Ode to Villa Collina An Exclusive by Deane Conley I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, on a street I cannot recall in a fiveroom, shotgun-style house with no indoor plumbing. Years later, in Knoxville, Tennessee, I designed and built a 40,000 sq. ft. villa with 11 full bathrooms and 5 half baths on a parkway I will never forget. Thank you, George and Leigh for giving me this opportunity to tell Villa Collina’s story, which began in Italy so many years ago. The beauty of the architecture of ancient Rome, our fascinating travels, colorful characters and personal visions inspired her construction. Perhaps her life was too 34 Knoxville Homes & Living SUMMER 2022
brief, but for those who appreciated her contribution to their lives, I trust that Villa Collina served her purpose well. The idea that, “Faith is the evidence of things unseen,” provokes me to make myself vulnerable and share that the God of my youth has given me things far beyond my greatest desires. I have so much more than what I’ve surely deserved, or ever imagined years ago, when I laid in my childhood bed dreaming of a better life. For one period in time, it was sublime, and I trust Knoxville enjoyed the cultural heritage of creative and financial gifts
I strove to share during the life Villa Collina and I spent there. I can’t deny the supernatural experiences I have witnessed with my own eyes, both at Villa Collina and beyond her walls. I never wanted to live in someone else’s imagination, which is why I prefer designing my homes. A dear friend referred to Villa Collina as “a modern-day Biltmore.” I am no Vanderbilt, but the money spent during her glorious construction was intentional; with the same grand mission of taking one’s breath away. I know the Villa took mine away from the moment I saw her in my mind’s
eye. The architectural influence of the High Renaissance era of Italian castles prompted my choice of stucco coloring for our three-story, Tuscanstyled home. It was appropriately referred to as “castle yellow.” Yellow is a very difficult color. One day when we were driving through the Italian countryside outside of Bologna, I happened to be wearing a yellow jacket. I noticed a home that was the exact color I was looking for and got out of the car to compare the color to my jacket. It was a perfect match. When I returned to the U.S., painters used my jacket to create the stucco. Stucco is colored through and through, so it’s always that color. I don’t believe that technique was employed when it was repainted by future owners.
as colors can make us feel happy or sad, uncomfortable or relaxed.
our import/export business. This lovely hotel was neighboring George Clooney’s Italian residence and was I had extended the emotion-evoking only a day’s drive from Switzerland. shades of that color by incorporating I loved the wide runners of both the red and gold, with added cream hotels that ran across the width of tones on the woolen custom carpet the marble steps with the full-length winding up the twenty-two-step golden rods. The Villa d’ Este deserves staircase. This featured focal point of credit for the brass handrailing that the atrium was inspired by the stairs I chose for my steps leading to the at The Hassler, a 5-star hotel where lower-level spa. The designer had we stayed, when in Rome. Those same formed a magnificent theatrical rope twenty-two steps at the Villa were with hanging tassels on each end. further influenced by the stairs at Villa The draped design was secured into d’ Este in Lake Como. We would spend the structure of the wall by matching two weeks every year to conduct brass brackets.
