Serenbe: Could this be the new South?

Home sweet Serenbe.Earlier this past month when I attended the Interior ReDecorators conference in Atlanta, a highlight of the event was a trip to Serenbe, a community located just 30 miles outside of the city.  It could be a continent away.

 

The New York Times calls it "Sonoma for the New South."

 

It's name means serene place to be.  There is no doubt that you leave the stress of the outside world behind when you enter this refuge of new urbanism. Its 900 acres are in the heart of the Chattahoochee Hill Country's 40,000 acres that are protected with a master plan that calls for 80% green space.  Imagine that.  It was a perfect field trip for myself and my fellow visitors because this professional group of decorators has been practicing green principles and sustainability since it was founded.  

 

Owners and developers, Steve and Marie Nygren are well-known Atlanta restaurateurs and believe that a community is a living part of the natural surroundings and not something to be built at nature's expense.  They told us they have designed Serenbe based on traditional values and the belief that quality of life is more important than simply a place to live.

 

It is almost eerily quiet.  My good friend, Pamela O'Brien and IAntique shop: Closed on Monday! walked around hoping to meet some residents and we finally found a homeowner who is the owner of these beautiful dogs.  She is selling her  home and told us that it is a great place to live and that you don't ever want to leave.  Yet, she is. We found art galleries, an antique shop, had a great lunch at the Blue-Eyed Daisy, the community gathering place (beware of the chocolate chip cookies!).  There is a farmer's market, a restaurant that uses hand-picked produce, jogging trails, a croquet lawn, stables, fishing pond, a guest house, a wedding pavilion, gourmet grocery and boutiques.

 

A dog's life at Serenbe.Homes and businesses are nestled into the natural landscape.  Communities consist of cottages, townhomes, live/work spaces and estates.  The developers explain that from the ground up, they are building a community that is "environmentally responsible, organically healthy and spiritually and aesthetically stimulating."  The forward-thinking developer and the obvious commitment the residents have to the environment and sustainability, should inspire all of us, no matter where we live.