The Hollands’ Home in North Chattanooga
North Chattanooga has long been celebrated for its diversity—not only in regards to the ethnicity of its residents, but also in regards to its landscape and its wide range of architectural styles. Among the neighborhoods situated cozily in the hills and valleys of North Chattanooga, small historic cottages, apartments, and large, new houses perch together above quiet, tucked-away streets.
By Rebecca Rochat | Photography by Med Dement
Mitch Holland and his wife Amy had been married a year and living in another part of North Chattanooga when they found a lot that had been vacant for 30 years on one of these streets. Long drawn to English styles of architecture, Mitch and Amy believed a Tudor home would be an ideal fit, both for the lot and the neighborhood. Inspired, they got to work on designing their new home. “We wanted it to look like it had been there a long time, like a classic,” Amy says. Their vision came to fruition two years ago when the Hollands moved into their gorgeous, new—yet-historic-looking—home among the hills of North Chattanooga.
With its positioning on a high lot and contrasting exterior of gray and white, the Holland’s home offers a dramatic curbside setting. A covered porch is balanced by a second story shingle gable over paired columns leading to the front entrance. In between is a second story oriel window, a common element of English Tudor-style architecture.
The home’s exterior offers a clue as to its spaciousness, which is even more evident upon entering the rounded, oak front door and stepping inside. Almost all rooms on the first floor are visible from the vantage point of the foyer, where an open floor plan guides the eye from the formal dining room to the kitchen and breakfast room and on into the living room.
Oak floors provide continuity throughout and high ceilings emphasize the spaciousness of the floor plan. A neutral color palette lends a sense of tranquility to the space, broken only by squeals and laughter of the Holland’s 12-month-old daughter, Beatrice, who also enjoys making her way around the open floor plan.
The formal dining room to the right of the foyer and staircase is a combination of elegance and simplicity with its gossamer color scheme of white and gray. Gray upper walls paired with white paneled lower walls are crowned by a dramatic coffered ceiling. An antique crystal chandelier hangs over the dining table, left in its natural wood color. Pleated, floor length draperies with a gray scroll pattern hang from iron curtain rods.
The white-and-gray color scheme continues into the kitchen, striking in its clean lines. White cabinets are paired with gray marble countertops and gray tile backsplash. In the center of the space is a large, square island with built-in drawers and cabinets on three sides, the fourth housing stools with rush seats flanked by turned spindle legs. An austere five-armed candelabra chandelier hangs over the island. The kitchen’s stainless steel appliances include an industrial gas stove with two ovens topped by a paneled French hood. White Roman shades with gold, geometric banding hang over the window at the sink.
The same fabric is used for the draperies along the window and French doors in the connecting breakfast room. The breakfast room’s antique oak table sits on a sisal rug, while an iron lantern-style chandelier hangs from a coffered ceiling above. The table, dating from the late 1800s, has a high relief carved apron and massive turned legs.
The living room is a warm and inviting space again using subtle colors and fabrics—beige walls compliment upholstery in soft tones of green. The fireplace, the focal point of the living room, is flanked by built-in bookcases and cabinets and framed by a classically molded mantel and surround. In front is an x-shaped stool with a white, tufted seat.
Two matching green velvet wing chairs have been placed in front of a three-part window, through which afternoon sunlight bathes the room in a warm glow. Another seating area pairs two white club chairs with an ottoman upholstered in zebra print. A contemporary Federal-style sofa with rectangular lines contrasts with the curved lines of the wing and club chairs, while the muted green tones of the sofa upholstery compliment the chairs’ green and white upholstery.
An open staircase ascending to the second floor has white walls and molding and a landing with a tall, narrow window, giving it a sense of spaciousness and light. At the top of the stairs, a still life study of vases imported from Europe hangs over a simple, rustic console table with splayed legs. Paired underneath the table for balance are two stools upholstered in a beige suede fabric.
Colors, fabrics and textures used downstairs are repeated in the three bedrooms and baths on the second floor. The master bedroom has a spacious tray ceiling and a green-and-white color scheme. Green is used for the walls, and found in the bed skirt, a velvet chair, and draperies with a stylized leaf pattern. The bed is covered in a crisp, white coverlet and duvet, accented by green silk and velvet pillows in varying shapes. The bed’s unusual headboard is a two-sectioned curving piece with three posts. The piece once belonged to Amy’s parents, but now has a new look with a white coat of paint.
The bed is paired with a white demi-lune table on one side and a silver, mirrored front chest on the other, each with a tapered, alabaster lamp. Other decorative accents in the room include a sisal area rug and four botanical prints that reinforce the flora motif found in the drapery leaf pattern.
In the master bath, white cabinetry compliments marble countertops and travertine floors. A double vanity has two square-shaped sinks, over which hang matching rectangular mirrors with gold accent banding. The master bath also has a dressing area and a walk-in tiled shower with shower heads at either end.
Beige and white are the colors of choice in the guest bedroom. The bed’s headboard is upholstered in beige suede fabric, accented by metal studs. The bed’s white duvet and quilted coverlet are complimented by a bed skirt of beige linen and beige-and-white diamond-patterned pillows. Traditional drop leaf and round tables are used as end tables, while a transparent “ghost” chair adds a surprising contemporary touch. The guest bath has white cabinetry, gray marble countertops, and a double vanity with two carved, white framed mirrors.
Also upstairs, Beatrice’s nursery has a gentle sophistication. On one wall is a Jenny Lind white spindled baby bed, while a glider chair upholstered in white rests in the corner—the place where Beatrice is rocked to sleep. Nearby, a mirror framed by blue wood with gold accent banding hangs over a white chest of drawers. When Beatrice is old enough for a “big girl” bed, a double bed is ready covered in white and off white linens.
The Holland’s Tudor style house has all the features of cosmopolitan living encased in a home with historically influenced architectural elements. Mitch and Amy set out to design and build a “classic” home that would complement the historical character of their North Chattanooga neighborhood. Their updated Tudor home is a modern classic that is right at home in the architectural diversity of North Chattanooga.