The first, and most important impression of a home, is the foyer. Of course, the Villa’s grand atrium had to be spectacular. It was the heart of the home and was intended to stroke your sense of wonder, encompassing a grandiose and seemingly unrealistic world of elegance. It always seemed that the creative and intrinsically secure personalities who entered her doors were the most appreciative of her quixotic vibes and welcoming aura. A Pedro Friedeberg table stood within the first few feet of the grand entrance on her white marble floors and was always adorned with live flowers. Christmas was my opportunity to display a huge arrangement of vibrant red poinsettias, accentuated with white Amaryllis. Red is considered the warmest and most contradictory of all colors. The chromaticity evoked strong emotions of warmth, positivity, and intensity associated with our most physical needs, especially the will to survive. I decorated with red whenever it complimented the space, SUMMER 2022 Knoxville Homes & Living 35
(www.villadeste.com) Two women who owned a carpet company in North Carolina, handloomed my custom-designed carpeting. I laid that same color palate throughout the hallways, both upstairs and down. This allowed the essential blood of the Villa to flow to each room. Just as a family shares DNA carrying their genetic information, this embroidered wool covering was the connecting pulse of Villa Collina. I designed the house to entertain international dignitaries for our business. We had been house guests at some of the most exclusive castles and mansions in Italy, Istanbul, Dubai, Austria, and Greece. I wanted the world visitors who came to Knoxville to feel as welcome in our home as we did in theirs. My entire designing strategy was simple, every corner was intended to feel welcoming. Comfort and energy-flow has always been paramount in homes in which I have lived, especially Villa Collina. I used silk damask rolls of fabric from Dubai which required shipment through France. I preferred making large pillows from the leftover fabrics on which to lay the silk draperies. Someone commented that even my window treatments looked comfortable. It served as a great way to ease the task of cleaning the floor without catching the draperies in the vacuum. Being practical went into every thought of elegance in VC. Unbeknownst to us, our entrance doors were bullet-proof. I had them designed by the same Italian security company that had manufactured the doors for Ferrari’s Villa in Maranello, Italy. Perhaps flying bullets were more frequent at the private home of a legendary racecar driver and successful designing entrepreneur, whose Ferrari brand was valued at $52.21 billion, than the assumed safety of living in Knoxville. 36 Knoxville Homes & Living SUMMER 2022
It took me 5.5 years to complete our home. I used to bring the construction workers Krispy Kreme donuts or Hardee’s Biscuits every morning and they seemed to genuinely appreciate it. I loved each of those workers. Those faithful artisans who seemed to appreciate being able to add a house of this magnitude to their resume would refer to it as, “The House of Cherubs.” Subconsciously, a cherub of some size ended up in every room of VC. It was with great delight the Austrian chandeliers featured cherubs as did many paintings and custom headboards.
Who doesn’t love the calming effects of flowing water? Rome has one of the best-known Baroque fountains in the world, the Trevi Fountain. How many remember multiple films where lovers cast coins and made wishes at this iconic wishing well? The fountain I ordered from the quarry of Brescia was a result of my personal desire to include the ancient history of the Herculean slab used by an aging sculptor. Unbeknownst to me, this master had included two cherubs who sat at the top of his fountain. You can imagine my delight when this massive piece arrived by padded
18-wheeler semi and was lifted by a crane into the lower-level spa area. When swimming in the royal-blue tiled 50-foot lap pool lined with deep sapphire blue tiles, I would smile at those chubby-cheeked cherubs. Many of the columns appeared to sit on top of the ten-foot-deep, soft saltwater by having their foundation below the water’s surface. This gave the impression they were suspended, seeming to float effortlessly in their own peaceful meditation. The personal note that accompanied this fountain remains in my storage. I may no longer live in Villa Collina but the connection to these one-of-a-kind elements represented a part of me that remained. The artisan’s handscribbled note was evidence of my