The homeowner and staff at Villa Collina are excitedly anticipating the next big fundraiser at Tennessee’s largest home on New Year’s Eve.

Plans are finalized, and tickets are available for Bee’s Knees NYE: A 2020 AFFAIR to be held Tuesday, Dec. 31, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Guests will welcome 2020 in Roaring Twenties style.

The immersive, all-inclusive experience for guests ages 21 and up includes wine, beer and spirits accompanied by delectable food at stations around the home.

Music will abound throughout the evening – from classical piano to jazz and a 1980s cover band to a DJ playing beats on the dance floor.

Guests will be able to enjoy the mansion’s magnificent artwork as well as dancers who will perform throughout the home. Amazing silent auction packages will be available for bid until 11 p.m.

At midnight we will feature a soaring fireworks show – the largest private show in East Tennessee – to usher in the New Year.

For more information including tickets and pricing, visit https://www.beeskneesnye.com/.

A portion of the proceeds will support Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, a nonprofit leading the community in the fight to end hunger. The food bank secures and distributes more than 20 million pounds of food and grocery products annually through a network of over 600 partnering nonprofit organizations such as food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and schools.

Don’t miss the opportunity to support Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee and ring in 2020 in 1920s style!

Villa Collina owner Eric Barton explains what he’d tell homeowners considering making their home more energy efficient.
For the video and more information, visit: https://www.knoxnews.com/videos/money/business/2019/05/02/what-would-villa-collina-owner-eric-barton-tell-those-considering-making-their-home-more-energy-effi/3651785002/?fbclid=IwAR0XQtXDGWxuQ2zrai3XNeWaopSZEPcsY5ZGtej2bqDYYQUJSfDnupUQbf8

WBIR — KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — One of the biggest and most expensive houses in East Tennessee plays host this Saturday to a Kentucky Derby party that will raise money for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

“Talk Derby to Me” will be 3 p.m.-8 p.m. at Villa Collina, the sprawling mansion that overlooks Fort Loudoun Lake on Lyons View Pike. The mansion has been on the market for months.

A limited number of tickets are available here to the public. The cost is $125.

Participants are encouraged to dress in their finest Derby day attire for the annual Run for the Roses, staged every May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Items will be up for bid during a silent auction at the mansion.

Derby-themed drinks and hors d’oeuvres prepared by Chef Holly Hambright will be served. Cindi Alpert and The Groove will perform, according to an announcement Tuesday.

The event will raise money for the hospital’s pain and palliative care service

You can learn more information by calling the hospital’s development office at 865-541-8668.

WBIR, Channel 10, will carry the race Saturday, with horses set to run about 6:50 p.m.

Villa Collina, 5628 Lyons View Pike, is owned by businessman Eric Barton. It features 40,000 square feet of space on about 8 acres.

Realtor.com lists it for sale at nearly $15 million. The home includes eight bedrooms and 11.5 baths.

It’s billed as Tennessee’s largest house.

For more information, please visit: https://www.wbir.com/article/news/derby-day-at-a-grand-mansion-villa-collina-to-host-hospital-fundraiser/51-59fc3910-e95f-4fe4-8780-961edb367dda

For more information, please visit: https://www.wate.com/living-east-tennessee/food/derby-menu-with-holly-s-gourmets-market-eventful-dining/1974025188

The inaugural “Talk Derby to Me” event will take place on Saturday, May 4th at Tennessee’s largest residence, the exquisite Villa Collina.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will allow patients to receive pain and palliative care services, which are not covered through insurance.

For more information, please visit: https://www.wate.com/living-east-tennessee/east-tennessee-children-s-hospital-hosts-talk-derby-to-me-fundraiser-for-pain-palliative-care/1973973746

The public is invited to experience Knoxville’s most unique derby party at Villa Collina, Tennessee’s largest home, on Saturday, May 4 from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. Talk Derby to Me is a fundraising event for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Villa Collina, owned by businessman and philanthropist Eric Barton, is a 40,000-square-foot waterfront mansion, located at 5628 Lyons View Pike.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get decked out in your finest derby day attire and enjoy the Kentucky Derby in this pristine setting. Guests will be treated to derby-themed beverages and hors d’oeuvres prepared by Chef Holly Hambright while they watch the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby. Entertainment will be provided by Cindi Alpert and The Groove. Guests can also bid on unique silent auction items.

