Italian villa finds home in Dunwoody

Italian villa finds home in Dunwoody

Roberta and Bob Welton have created a Ritz-Carlton ambiance in their Dunwoody Club Estates home.

Roberta and Bob Welton were attracted to the peacefulness, seclusion and hilly environment of Dunwoody Club Estates where they built their 6,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, four 1/2-bath home set behind the Dunwoody Country Club. "At the time there were not many people here," says Bob. "Now it's a lot more congested. There isn't an empty lot, traffic has more than quadrupled, but we're still isolated."

Bob Welton poses in his home's foyer among his portraits from travels through Tuscany and Lake Como in Italy.

Bella, the pet poodle, lounges in the foyer which features marble imported from Greece: antique beige, Ligurio Dark and classic phassos cut in a rhomboid pattern on a 60-degree angle. It's a classic pattern commonly seen on floors in European cathedrals. All four walls [in the foyer] have classic Roman arches." The door was hand-carved in Thailand of two-inch thick mahogany.

The living room features a fireplace with a stacked stone wall that Welton built with Tennessee field stone.

"When renovation was completed in 2005 we ended up with 5,000-square-feet of stone in a 6,000-square-foot house," says Bob. "Being a fanatic about stone, I installed and flat-laid 22 truckloads of field stone, I did it on weekends and in spare time. It is truly an Italian villa."

The kitchen opens to a keeping room and has a panoramic view of the courtyard. It features Italian slate with absolute natural black diamonds, a Giallo Venice countertop with full bullnose, cabinets made in Italy and Bosch appliances.

The formal dining room in the home of Roberta and Bob Welton features a marble niche and a bay window that overlooks the home's entrance.

The marble niche in the dining room is clad in Fior de Pesco, a marble from Italy, which Bob "installed in 14 Ritz-Carlton hotels. It's a lovely gray, beige, white stone, classic marble."

The master suite is 18' x 20'. The Weltons completed construction of their 5-bedroom home in 1985.

The master bath features custom-made Greek marble. "When I renovated my house in 2004-2005 I wanted it to look like a Ritz-Carlton," admits Bob. "It has etched details and the marble is classic Ritz-Carlton type of ogee edge and inlaid floors and diamonds in antique beige and rosa tierra."

The master bath keeps with the design aesthetic of the Ritz-Carlton. Welton supplied fine Italian and Greek marble to Ritz-Carlton properties so when he was ready to design his home he used excess materials and a luxury design template.

The spacious master bath has his and her vanities on either side of a luxurious bathtub.

A guest washroom in the Welton home features ornate wallpapered walls and Bob's landscape photography.

"The pavilion has an 18-foot vaulted ceiling made of solid cedar," describes Bob. This room "is 400-square-feet [and] overlooks the gully and trees and makes you feel you are in the Highlands."

Welton crafted a rustic aesthetic for the wall and gateway that encloses the courtyard and offers access from the driveway.

"It took me seven years to set the 22 truckloads of Tennessee field stone on this property," shares Welton. "It's all on decorative walls, columns, a 1,000 gallon koi pond (pictured), retaining walls, walkways, driveway, gates and walls."

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Roberta and Bob Welton were attracted to the peacefulness, seclusion and hilly environment of Dunwoody Club Estates where they built their 6,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, four 1/2-bath home set behind the Dunwoody Country Club. "At the time there were not many people here," says Bob. "Now it's a lot more congested. There isn't an empty lot, traffic has more than quadrupled, but we're still isolated."

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