connection to him and his fountain, that became a part of the artistic spirit that was culminating inside the Villa. The tribe of ten, 12-foot columns, complemented the intertwining arches inspired by the Roman aqueduct systems. During my extensive research through our travels, I had learned columns addressed my desire to express order, permanence, confidence, and continuity with the past. In the Classical Order of Architecture, these vertically balanced elements followed rules of harmony with nature and humanity, providing elegant decoration and support. In the third-floor master bedroom, I aspired beyond common sense and challenged extravagance. I believed in the power of light verses dark when I designed the expansive wall of floor to ceiling windows running almost the full length of the room. The view over the Tennessee River was breathtaking. The morning sunlight that began glowing every morning from the east could be hidden by the automated bank of draperies to allow me to sleep in, or I could push a button and raise the blue taffeta double-lined window 38 Knoxville Homes & Living SUMMER 2022
treatments to greet the day. In tones of sky blue and vanilla, the master bedroom was a perfect blending of masculine and feminine. I found a stunning Renaissance-inspired, handpainted screen in a shop in Atlanta reminiscent of works I’d seen at the Vatican. The cream carpet that covered the entire master bedroom suite was hand-sheared to match the ceiling’s morning sunburst design. Although I hosted many celebrities and dignitaries for extended visits, it was the beloved Betty White of Golden Girls’ fame and the one-armed
push-up Academy Award Winning Actor Jack Palance, who left indelible impressions during their visits. Betty White was the same in-person as you witnessed on television, with that trademark smile and twinkle in her eyes. She was also a deeply secure woman. While giving her a two-hour tour through the house on her first day, I explained the reason for the “M” I had placed in the ceiling of the closet and dressing area in honor of my estranged husband. She put her wonderful arms around me and said, “Honey, now that “M” proudly stands for “ME,” and you’re going to be just
fine without him.” I am immensely comfortable designing a room, a home, and intimate large parties of visiting international dignitaries by following the blueprints in my mind, it is the designing of my life in which I have not been so competent. I loved decorating for the holidays. On Halloween, the gates were covered with spider webs and a huge spider that my daughter, Pam, fashioned. I loved receiving the notes and sentiments from those in Knoxville who appreciated our sense of playful, bigger-than-life holiday decorating. But it was Christmas when I lost all sensibilities and personally decorated eleven Christmas trees throughout Villa Collina. I had faux Christmas presents of varying sizes wrapped with all the vibrancy the commercialized holiday could offer in reds, greens, blues, silver and gold. Twinkling lights were placed wherever an electric outlet was available. I wrapped live garland with red satin ribbons and bows on the hand-railing of the wide-radius staircase. The brass handrail provided ascending and descending visitors stability every other month of the year, but at Christmas the only weight I wanted it to bear was the accentuation and dramatic silhouette of the grand entrance’s focal point. In the curve of the grand staircase was a twentyfive-foot fir that took great pride in commanding notice to one of my favorite holidays. Of course, I carried out the decorating decorum on every level of the Villa. She seemed to swell even larger on those holidays when I paid special attention to dressing her up for company. I wasn’t an orphan, but I was adopted for a day before Christmas, when I was nine. The town’s philanthropic Christmas program was intended to assist the lesser fortunate children from the poorest families. My father had died when I was three months 40 Knoxville Homes & Living SUMMER 2022
old, and my mother remained single. She raised me, and one of my five siblings who still lived at home, from her government welfare check. I’ll never forget the mixed feelings I had when a couple adopted me for that Birmingham Christmas in 1948. Once I was assured by my mother that I wasn’t being given away for good, I was so happy to go shopping in a real store. The adoptive couple bought me my first coat and showered me with dresses that weren’t made from sackcloth, and panties that were store-bought, not hand-sewn by Mama. That Christmas changed me forever.
