Hand-painted lavatory seats, doorknobs valued in the thousands, marble, silk and wallpaper from overseas; these items that adorn one of the largest homes in the state will be up for auction this weekend that the public can view before the sale.
Auction coordinators say the public inspection and auction of the full contents of Villa Collina, the largest single-family home in Tennessee, by Furrow Auction Company will begin this week starting with the first auction of luxury furnishings and décor on Dec. 4.
The hundreds of items available in the Dec. 4 auction include tables, chairs, statues, fountains, mirrors, rugs, lamps, desks, banquet table, silk drapes, stained glass, sofas, chandeliers, glassware, chinaware, paintings and more.
“This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to say the least,” said Sam Furrow, chairman and principal auctioneer at Furrow Auction Company. “So many of the contents of this mansion are unique and not available anywhere else. It contains numerous architectural relics from Knoxville’s buildings and imported finishes and materials such as Turkish Afyon white sugar marble, silk wall coverings from Dubai and custom doors from Turkey.”
The house will be open for inspection from Wednesday, Dec. 1 through Friday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Appointments are not needed, and parking will be available at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, located at 800 S. Northshore Drive. Shuttle buses will run continuously from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. between the church and the nearby home.
The online-only auction of personal property, high-end furnishings and décor will begin a 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4. Details about access to the auction and registration along with a catalog of listings are available at furrow.com.
A live and online auction of stairways, mechanical systems and interior doors will be held Thursday, Dec. 16.
Following the two auctions, any remaining items will be sold on a negotiated basis.
Constructed between 1993 and 2000, Villa Collina is located at 5628 Lyons View Pike in Knoxville. The 40,250-square-foot waterfront mansion on Fort Loudoun Lake, which auctioneers say was recently sold for $6.5 million, is the 84th largest home in the country. The house includes more than 80 rooms with eight bedrooms, 11 full bathrooms, three-story library, 2,600-square-foot wine cellar, 11 fireplaces, indoor and outdoor pools, six-car garage, and guest and staff quarters.
The house is set to be demolished in 2022 before being split into 3 land lots.