Our Second Serenbe Visit

Welcome to the HGTV 2012 Green Home at Serenbe!  Doesn't the front entry just seem to invite you in?  My husband and I were in Serenbe for the day yesterday, and loved it just as much as we did the first time we visited last fall.  The weather was not as good this time (overcast with rain in the afternoon) but I did manage to get pictures.  It was a bit disconcerting to arrive at the house only to find that a camera crew was photographing (probably for the virtual tour).  I walked all around the house, taking care not to trespass, and was able to get shots from all sides before the crew asked me to stop.  The house was opened up to allow light in for their shoot, so I'm sure they did not want too much revealed before the virtual tour.  I did get a few tantalizing views of the inside -- not enough to ruin the HGTV reveal, but sure to make you anxious for more!

This is the view from across the street (cars probably belong to the camera crew):

Tantalizing tidbit #1 -- a red auger lamp makes a bold statement in the Georgia room front window, sitting on a big table next to a vase filled with tall white-flowering branches.

I then headed to the left (south side) of the house for a shot of the Georgia room with its chimney and wraparound porch:

Here is a photo of the south side, with Georgia room to the right, master suite to the left, courtyard in between, and camera crew hard at work:

Tantalizing tidbit #2 -- there is a huge gas grill visible in the courtyard, with a stone half wall which I think separates it from an outdoor dining table (HGTV bloggers, you can even see Mary's camellia in the left corner of the courtyard if you look really hard).  And notice the solar panels on the roof!

Continuing up the hill toward the back (west side) of the house, this is a view (across an undeveloped lot next to the Green Home) of the open space between the house to the right and the detached garage to the left:

I am standing on a concrete stairway south of this vacant lot that allows pedestrian access to the road behind the Green Home (Middleton Way) from the road in front (Serenbe Lane).  Continuing up, this is a picture of the master suite corner:

Here are some pictures of the one-car garage with what I thought was an attached carport, but which is apparently being used as a viewing deck with lounge chairs:

These are shots of the back (west side) of the house -- I really like the stairs and railing, and the courtyard is lovely:

Tantalizing tidbit #3 -- you can just barely see into the living room from this angle!  I tried to get a good look at the furnishings.  There is an Ethan Allen ottoman, and I think this Restoration Hardware chair is one of the styles I was seeing in the house.  A few other items are visible which do not seem to be from Ethan Allen, like that ceramic Chinese garden stool in a dark metallic finish.  Since designer Linda Woodrum is from the South she may have had her own sources for some of the furnishings, and of course nearby Atlanta is a home furnishings shopping mecca!

On to the north side of the house, which was not as easy to photograph since there are a couple of open lots between the Green Home and the side road that connects Middleton Way with Serenbe Lane:

And finally, here is a closeup of that fabulous stone arch with the bioswale for rainwater diversion:

I have a little more information about our trip that I plan to share, as well as some interesting news about upcoming events at Serenbe, but they will have to wait for another post tomorrow (other responsibilities need need my attention today!).  I hope you've enjoyed this outdoor tour of the Serenbe Green Home through my eyes.  Now I'm impatiently waiting for HGTV to launch the virtual tour of the great indoors on April 2nd, and I'm sure I'm not the only one!