I used Villa Collina as the setting for inviting children from local Tennessee shelters to celebrate Christmas. It was the most selfish thing I have ever done because it FELT SO GOOD. My daughters, Angus, and I still reflect about how so many of those children demonstrated the true meaning of Christmas and appreciation. Many were seen tightly hugging their new shoes, while toys and miscellaneous items were lined up on the floor. The practicality and joy of having new shoes is still something that grounds us to what is important. Children are
beautiful and brutal commodores of that message. It’s a little-known fact, but it was the children from the area shelters whom Villa Collina gave the most. They were the true dignitaries. They were our investments of significant return. While Angus, my girls, and I sought to feed their creative minds, social skills and hungry bodies, they in return fed our lives with hope and a deep appreciation. If anyone chooses to look at one of my greatest passions and God-inspired creativeness through the designing and building of Villa Collina with ill will, I hope my personal sharing of the “why” behind its construction may help them view it, and me, differently. Yes, my ego was part of it, but I needed that blind determination to get me through the self-confidence issues I faced every day because of my own self-doubt and interpersonal challenges. There were many times when the contractor would start to make a decision that didn’t sit well in my gut. For instance, when the doors arrived from Turkey, I wanted the one going between the kitchen and the formal dining room to swing. My contractor said the door was too tall to swing. I said, “It has to swing, let me think about it.” That is also my style of designing. I would sit down and meditate and pray about it. It usually didn’t take more than five or ten minutes. In this instance, I received the divine solution to allow the men to cut the door only to have the top 4 feet remain as a part of the stationary wall, leaving the lower 9-foot panel to swing freely. It worked and gave the grand impression that the door was 13’ tall. I also ordered 18 dining-room chairs with arms that I bought from a friend’s restaurant. I wanted the guests to be as comfortable as possible. A mirror was placed on the wall next to the 20’ table so that all who were dining 42 Knoxville Homes & Living SUMMER 2022
would be looking at the expansive foyer, grand staircase and sitting room beyond. The custom table was built by an older European man who had immigrated to Chattanooga from Germany. It has always been a goal of mine to support local businesses and artists. That fine craftsman built my 20’ cherry and blended wood dining room table as his swan song before he retired. That table allowed my family of many to share life and stories for several wonderful Thanksgivings. There were
three marriages of my daughters whose beautiful wedding cakes were served from that flawless example of an artisan’s talent. The numerous fundraisers that benefitted multiple causes for Knoxville foundations were served hors d’oeuvres from its perfectly sanded mirrored surface. VC provided a grand environment for family and fundraisers to dream big. There were nights of laughing and loving that echoed throughout her spacious halls, long after the merriment had ended. Like a ship that had carried its bounty across a sea of
willing donors, she played the role of servant and anticipated their every need. I remember the trips I made to New York to select my Sherrill Wagner bathroom faucets and fixtures. The fireplace in the three-story library was recovered from one of the homes being torn down in Sequoia Hills, Knoxville. I discovered the plazaquality elevator in Birmingham; I desired more than an accordion lift. The large security gates from the bank vault that we used for the wine cellar entrance came from our bank building on Gay Street. I won’t go into detail what it was like getting that massively heavy piece of history into the basement. While the Villa was under construction our contractor unearthed a brick wall that was about thirty feet deep and over one hundred years old. I was elated! I told him not to touch it, I would incorporate it into the wine cellar that I was designing for the Villa. I matched those century old bricks to create the color scheme for the wine cellar. It is always wonderful when I can find a way to repurpose, rather than discard materials from the past. For instance, the 18-panel frescoes that were in the grand foray were painted by an artist I discovered in New York. It took four workers almost a week to apply those cherubadorned cloud scenes reminiscent of the paintings I had seen in Rome. Although the fresco technique is thousands of years old, most everyone has heard of the term. I became fascinated by the art of fresco on every trip I made to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. My ceiling, although inspired by ancient frescoes, arrived completely dried, unlike Michelangelo’s first pieces that had to be removed due to mold damage. I have no idea if those panels were auctioned off when VC was dismantled, demolished and her spirit of giving was silenced forever. I would like to mention that the 44 Knoxville Homes & Living SUMMER 2022
novel I’m writing has ink and graphite sketches drawn by the protégé of Siegfriend Herrmann, the most notable restoration expert in Northern Germany. SHE studied for years in Germany and learned the discipline of restoration techniques; among which are gold leaf and ancient fresco. Her name is appropriately or ironically, SHE Fresco. I wonder if anyone realized the value of the mosaic that laid under the portico of the Villa’s entrance? Did they feel the impact of the floor decoration inspired by the ancient
