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David Drake has an open-door policy at his home. If the garage door is open, come on in.
Single and living alone, Mr. Drake said he welcomes company.
Admittedly, the sprawling, four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 1960s-era rancher is big for one person, said Mr. Drake, 57. That’s because 10 years ago it started out as a home for Mr. Drake, his former wife and two children. Divorce divided the family three years later, and his ex-wife and children moved out of state. Mr. Drake considered selling the house, but his children objected, so he remodeled instead.
He didn’t convert the house into a bachelor’s pad, but he did, in time, make it reflect his passion for antiques, handmade furnishings, exotic woods and, most importantly, the view to Chickamauga Lake that lies just beyond his backyard.
“I took out 106 trees,” he said of the backyard project. “There wasn’t a blade of grass” (originally).
Over the years, Mr. Drake has remodeled most every room in the nearly 5,000-square-foot house, but when it came to the kitchen, he couldn’t find anyone who had remodeling ideas he liked.
“It frustrated me,” he said, “so I decided to do it myself.”
His first move was to gut the kitchen and remove a wall between the kitchen and den. Then began a two-state hunt for exotic woods for the cabinets and an island.
Mr. Drake wanted bubinga for a large kitchen island, which would house a sink, dishwasher and storage space and serve as a place for dining.
“I wanted to have room for folks to sit and eat,” he said, noting that he has served
as many as 42 guests at one meal.
Mr. Drake found most of the exotic woods in Atlanta, including a 12-foot-long, 59-inch-wide slab of bubinga for the island countertop.
He then enlisted the expertise of Dick Edgerton, owner of Flintstone Millwork in Flintstone, Ga., to construct the cabinetry.
“Dick is a genius,” he said. “His product is a work of art, and it can withstand almost anything.”
One side of the island contains cabinet space and a dishwasher. The other side has attached stools that were once in a caboose. The old floor was replaced with ceramic tile.
The now-open kitchen leads into the dining space, where large windows face the lake. The dining room table, made of leopard wood, South African blood wood and bird’s-eye maple, is mounted on antique pub table stands.
Stainless-steel appliances, including a gas stove/convection oven, replaced the old ones. Because of his passion for cooking, Mr. Drake had a flexible faucet installed over the stove, making it convenient to pour water into pots and pans while cooking. Island and countertops were designed for his 6-foot, 2-inch frame. “It’s 4 inches higher than the average height,” he said.
A wet bar adjacent to the kitchen includes a small porcelain sink salvaged from a 1954 Chris-Craft boat. A window opening onto the swimming pool deck is a brass-framed porthole from an old ship. It was one of about a dozen he bought off a truck traveling through Chattanooga.
“I saw it in the back of his truck, so I honked and he pulled over,” Mr. Drake said of the unusual shopping spree. “He had about 25 and sold some to me for $5 each.”
A 1940s Army field operating room light purchased 20 years ago at a Nashville flea market hangs over the island.
“I started collecting things as a kid — that’s how I made money. I’d invest my allowance, buy something then sell it for more.”
Among his vast collections include a 600-pound chopping block from the old S&W Cafeteria in downtown Chattanooga, furnishings from the old Patten Hotel at the corner of 11th and Market streets, stained glass from buildings across town, an old brass cash register and a 1920 dental chair.
“I’ve been called a junk collector, and that’s OK with me,” he said. “I do realize that it’s just stuff. Years ago, these things were treasures to me, but I look at it differently today. My family and friends mean more to me than anything I own.”
The favorite thing about his home is nothing he acquired, he said. “The water is why I’m here. It’s where I love to go and reflect on what’s going on in my life. Every day I touch the water. It may sound silly, but I pray here.”
If you do drop in on Mr. Drake, smile as you enter. He’ll immediately take your picture to be displayed on his so-called Wall of Shame, that holds, to date, around 100 photos of guests.
“The old Wall of Shame came down during the renovation,” he said. “But the new wall is filling up quickly.”
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