Georgia Club home infused with Asian influences

Travel

Georgia Club home infused with Asian influences

Buddy and Judy Neel's Statham home is built around a central courtyard. They moved to this community near Athens to be close to family. The style of the home and the garden reflects their international travels, including a stint in China.

The central courtyard is the focal point of Buddy and Judy Neel's Statham home. They moved to this community near Athens to be close to family. The style of the home and the garden reflects their international travels, including a stint in China.

A water feature pours into a winding creek in the garden, where Buddy Neel has been practicing his bonsai skills. Plants range from Knock-Out roses to junipers to Indian Hawthorne.

Buddy Neel dabbled in the art of bonsai before he and Judy moved to China. "I'm not trained in bonsai, I just enjoy doing it," he says, though it's obvious he's proud of his work.

A tiny figurine creates a vignette within a pot.

Buddy Neel's first bonsai project was in 1980 when he worked on a Schefflera, or umbrella tree, in his office. The Neels have cultivated a garden of 30 trees surrounded by fountains, rocks, Japanese maples and a sampling of the more than 300 pots they shipped back from China.

Judy Neel also picked up a hobby inspired by her time in Asia: collecting tea pots.

Much of the furniture in the home was commissioned or purchased in China. The seats of the dining room chairs are made from old wood floors. Buddy Neel wanted a round table to promote interaction, so he had this one made.

A rug from China that is at least 150 years old sits under the dining room table.

The detail work on a Chinese wedding chest and a buffet formalize the dining room.

Brass teapots with long spouts are displayed in the dining room. They come from an area of China where Neel said they serve a tea composed of dried fruit and rock sugar.

Chopsticks nested in a dinner napkin mark places around the dining room table.

Buddy Neel demonstrates how to use the large gong in the dining room. (He and Judy confess that they put away the mallet before the grandchildren visit.)

This is Judy Neel's quilting room.

A quilt that Judy made brings color and pattern to the simple master bedroom.

An Asian screen divides the sitting area from the master bedroom.

Judy and Buddy Neel have separate bathrooms that join in the middle, where there is a large, open shower.

This media room was created by a tweak to the home's original design, which called for a two-story great room downstairs. By changing that plan, the Neels created this room upstairs.

A rocking kangaroo picked up while the couple lived in Australia draws grandchildren like a magnet.

The upstairs porch, accessible from the media room and the quilting room, offers a view of the eighth hole of The Georgia Club's Silver Course.

The front stairs provide the right display space for these intricate Asian window screens.

This is a dining nook off the kitchen, which boasts dark wood cabinetry, stainless steel appliances and granite counters. It overlooks the courtyard, creating the perfect entertaining area.

The Neels settled at The Georgia Club home after years of living abroad. Buddy Neel was president of BellSouth China before he retired nine years ago.

1/22

The central courtyard is the focal point of Buddy and Judy Neel's Statham home. They moved to this community near Athens to be close to family. The style of the home and the garden reflects their international travels, including a stint in China.

Today's Gallery Headlines

Interstate checkpoint ruse

PHOTOS: Motorists fall for checkpoint ruse

Georgia's NFL Pro Day

PHOTOS: UGA Pro Day draws Falcons, others

St. Patrick’s Day parade gamer

PHOTOS: St. Patrick's Day Parade in Savannah

Murphy Crossing rendering March 2026

PHOTOS: Murphy Crossing renderings 2026