Tickets are available at $125 each. Event proceeds will benefit the Pain and Palliative Care service at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. A limited number of tickets are available online now at www.etch.com/derby. For more information call Children’s Hospital Development office at (865) 541-8668.

Throughout this Villa Collina Renewed series, it became apparent that homeowner Dr. Eric W. Barton attended to every detail during renovations to update the home and make it both a showcase for the community and an oasis of luxurious comfort and style.

With extensive interior and exterior renovations including windows, lighting, marble, HVAC systems, security, wine cellar, fountains, pools, apartments, library, audio, video and more, the home now has cutting-edge technology and is energy efficient, environmentally friendly, safe, secure and accommodating to residents and guests alike.

Through extensive research and interviews with previous homeowners, builders, craftsmen, contractors and designers, the updates stayed true to the original intentions and design, while modernizing and tailoring Villa Collina to the personal tastes and needs of the new homeowner.

As new projects get underway, we’ll be sure to post updates. We’ll also keep you in the loop about events at the home, as well as other ways that the community can experience Villa Collina.

If you would like to revisit any of the posts in this series, click on the links below.

A study in luxury, a labor of love

Indulge your guests

Audio and video upgrades

Welcome to the library

Illuminating luxury

An oasis awaits

The fountains flow forth

Italianesque beauty meets technology of the future

A beautiful high-tech fortress

The best cellar

Marble renovations

Restoring a Knoxville icon to its original exterior luster

East Tennessee meets Italian fashion

Tennessee’s most efficient Italian smart home

Why renovate?

Thank you for following along through the challenges and successes of the renovation. Be sure to check back for updates and follow us on our website http://www.thevillacollina.org/ and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheVillaCollina/.

Villa Collina boasts three apartments that were originally designed for full-time estate staff. Today, these well-appointed suites provide a convenient and comfortable place for long-term guests – and one favorite pastime.

The fourth and final phase of construction for Villa Collina included the butler’s quarters on the west end of the property, which included two apartments called the butler’s suite and the cottage suite. These were in addition to a third apartment that already had been constructed on the east end of the property and dubbed the grotto suite since it was near a small grotto that was on the property before construction began.

The original homeowners had a full-time butler, and they wanted a convenient, yet separate place for him to reside. Although subsequent homeowners didn’t have staff who lived on the property, the name for the butler’s suite has endured to this day.

When Dr. Eric W. Barton purchased the home, the butler’s suite needed a full renovation because no one had lived there in quite some time. Most of the appliances, water fixtures, cabinets, televisions and the audio and video system needed to be updated and replaced.

All of the furnishings, drywall, ceiling, carpet and flooring, as well as the entire bathroom were removed. Eco-friendly bamboo flooring, granite countertops, subway tile backsplashes and fresh paint transformed the space into a serene, riverside oasis.

An updated kitchen and new island increased counter and seating space. Barton added a custom wine rack and wine cooler, perfect for guests who do not want to venture out to the extensive cellar in the main house. Thoughtfully selected furnishings, accent pieces and colors reflect the peaceful vibe and make it a comfortable, inviting home away from home.

The butler’s suite is perfect for long-term guests and extended visits from Barton’s adult children and their spouses. New water and electrical connections allowed for a washer and dryer for the first time. The private entry, full kitchen, bath and laundry facilities provide guests with everything they need without having to access the main house. The suite is attached and accessible to the home, but still separate. It even has its own security system.

The apartment above the butler’s suite, dubbed the cottage suite, has new life as a poker room. Barton replaced the flooring, added new 4K televisions, repainted the suite and installed new furniture (including his favorite eight-seat poker table). He now has a great area for friends to gather for game night. With a private entry, bathroom and balcony with a fire pit and plenty of seating, it’s the perfect place for a few hands of Texas Hold’em.

The east end grotto suite apartment is well-appointed and has a new television, AV system, plush furnishings and updated gas range cooktop. It has a more modern loft aesthetic with gray walls and an open living room and full kitchen. With its own patio overlooking the river, covered outdoor seating area and a seemingly hidden staircase to the back garden, this apartment is a favorite for guests.

The grotto suite, butler suite and newly dubbed poker suite are lovely and functional areas that will provide both guests and the homeowner with utility, comfort and fun for years to come.

