Driving along a rambling two-lane country road, you pass cattle grazing in a pasture and small country homes; eventually a tree-lined drive appears on your right and situated at the end of the drive is a stately English manor house. You must be in the English countryside, right? No, you’re in the countryside of McDonald, near Chattanooga, but you would never know it by gazing at the stacked stone manor house with the slate roof, situated on 21 acres and surrounded by an expansive lawn and gardens. It truly is a little bit of England, almost like the “bright and shining spot” of Camelot.
England – specifically Cotswolds in central England and the area’s Elizabethan architecture – was the inspiration for George and Jane Diamantis as they planned their grand English manor home.
It took them three years to find just the right spot on which to build their dream home. It was a stroke of luck that they happened to be driving along that rambling country road when they saw a “for sale” sign on the property. Upon further investigation they discovered the property had just been put on the market that day. They wasted no time in buying the property, as they realized it was just the right setting for the house they had in mind.
Once they found the spot on which to build, they retained Terry Barker of River Street Architecture to design the house. Finding the right builder, however, proved to be a little more challenging, as most residential builders could not take on the massive project. In the end, they used a commercial contractor, Humphreys & Associates, to build the home.
Jane, who is on the board of the National Horticultural Society, oversaw the landscaping of the grounds. She wanted to recreate, as much as possible, an English garden. Intermingled with the flower beds and landscaped areas are garden accents such as an arbor, a fountain, statuary, urns, a pond with Koi fish, a walkway through a shaded garden and, tucked away in a restful spot, a bright blue settee made by George.
In front of the house stands what appears to be a much smaller stone house – in ruins. It is a “folly house,” which was a house found on the property of English manor homes and which were used for little retreats from the lifestyle of the more formal manor homes. Eventually, folly houses were abandoned and fell into ruins, which is how the Diamantis’s wanted their little folly house to appear.
The façade of the three-story symmetrical house consists of a main wing with third-story dormers recessed between two gable-fronted side wings. Large transom and mullioned windows topped with stone hoods grace the front of the main center section and two wings. The gabled entrance has a large vertical plank oak door with a welcoming Christmas wreath hanging from the lantern next to the door. Open the outside front door and you enter an enclosed porch that has a Medieval-style rectilinear paneled settee.
Passing through a second oak door brings you into the “greeting room,” where guests are treated to a beautifully decorated Christmas tree accented with gold ornaments. The greeting room has dark paneled walls and is furnished with comfortable chairs and a marble topped console table with a heavily carved apron and cabriole legs. Over the table is a framed medieval tapestry, which Jane made. The rich reds and blues of the tapestry form a perfect backdrop for the Christmas floral arrangement on the table.
Two doors on either side of the
greeting room lead to the formal dining room. The red walls, with a gold and bronze over tint, and a red-toned Oriental rug make an elegant setting for red wreaths, red and white floral arrangements, and a greenery festooned chandelier for the holidays. The 12-foot dining table is covered with a white brocade tablecloth and contrasting red brocade runner. The two silver candelabras with red candles on the table were purchased in Florence, Italy.
The dining room furniture is an eclectic mixture of styles that includes ribband back Chippendale dining chairs, Chinese Chippendale breakfront, Hepplewhite sideboard, Neoclassical inlaid commodes and two medieval style chairs on either side of the breakfront. Two walls in the dining room have white French doors, with gold and blue brocade draperies, that lead onto the rear patio. The white doors complement the white ceiling and acanthus relief molding and add contrast to the red walls.
The cheerful mustard yellow kitchen has quarter sawn oak floors and granite countertops. There is a large center island with a bar sink and glass cabinets below that display Jane’s collection of teapots. Above hangs a pot rack. The hooded stove has a tiled backsplash and narrow pull-out doors on either side that store spice jars. A display shelf and plate rack hang between two windows decorated with red wreaths.
Ladder back chairs are paired with a reproduction Renaissance dining table with stretchers and turned legs. At Christmas, the table is covered with a red plaid tablecloth and a wooden cone covered with apples and greenery and topped with a pineapple. A blue Welsh dresser and bright yellow secretary provide colorful accents not only because of their hues, but also because of the items displayed there. The Welsh dresser holds a collection of blue Willow Ware, while the secretary displays more of Jane’s teapots.
The far wing of the house contains a handsome “man’s room,” which George likes to refer to as “his room.” The red, green and gold color scheme, green velvet draperies and dark paneled walls are especially lovely during the holiday season.