Roman world? The Professor of Mosaics at the Vatican had created a spectacular surface on which visitors parked their modern-day chariots. I wonder how many felt intimidated by the intense stares of those onethousand-year-old, Veronian marble lions who protected the treasures within? What inspired that professor from the Vatican, the heart of Christendom, to create the Circle of Life; a symbolic representation of birth, survival, and death in front of Villa Collina? I am humbled at the paradox that the Circle of Life
is nature’s way of taking and giving back life to earth. The Villa’s dooming demolition will be more than symbolic of that end-of-life realization. When I sold Villa Collina in 2011, I said goodbye to my concrete comrade in arms. She and I had our last walk down memory lane as we reminisced about each secret storage area or hidden passage. I had breathed my life and heart into her walls and 14+ foot ceiling spaces. She had waited patiently as I had thoughtfully contemplated over furniture designs and planned the overhead lighting for the hallway vignettes. I sensed she approved of the overstuffed chairs and sofas intended for relaxation, and the glassed-in enclosures intended to feature ancient relics, while preserving them. In return, Villa Collina gave my friends and guests an escape into international grandeur and purposeful comfort. There were many who welcomed her spacious opulence and classic refinement. She was clothed with great attention to detail and shared that indulgence of attention with any who wanted to bathe in her dignified decadence. The spirit of the Villa began to be destroyed not long after I moved out. She and I had a connection, and for those who are designers, you know what I mean. There is a part of you in every decision, every color, wall covering, floor covering, crown molding, entranceway, fireplace, and bath that serve rooms in which they were placed. The essence of the designer’s soul is tangible in every inch. My greatest heartbreak is what the first buyer did before he had completed payment or been granted permission to implement changes. His first foray into misguided abuse of design was to paint over the Villa’s exquisite green bedroom suite. The highly skilled master Italian painter had invested several months massaging to perfection her antique46 Knoxville Homes & Living SUMMER 2022
vintaged brushed walls with golds and greens. The family suite was accentuated with a green marbled bathroom and fireplace. This perfect design layout for a visiting couple with children also had an adjoining bedroom with double-bunked beds featuring the most delightful trompe l’oeil artwork of my favorite Disney characters. The 3-dimensional French art form that means “fool the eye,” created the optical illusion that Daisy and Donald Duck were life-like. Daisy was first shown as an Elizabethan “damsel in distress.”
Sword-wielding Donald Duck was her “knight in shining armor” in the middle painting. In the third mural, “a rescued Daisy” was re-united with her valiant hero. When the double-door entrance was closed, the clever artist had created the magical illusion of a castle’s drawbridge. I will be forever haunted by the tragedy that I felt when I heard the new, unqualified owner immediately painted over her magnificent walls with bright “Volunteer Orange” for his young son. I don’t believe Villa Collina will forgive me for laying it vulnerable
and unprotected from unsophisticated individuals that had no appreciation for art and the perfection of inspired design. Unfortunately, many of my handpicked items were sold by the first buyer of Villa Collina when he began stripping her of her finery and sold for profit, replacing my personal selections with lesser quality bargains. There were varying forms of vandalism that happened upon my departure. The worst perhaps being the gold spray paint that was applied to the 11th century lions from Verona, Italy, I had standing guard at the front door. Ignorance is a curse, and I can’t be silent when someone has no appreciation for ancient history. I can only hope whoever bought them realized the inconceivable error in judgement and was able to use a safe technique to remove that villainous gold paint. I would like to mention that many of the items I saw online during the auction were not part of Villa Collina’s original design. The first buyer had already relieved her of many of her distinguished pieces and replaced them with things of lesser quality. I know that makes me sound bitter, but my remorse is more for the integrity of Villa Collina than what someone may misread as having been my personal taste. However, the destruction of treasured relics and practically giving away the stain-glassed pieces I had in the kitchen, my prayer closet, and the master bedroom’s hidden room, was heartbreaking. In the process of writing my book, it has been the memories made with the children during their Christmases at Villa Collina that beckons me to ask, if any who attended would like to share their story in my upcoming novel? I was so very poor while growing up in Birmingham. I now reflect upon what we were able to share with those children of similar circumstances, in Knoxville. The finest gift from my mother and hopefully to 48 Knoxville Homes & Living SUMMER 2022
those children, is my faith in God. My widowed mother of six, Lillie Wright, was rarely seen without a Bible in her lap. For her lifelong guidance, I will be eternally grateful.