Up next: We’ll wrap up the Villa Collina Renewed series by recapping all of the exciting work that has gone in to refurbishing and updating the home to this point. As spring nears, more work will begin as outside areas are updated and landscaped. We’ll be sure to bring you all of the details in upcoming posts. Follow us on Facebook to get the dish about the updates of this beautiful and majestic home.

Since Villa Collina was originally built, options for audiovisual technology have significantly changed. Homeowner Eric W. Barton decided to expand and elevate the AV experience throughout the home.

An existing audio system had been placed throughout most of the interior of the home, and some of the original interior speakers were still useful. Other facets of the audio system underwent major upgrades.

Each room in Villa Collina has built-in speakers that are integrated seamlessly and barely noticeable. During renovations, new speakers were added in several of the suites, including the master suite. New audio zones were added to exterior areas where no audio system existed. The new control units are now housed in a basement server room, one of four server rooms in the home.

For many upgrades, Barton turned to Magnolia, Best Buy’s audiovisual experts. The Magnolia employees provided guidance throughout the process and were both responsive and knowledgeable.

Magnolia installed a state-of-the-art exterior audio system featuring Sonance Landscape Series speakers. Each of the three exterior zones contain discrete speakers and subwoofers that provide even coverage.

The main pool area is the largest exterior zone featuring 20 landscape speakers, four powerful in-ground subwoofers and 3,000 watts of dedicated power. The pool audio upgrades were tricky, since sound must overcome noise levels from guests and rushing water. The new system can handle high audio volumes without distortion and is constantly optimized through a custom DSP (digital signal processing) profile within the amplifier.

The other new outdoor zones are the Officers Club patio and the front main entry. All zones can operate independently or in tandem and were integrated into Villa Collina’s existing indoor distributed audio system. That allows the exterior system to be grouped with the 25+ indoor audio zones throughout the property.

A space as large as Villa Collina presents unique challenges, including communicating with everyone throughout the property during a large event. That issue was solved by a new public address system that uses speakers in the upgraded audio system with integration into the audio app. Announcements can go to the entire property or be targeted to certain rooms or zones. During an announcement, the system automatically mutes the music, then returns it to previous levels when the announcement concludes.

Mark Midyett, an audio and lighting specialist, solved another challenge. For events that drew a lot of guests, the homeowner wanted to provide a powerful Wi-Fi system to accommodate them. Midyett, president of DFA Solutions and co-founder of @home Audio Video Technology, and his team installed a commercial Wi-Fi system that can handle more than 200 users at a time. A system like this is not typical for a private residence, but Villa Collina is not a typical home!

The overall technology renovation also included video upgrades. We previously covered security upgrades in detail in a Villa Collina Renewed post, including the installation of 16 high-definition security and property cameras. The surveillance system cameras are strategically placed around the property with wide-angle views of ingress/egress points and can be accessed live on the homeowner’s smartphone.

Barton inherited a heap of old, gigantic televisions that no one would take. He replaced each one – and added even more – and now the property boasts 30 4K televisions. There are televisions in the common areas, bedrooms, exterior patio, bathrooms and even one room with four mounted on one wall, perfect for game day action. The homeowner enjoys sports programming, especially college basketball, and is particularly fond of both scary movies and Hallmark holiday movies.

TiVo is a user-friendly solution to manage content applications, and Barton has cable, Netflix, Vudu and Amazon Prime Video all loaded and ready to provide entertainment at a moment’s notice.

Villa Collina’s audiovisual services are managed and controlled by an operating system by Savant. The home features the first Savant “Super Pro Host” installed in the state of Tennessee, featuring enough processing power to handle the thousands of simultaneous commands that it sometimes receives, while providing room to grow and expand the system as needed. Remote controls and iPads provide a simple and familiar interface for controlling televisions throughout the home. The remotes work even with source equipment hidden from view, providing a cleaner and more attractive space around the televisions.

Villa Collina now boasts state-of-the-art interior and exterior audio and video systems that blend seamlessly into the environment, provide powerful performance, are intuitive and easy to operate, and have room to expand. It’s just another way that over-the-top luxury is addressed at this magnificent home.

Up next: The butler’s quarters have been expanded, updated and well-appointed and now provide guests a home space that is nearby, yet private. We’ll dish on all of the upgrades in the next post in the Villa Collina Renewed series.