Two large sofas and an overstuffed tufted leather chair are grouped around a massive stone fireplace that was made in Dallas. Two mythical statues at either end support the acanthus leaf and dentil carved mantle. For Christmas, the mantle is decorated with large red candles, plaid bows and flowers, greenery and, of course, Christmas stockings. The iron fire screen with grapevine motif was made by Ruth Darby, a local blacksmith. Two red leather-trimmed heavily carved English Baroque chairs, one a side chair and the other an arm chair, grace either side of the fireplace. The room has a built-in entertainment center and baby grand piano. Behind one of the sofas is a 17th century Jacobean oak side table covered with a medieval tapestry cloth.
At the same end of the house, from a small sitting room you enter a three-sided glass conservatory with an expansive gabled roof. The conservatory has stucco textured mint green walls and contains plants, white garden furniture and, during the holidays, a Christmas tree. Hanging from the clerestory windows are three stained glass panels that were made by George.
From the main level, a paneled stairway leads up to the second and third levels. At each landing there is a stained glass window – also more of George’s handiwork. The newel posts of the stairs are topped with artichoke pediments,
and a red paisley runner covers the steps on the staircase.
The master suite is located on the second level. The master bath has dark wood cabinets with granite countertops that contrast with the white tiled floor, lightly colored textured walls, white tiled sinks, walk-in shower, and white free standing tub. The tub is positioned in front of two corner windows draped with sheer white curtains. Double vanity cabinets angle toward a recessed dressing area.
The master bedroom has a sitting area with a soft gold brocade upholstered love seat facing a cast stone fireplace. The fireplace has a raised marble hearth decorated with two small Christmas trees trimmed with white lights. Over the fireplace is a gold leaf mirror flanked by two sconces. On one side of the fireplace is a gold framed embroidered fire screen, with a full-length Venetian mirror on the other. Two gold striped club chairs and an ottoman sit in front of the large windows that look out onto the front lawn. The four posted tester bed has a white quilted coverlet and dust ruffle, which blend with the cream-colored walls and carpet. Gold silk draperies are gathered behind the headboard and form a pleated valance around the tester. The fabric in the ceiling of the tester is gathered into a center rose design.
A long hallway with a sitting area connects the master suite wing of the house to the opposite wing, which contains guest bedrooms and George’s office. The sitting area, in a recessed alcove, is furnished with a William and Mary style pecan secretary and two comfortable wing chairs, placed on either side of a pedestal table. Another one of George’s creations, a Tiffany style stained glass lamp, sits on one of the tables.
Pocket doors lead to George’s handsomely appointed office, outfitted with an inlaid banker’s desk and tufted leather swivel chair. Built-in bookcases topped with a paneled cornice line two of the walls, displaying travel mementos as well as books. In the center of the rear bookcase wall are French doors, flanked by angled windows, which open to a balcony and offer views of the rear gardens.
The bedroom across from the office is lined with William Morris green willow wallpaper and contains a carved four poster bed with a gold brocade bedspread and gold striped dust ruffle. To the left of the bed is an embroidered floral picture that was made by Jane’s grandmother. Pictures of English country scenes are also displayed, including one of sheep grazing. Jane chose to add an element of whimsy by including a life-size stuffed sheep as part of the pastoral theme of the room.
A second bedroom with gold walls and green brocade draperies is furnished with a sleigh bed and French country style armoire. The couple’s son’s room, located at the end of the hallway, is furnished with a four poster spiral twist bed and Sheraton style chest of drawers, armoire and chest. Green and gold brocade draperies are used on the windows that provide views of the side and rear gardens.
A long, angled walled hallway painted with images from Knossos, the Minoan palace on the island of Crete, is a nod to George’s Greek heritage. The hallway, which has a TV and exercise equipment in it, connects Jane’s workroom with a den at the far end.
The den is lined with gold tone print wallpaper, the upper walls angling to a gold leaf relief molding. The antique textured ceiling has the appearance of gold-toned leather. The room has a comfortable leather sofa and ottomans, which face a wall-mounted flat-screen TV. At one end of the den is an English oak Renaissance court cupboard with acorn turnings on the upper shelf. Other period pieces include an Arts and Crafts style cabinet, medieval chest and a reproduction of an 18th century game table, the top of which flips to a checkerboard or backgammon board. There is also a chinoiserie cabinet with painted black front doors depicting Chinese scenes and figures, which opens to reveal several small drawers that are painted green with images of birds in tree branches. The cabinet sits on an elaborately carved gold base with an X-shaped stretcher.
The Diamantis’ house is especially grand during the Christmas season. The English manor home with spectacular architectural details, oak floors, dark paneled walls, and red, green and gold color schemes all create a naturally festive atmosphere in which to celebrate the holidays – and at Christmas, it is ye ole English manor with beautiful, old world Christmas charm.