulting three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on Centre Island Road is on the market for $1.699 million fully furnished.

Taxes on the 0.23-acre property, which falls within the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District, total $14,519.  

"We designed it for us," Galletta said. "Obviously sometimes circumstances change, but what we did, we did with us in mind, not a resale in mind."

The pair modernized the home, which Nassau County land records say was built in 1958, and its aesthetic. The walls of a shower have floor-to-ceiling stone pieces, Galletta said. Throughout the house, there are marble accents, as well as stone countertops and window sills.

"We put a lot of effort and thought into the finished product," he said.

There is the possibility for a first-floor primary bedroom, he said, in a room he and Rusczyk have used as an office. Upstairs, there is the primary suite with a walk-in closet that was once a bedroom, Galletta said. The primary bathroom has a double sink, walk-in shower and skylights.

Off of the kitchen, what was previously a dining room is now what Galletta called, "the bubble lounge."

"Gregg and I don't use a dining room, just for the two of us," he said. "So we created a lounge, where we have a full bar, we have lights, we have music, we have a blue velvet sofa. And a disco ball."

A collapsable coffee table in the space pops up to dining-table height and expands to seat more guests, Galletta added.

In the walk-out basement, there is a game room with a dry bar, pool table, ping pong table and poker table, Galletta said.

"It might not fit everybody's needs, but it fit ours," he said. "It's very customized."

A one-car garage is currently set up as a gym. Outside, there is a tiki bar and lounge area, fire pit and hot tub. There is an outdoor kitchen, double barbecue setup and outdoor shower.

The home was "designed with entertaining in mind," said listing agent Regina Rogers, of Douglas Elliman.

"They have palm trees that after the winter return from storage, to create that resort-type ambiance and environment," Rogers said.

"It's a unique home; I've never seen anything quite like it," Rogers said.

Though the homeowners are marketing the house furnished — kayaks, paddle boards and resort furniture included — Rogers said there was the possibility of considering a lower price point for the unfurnished space.