Luxury Real Estate

Courtesy of duPont REGISTRY and duPont REGISTRY Homes Blog's Reynolds Fuller

Thoughts of fairy tales and happily ever after, spring to mind upon arriving at the luxurious Crantzdorf Castle in the land of East Tennessee. Reminiscent of a medieval castle and modeled after the “Palacio dela Magdalena” in Spain, this enchanting estate is unrivaled in its craftsmanship and originality. “It’s really a unique home, and there’s a lot of detail in the house,” says Winston Johnson, broker and owner of LUX Mountain Realty, LLC. “It’s an exceptional house.”

The 20,000-square-foot home boasts nine bedrooms, ten-full bathrooms, three-half baths, private maid’s quarters including a kitchen, four-car garage, indoor basketball court, and luxurious home theater. Theo Kalomirakis, who is referred to as the “Father of Home Theater” and the “Home Theater King,” designed this state-of-the-art theater. Also located within the 13 acres of gated property on Boone Lake are a boathouse, gazebo, large pool, and sixteenth scale racetrack of Bristol Motor Speedway including night racing with Italian racecars.

“There is no other home like this home,” says Steve Grindstaff, owner of Crantzdorf Castle. “It all has great features.” European craftsmen and architects spent more than ten years creating this captivating castle with its soaring ceilings, stained glass, Italian marble floors, and luxury hand-cast moldings. “The ceilings were all hand carved by two craftsmen from Greece,” Grindstaff says. “They worked on them only for three-and-a-half years.”

From the Italian foundation to the original Napoleon bed, the luxury house is rich in antiques from top to bottom. "We searched Red Baron's in Atlanta and private auctions to choose every piece of artwork, furniture, and upholstery to fit the theme of every room,” says Ashley Grindstaff, wife and homeowner. “Our castle is different from other cold and dull castles. Our castle is a warm and inviting home. Decorating is my passion. I enjoyed the hunt to find the right pieces to make our castle colorful. When you walk through our 22-foot tall front doors, from the Music Conservatory in Paris, France, you know you have walked into a home built and decorated with love.”

Although the luxury property has more than enough amenities to keep anyone enthralled, if venturing beyond the property is on the agenda, the estate is within minutes of shopping, entertainment, arts and crafts, excellent healthcare, outdoor activities, and the airport. “You’re within 45 minutes of the ski slopes,” Grindstaff says. “You’re on a lake. You’re secluded but still in the mix.”

Having entertained more than 700 guests at one time, this luxury home is perfect as a corporate property as well as a single-family residence Johnson says. “It’s just a one-of-a-kind, beautiful property with a great view and location.” Offered at $19,500,000. View the luxury listing here.

View this home on the cover of the duPont REGISTRY virtual magazine here.

By Thierry Journiac of TerraCognita

SUMMARY

40 min South of Tours, nestled in a superb and calm countryside environment of woods and meadows, magnificent chateau distributing ca 1000 sqm/11000 sqft of living area in excellent condition with beautiful reception rooms and 8 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms - Ca 30 ha/75 acres land with caretaker's home, an old barn, a pond, a pool and stables for 8 horses

MORE DETAILS

In Touraine, close to the historic city of Loches, this exceptional estate is tucked away in a hidden valley off the beaten track. The castle was first mentioned in 1234, probable date of its construction, in the archives of the city of Tours. Refurbished during the Renaissance, its decorative elements reveal the magnificence of the period, as shown, for instance, in the exceptional bands containing the medallions. It also contains handsome architectural elements, typical of the Renaissance. The castle still has many traces of the 13th century. One can imagine the battles against the Sarrasins in the two defence towers, the machiolations and the rampart walks, with encorbelled brattices and murder holes.

The property consists of thirty hectares (roughly 70 acres) of cleared woods and fields all around the buildings.

The main building has two round towers on either side, originating from the 15th century. Galleries run from one to the other on two floors and with three arches; there is a magnificent spiral staircase dating from the 14th century leading past the murther holes from where the archers shot arrows with their crossbows.

The ground floor has a superb gallery with seven arches on one side and on the other, a series of reception rooms. The floors are covered with ancient flagstones and the formal drawing room has a Versailles parquet floor with a "rose des vents" design. All the reception rooms have Renaissance fireplaces.

In the 19th century, the chapel in which the famous French author Alfred de Vigny was christened, was transformed into a white-stone main stairway which leads to the first floor, to the gallery that has a marble floor with various patterns "à l'italienne" and bedrooms on one side.

The four large bedrooms have kept their former characteristics, i.e. doors leading from one room to another without having to use the gallery.

The Royal suite, traditionally maintained in case the king paid a visit, is separate, in the West wing. On the eastern side of the gallery are two bedrooms and a large suite.

All the floors are covered with elaborate 18th century tiles. The ceilings have beams and some are magnificently painted.

The walls of the whole house are covered with beautiful materials from Braquenier or P.Frey or silks made specially in Lyons for the Château.

Six main reception rooms, one of them with the Versailles parquet flooring: a dining room, a "Chinese" sitting room (with a guest toilet in a tower), a television room and an office.

A large kitchen (part of it in a tower), a large pantry, and a hunt (sitting) room with an exit. On the first floor there are 5 bedrooms with 4 bathrooms and two shower-rooms, 5 toilets, and dressing-rooms.

The two bedrooms (one of them with a toilet in the tower) of the Master suite are separated by a bathroom and dressing- room.

West wing: 2 bedrooms with bathrooms and toilets.

One large suite with a bedroom, sitting-room, dressing-room, shower-room, toilet and kitchenette.

The bedrooms and some of the towers ave Renaissance fireplaces. The bathroom walls are tiled with hand made tiles. All the materials used for the bedrooms are of top quality.

Outside, is a 19th century building used as a garage for two cars with a comfortable 45-metre apartment above. Stables containing two boxes are attached.

Behind is the pool-house with a toilet, swimming-pool machinery and a heated swimming-pool with palm-trees along a stone alley. Very dreamlike.

There is a large stone table under the mulberry trees where one can have meals listening to the fountain playing and drinking icy water straight from the source!

The park can be lit up at night; the huge entrance gate (surmounted with the crown of the "marquis") is opened and closed by remote control.

In the second stables (150 square metres) there are four large boxes, a hot-water shower for the horses, a solarium, old-style tack-room and grooming quarters.

The tennis-court has temporarily been converted into a 40 x 20 metre outdoor riding school.

An 18th century farm, visible from the drawing-room windows has been restored on the outside only and has a 200 square-metre surface.

At the bottom of the fields is a small lake fed by a source (discovered in the Middle Ages).